Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1896-03-12
A STRANGE PROCEEDING.

ON Thursday evening Of this
week the Police committee of the
Board Of Aldermen, consisting of
Aldermen n. O'Berry, Henry
Lee and W. t. HolloWell. held a
meeting TO try the case of Police
man Speight, who was reported
to them as being guilty Of con
duct and language unhecoming
an officer. A number of repuG-
able Witnesses testified before
the committee as to the charges,
and upon their cumulative testi
mOny, the committee unanimous
ly decided 90 suspend Speight
for fifteen days, This committee,
as others, is appointed by TIE
Mayor from the Board of Alder
men, and it is their province u
supervise the police force; and
IN pursuance of this duty they
have from time to time, in their
discretion, upon charges pre-
ferred, suspended policemen for
varying periods. The above
named com mittee are men of III
telIigence and character, above
reproach, and beyond the sus-
picion Of prejudice. and are not
presumed 10 act hastily in form
ing conclusions or be guilty Of
Injustice ia making decisions;
therefore, it is to be presumed
that Speight YVES rightly sus
pended, as ia the case of other
suspended officers in the past
4 I'd now comes the strange pros
ceeding
Upon the action of the com
mittee in the Speight case be-
coming known Friday morn
ing, ard before the committee
had made up their formal report,
Mayor Hill Immediately aud has
tily summoned the Board to meet
in special session Accordingly
the Board convened Friday
afternoon, eight members attend
ing, the ninth alderman, Mr.. Jno
r. Smith, being absent from the
city.
On calling the Board to order
Mayor Hill stated that he had
convened them lat the request of
some mem berS Of the Board" to
pass upon the case Of officer
Speighb who desired TO appeal
from the decision of the Police
Committee.
Chairman O'Berry of the Po :
lice Committee thereupon re
ported the action OF the commit
tee in regard to Speight, stating
the charges and the evidence;
whereupon Alderman Hilker
moved that the action Of the
committee be set aside aud officer
Speight be reinstated. Upon
this motion a vote was taken.
which resulted i'll a tie: Alder
men HiIlzer, Dock Smith, Walter
D. Creech and Jas. Hogans, the
colored member, voting for the
motion; and Aldermen, J. "
Nash, O'Berry, Henry Lee and
W, T. Hoilowell voting to sus-
tain the committee. Mayor Hill,
exercising his rrerogatlve, un-
tied the situation by casting his
vote against the committee and
in favor of the Hilker motion.
In taking this course Mayor Hill
stated that he was present at the
investigation of the committee,
and saw nothing in the evidence
to justify their action.
The action Of the committee
in suspending Speight was unan-
imous. There was no review of
the case before the Board of AL
dermen, no examination of wit
nesses or weighing of testimony.
Alderman Nash in voting with
the committee stated that in the
absence of any testimony before
the Board he would, of course,
vote to sustain the committee.
Tie other four voted against the
committee, therefore, just so,
without according them the
common courtesy and right of a
hearing; aud the statement of
Mayer Hill in casting his vote