The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-04
CLUBS NOT TRUNpS
BRUTALITY OF POLICEMEN RE-
CEIVEs A CHECK IN THE
COURTS.
OFFICER COULTER IS FINED.
MAYOR IMMEDIATELY DEMANDS
.. HIS RESIGNATION, WHICH
IS RENDERED.
JURYMEN WE'RE TOO INQUIsITIvE.
Their investigation Suddenly Stop
the EsterIy Case-News of Min
neapOIis.

Patrolman Fred A. Clouter, Of the North
side station, was in the municipal court
yesterday and fined $25 for assaulting Warren
Watt, and In the afternoon his resignation
was requested by Mayor Pratt. This was
handed in late IN the afternoon.
The evidence, as submitted in court ana
subsequently laid before the mayor, was
that Tuesday afternoon young Watt was IN
the company Of several boys, playing foot
ball In a vacant lot on Fremont avenue, be-
tween Nineteenth and Twentieth avenues.
AT the conclusion of the game the boys were
resting, when Cloutier appeared. He said:
1'Haven't 1 told you boys not to play on
this LOTT" The boys replied that he had
never said anything to them, except warn
them off the corner. Some Of the boys then
left on the run. Watt was lying on the
ground during the parley and arose and start
ed to walk away. He said in court that ne
was tired. His progress was not fast enough
to suit Cloutier, who ordered him TO move
faster. Watt replied that he did not nave
to run. AS Watt stepped up on the sidewalk
ard started to walk away, Cloutier SAID:
''WeIl. young man, I'll show you, and make
Won move faster" He then pulled out MS
club and pounded Watt on the back OF the
head. Watts head was badly cut and blood
flowed freely. He grew faint from ICE OF
blood. and stopped in house. Where ne
tainted. On recovering he again met Clou-
tier. who asked him where he was going.
Upon being told that he was going to the
police station to report the officer, he ar
rested the boy for disorderly conduct watt
spent the night in Jail. The case charging
him with dsorderly conduct was dismissed
in court. A warrant was thereupon issued
against Cloutier, charging him with assault
and battery,
The case was tried in the municipal court
Yesterday. with the above result.
Yesterday, after the trial in court, several
North side residents called at the mayors
office and expressed themselves in the OF
ncer's behalf, About o'clock Mayor Pratt
held an investigation in his office, at which
the principals in the matter and also AS
sistant City Attorney Dickinson ana Faul
Watt were present. s.,,o-.a
The mayor expressed himself as follows,
after he had heard all that was to be SAD:
~ think it is bad policy for officers NOT TO
renoTt matters Of this kind to parents. IN
stead of taking it into their own hands VI
acers are only the servants of the people,
and such things as this is certainly an IN
Jury to the police force. 1t seems 10 me
Thai Won committed an assault entirely IN
called for. The only excuse that you nave
is that you possibly lost your heao 9~ [bat
time We can't sustain an action Oh tlat
kind, and I will have to ask LOT your leSis-
To this Cloutier simply nodded. He left
4be room and returned in a few minutes, anu
handed the following, addressed TO the mayor;
az hereby hand you my Resignation ana
reoueet that 1t take immediate erect