The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1896-01-02
NEW TRIAL FOR Walsh
Surgeon CaHnen's Testimony Not
Correctly Transcribed.
FAMOUS CASE is REOPENED
Com m issiOners Obliged by the Devel-
Opments Resulting From The Times
Investigation to Recall Their Ac-
tiOn-Adverse Report on Bill Relat-
ing to Acknow Judgments

The light let in by The Times upon TIN
case OF Foreman John A. Walsh. OF Com
pany 8. Fire Department, recently dis
missed from the service, appears to nave
| secured for him a new trial.
The Commissioners refused to make pub
lie the papers giving the testimony in the
| case, and men who gave evidence w-re.ikely
not to know what testimony they were un
| stood as giving.
The loss OF this important check upon
error and injustice was taken away. it is
believed. by the vote of two Commission
ers-men with compa ratively small expert
eDce in public administration. The Times
made a special investigation of the facts
and published them
As a result one of the witnesses came
forward to protest against the false hight
in which he had been placed by the report
of Ills testimony laid before Chief Paris and
the Commissioners.
ACTION IN THE CASE.
TIE result OF this action on his part :
shown by the following, which is the off
cial record Of the latest action of the Com
missioners in the matter:
Upon the oral statement OF Surgeon W
d. Cannon that part OF the report OF his
testimony in the matter OF the trial OF
Foreman John A. Walsh OF No. 8 engine
house conveys a different meaning from
that he intended TO express, 1t is ordered:
That the order OF December &c, 1895.
directing the dismissal Of said Walsh from
the said department is hereby reconsidered,
and the chief OF the fire department is di-
rected to cause a retrial Of said Walsh
by board consisting OF other officers
ttan those who constituted the former
trial board. upon charges of intoxication
and disobe 1ience of orders
The chief of the fire depa rtmeDt viii
notify the attorney for the District of CO.
lumbia of the time and place of such retrial.
The attorney will cause the District To be
represented at the new trial by himself or
one of his assistants"
AGAINST THE BILL.
The Commissioners returned to Senator
Mcmillan with unfavorable recommended
ton the bill in regar d To Acknowledgements
affecting real estate here. 1t was intro
duced by Senator Faulkner on December 3,
read twice, and referred to committee.
The second section OF the bill provides
that when a married woman unites with
estate paper she shall be described as
acknowledging as bis wife, but in all other
respects her acknowledgements are to be
taken as If she were sole. No separate ex-
animation is to be made.
The Commissioners say nothing in regard
to this section nor does Attorney Thomas,
upon whose opinion they base their re-
lection of the measure.
Mr. Thomas objects that the requirement
to begin all cases by a caption, specifying
the District of Columbia as the place where
the acknowledgment is taken would be
wrong, for many of the instruments af-
fecting real estate here are acknowledge
ments outside OF the District.
Further, the provision that acknowledg-
ments made by attorney is Objectionable
because IL is an open question among law
yers here whether conveyance can be made
by attorney SO as to pass District real es-
tate.
The bill also changes the rule as to &C.
knowlesiged permits by corporations. 1t
requires an affidavit by some official of
the corporation that the seal affixed is the
corporate seal. and that the Instrument was
signed on behalf of the corporation by the
authority of its board OF directors. At
present the signature of the president. at.
tested by the secretary with the corporate
seal, Is all that is necessary.
Mr.. Thomas does not pass an opinion on
this change. He simply calls it to notice,
and concludes by saying:
without pointing to other objectionable
features. am of the opinion the proposed
legislation is wholly unnecessary, and the
enactment OF the bill would undoubtedly
lead to confusion"
The excise board held session this morn
ing to consider liquor licenses They had be-
fore them some close cases. A license was
granted VIM. F. Michigan, No. 1909 Elev-
enth street southeast.