The record-union., 1896-02-03
ANDTHE MOUNTAIN LABORED
The Issue, However, Was Of MiGrOSGOp-
iGal Proportions.
Officer Wilson Exonerated-What Was
Developed at His Examina-
ton Saturday.

The promised typhoon turned out to
be only a zephyr after all.
There were dark and ominous clouds
hanging over the police department last
week that had been conjured up by the
rain-makers, but the promised storm
failed to materialize. Bombs were ex-
ploded day after day, but when the
mists were dispelIed on Saturday it was
apparent that the explosives were dam
aged or that there was nothing in the
atmosphere, after all, to warrant all the
talk that had been INDUCED in about a
coming deluge that would swamp sew
eral members of the police force.
Officer J. A. Wilson had been charged
by one Grace Weston, a denizen of
lower L street. with attempting to in
timidate a witness-that witness be-
ing herself-by ordering her to leave the
city under pain of being prosecuted for
vagrancy. On the witness stand she
swore that Wilson happened along by
her place a few minutes after officer
Rutherford had subpenaed her, and
finding that she had been mixed up in
broil ordered her to get out of town.
She further testified that she swore to
the complaint against Wilson at Ruth
erford's request.
1t was evident that Wilson did not
know Of the woman being a witness in
the Bosquet case, and she did not i'm
agine that he did. for she called to him
as he went away to explain the situa-
ticn, but he did not hear her When
Wilson found that the woman was
witness he called on her at once and
told her he was not aware of that fact
on his former visit, and yet the woman,
at Rutherfords request, swore to
complaint charging him with a serious
crime, and he was subjected to the NOR
tification and humiliation OF a public
examination in consequence.
Justice Davis had but one thing to
do under the circumstances, and he dis
charged the officer
1t struck many Of those present that
If anyone had cause to complain it was
Officer Wilson, for it looked as if the
Weston woman had been influenced to
charge him with what she knew or be-
heved to be false.
There had also been some talk of
other officers being involved in the
scandal, but the examination devel-
oped nothing to show that anyone had
attempted to either keep the woman
from testifying in the Bosquet case or
to have her '1et up" on Wilson, as had
been charged by officer Rutherford.
Justice Davis took occasion, in his
remarks at the close of the examina-
ton, to say that the custom that has
prevailed of officers ordering persons to
leave the city should be stopped, as
they have no authority to do so. Yet
this custom has saved the taxpayers
many a thousand dollars expense in
feeding worthless and vicious charac-
ters. Prostitutes, who are all vagrants,
have preferred to leave town rather
than be arrested and prosecuted. No
innocent person ne ed, fear the enmity
of a police officer on this score, for no
officer would dare on his own response
bility to order a law-abiding, decent
person to leave the city.
The examination developed the fact
that one brother officer had applied to a
brother officer the vilest term that
ever passed the lips of man-an epithet
that is sufficient to convict any offender
of disturbance of the peace when ap-
piled to a person in the hearing of an
other
on Saturday evening, when the Off
GERS had all assembled to report on or
off duty, Chief Drew took occasion to
administer a little advice. He said he
hoped bygones would be bygones, and
that the men would all work together
harmoniously hereafter. He did not
want to hear of any officer leaving his
own beat and interfering with another's
duties, and the first case of the kind re-
ported to him would get the offending
party into serious trouble.