Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1896-03-06
OFFICER ACTON ON TRIAL.
Charges of Having Received Money from
the County Under False Pretenses-
Witnesses Before the Board

/ testimony IN tile charges made against
/ Officer Barry c. cton, Chief of the
Brooklyn Police Force, made by the
Law aud Order Society, charging him
with having made false and exhorbitant
charges against the county, and with
having collected the same from the Coun-
~ Commissioners under false preteHses.
Acton, rs stated in yesterday S CAPITAL,
is represented by Mr.. f. G. CAN'T, the
Law and Order Society 10y Mr.. Jas. NJ.
Munroe, aud the County Commissioners
by their counsel, Robert Moss, Esqr.
The charges against Acton as set forth
in the petition, are:
THAT they charge Harry G. Acton,
| the chief OF police ut Brooklyn, in said
nrst precinct of the tifLh election district
| of Anne Arundei county, with gross
malfeasance in office, in that the said
Acton has repeatedly presented false aad
! fraudulent bills for services rendered oy
| him TO your honorable board, which said
| bills have been paid To the said Harry Z.
| Acton, and that the said Harry Z. Ac-
| ton has charged and received pay for
| services which be has never performed,
and has charged and received pay for
materials which he has never furnished,
and that during the year 1895 many of
his bills have been false and fraudulent,
| and that he has received from the coun-
| ty upon said false and fraudulent bills a
large amount of money, greatly in excess
of what was honestly due To him for
services rendered and materials proyld-
ed for the county"
Before the testimony was begun, Mr..
| CAN'T, representing Acton, said the evil
dence would be taken under protest. Mr..
/ CAN'T had claimed early III the session
the want of jurisdiction oil the part Of
| the commissioners and argued this side
of the case. Mr.. MunrOe held the COM
misSiOners had ample power to act, and
| after consulting their counsel, Robert
| Moss, the board, in executive session,
determined to take up the case. Mr..
Munroe referred to the regulations adop
| ted by the board in accordance with the
| act OF 1892, as follows: "All cases of
! complaint against the chief of police for
nOn-performance of his duty IN any res
pect shall be made in writing to the
county commissioners, and if, after hear
| ing, he shall be found guilty, he shall be
| fined, suspended or dismissed from the
| force, in the discretion OF The commits
sioners, according to the gravity of the
offense. y
John III. Gels, who resides at Brooklyn
and is a member of the firm of j. IL.
Gels Il Co., was the first witness He
| testified to having sold coal to Acton in
small quantities. quarter of ton each
February LIST and October 18th, 1895.
The Law and Order people had stated
Acton charged the county with two tons,
! when only half ton had been purchased
/ -. 81 L. l. A off.
times bought coal for private use. Philip
| Herman, lillian Remmey, John Clark,
! George II. Lin thicum, Miss Fannie PO
tee, Charles Garrett and Louis Turner,
the two latter cOl0red, also testified. The
| testimony of these witnesses went TO
show that during the sittIngs of the Cir
| cult Court, Officer Acton would ascer-
| tain against whom attachments were
| Out for non-appearance after summons,
and would telephone to afriendin Brook
| Ign to so inform the persons. The at
| tached person, the testimony stated
would hurry down to court before the
attachment was served to lessen the cen
sure Of the court. Acton would 90 to
the depot. meet the party, walk with
| him to the court aud go upstairs to the
! commissioners Office and collect S., un-
der the theory that he had delivered the
attrched party to court.
! j. H. Gels was recalled this morning
and testified alter examination of his
| books, as to the amount of cCal sold to
Acton and the price paid.
! Shellman Brown, ticket agent Of the
| A, w. 81 b. Railroad, testified as TO the
| fare from Annapolis to Philadelphia,
where Acton charged the county $40.
Walter Munford, testified that Acton
did not take him from Brooklyn TO An
napolis or from Baltimore to Annapolis,
for which he charged the county IS.
John Dull testified as to the arrest of
W. H. Walls.
Charles A. Reed testified as to the To-
cation where Mrs. Mccormack lived at
the time Of her arrest.
Willie Jones, colored, testified that
Acton paid his fare to Annapolis, tut
he did not get his witness fee.
John Watkins. colOred, first testified
of not knowing anything and afterward
testified that be went after Acton with
a team and afterwards took him hack,
contradicting bis former testimony
Emmett Hartman testified to having
summoned John Bell to court, and not
Acton, for which he charged the county
$500.
Rufus ID. Phelps testified that be did
not know whether BoOss was arrested
and taken to Annapolis or not By Ac-
ton.
John G.. Cromwell testified that be
went TO Annapolis OH April 18th and
saw Boose at Glen Burnie and Anuap-
oils, but did not see Acton in charge of
the boy.
w. n. Woodward, deputy clerk of the
court, testified as To the docket entries
| and as to witness fee of Jones having
been paid.
William Bushman testified as to the
| Tucker children being taken to the Ger
man Orphan Asylum, in Baltimore, by
| Mr. ColbouTl, all at one time on the
electric cars at cost Of about fifty cents
and for which Acton charged the county
and was paid S20-S5 each.
Mr.. Joseph C0lbOurn. police officer at
Brooklyn, testified as to having brought
the children TO Brooklyn at the instance
OF Mr.. Acton, for which he received no
pay, but Acton charged the county 81.
George w. Mcdonald testified that be
issued commitments for the Tucker chill
dreD TO be taken to the German Orphan
Asylum.
RinehaIt Dun berklay testified that be
did not know who summoned him TO
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