Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-10-22
STRIKES A WITNESS.
An Ugly Insult Promptly Resented by
Councilman Blanks.
A MELEE In A COMMITTEE MEETING,
Very Stormy Proceedings in the City
Hall Last Night
INVESTIGATION NOT CONCLUDED.
Charges Against sanitnry-Inspector
johnson Walton Gone IntO-Testi-
nj of the Five Men-Other Matters.

The Council Committee on Health last
night prosecuted its investigation of the
matter of the discharge of the five men
| from the Health Department whose dis
missal has been said to be unjust, and
the charges against Sanitary-Officer
| Johnson Il. Walton, who, 1t has been al
| legged was guilty of using the hands and
| carts of the city to carry on improve
ments upon his private property.
The meeting was the stormiest that any
subordinate body of the City Council has
| held in many years. At one stage Of
the proceedings 1t looked as If the meet
| ing would be broken up by disorder and
bloodshed. One of the witnesses during
| the evening, Mr. f. p. Ford, brother
| of one of the discharged men, and the
| man who went 10 see Chief-of-Police
| Howard with a view of having Offieer
| Walton removed, was being examined
by the committee, when he referred, in
offensive terms, to the remarks of Mr..
| Blanks a member OF the Committee
made in Offering in the Common Council
a resolution providing for an investisa-
ton of the Health Department touching
this subject.
RESENTED WITH A BLOW.
Mr. Ford said that in presenting this
resolution Mr.. Blanks had stated that ne
| Blanks) was prepared with papers to
prove that what he FGd) had said
about Mr.. Walton using the city hands
and carts to do work upon his own pro-
perty was not true. The witness here
| added his own commentary as 10 Mr..
| Blanks's remarks in the Council, and be-
fore his words passed from his lips Mr..
| Blanks arose and struck him in the
| mouth.
BY this time excitement was running
high. There were fully thirty spectators
beyond the railing which encloses the
committeeman and newspapermen, and
nearly all these were soon in the crowd,
either with view of assisting one side
or the other. or of separating the irate
combatants. Only one or two members OF
the committee could remain in their seats,
! and IL was thought for several minutes
| that the disturbance would be serious in
it's consequences. The two policemen
| and the Sergeant-at-Arms of the Coun-
ell. who were present, as well as the
| chairman of the committee, endeaVored
for some time TO restore order, but 1t
looked as If the fight was to be one 10
the finish between the factions. After
awhile. however the assembage became
quieted and the business Of the commit
fee was proceeded with. The body reach
ed no conclusion as to the charges, how
| ever and the investigation will be re-
sumed tonight at o'clock.
INTEREST in THE INQUIRY.
The committee was called to order by
| Sub-Chairman Burton at 1:3O O'Clock,
sharp. and there were present, besides
| most of the members Of the committee,
| fully 200 persons who were Interested
| either one way or another In the result
| of the inquiry. Besides Sub-Chairman
| Burton there were present Messrs.
ZONES. Cutchins. Moore, Snead, Blanks,
Williams, and Hawkins, of the commit
tee. DR. w. T. Oppenhimer, president
of the Board of Health. all three Of the
sanitary officers. and others connected
i'm one way or another with the Health
| Department Of the city.
The committee decided that 1t would
| hear DIR. Oppenhimer as TO the grounds
upon which he permitted the five men in
question to be discharged from the SER
vice Of the Health Department. DR..
| Onpenhimer then narrated that he had
heard through officer Walton that these
men had been engaged In movement to
90 to the Chief of Police TO have Mr..
Walton removed and Policeman Angle
! mt I'm his place and that he regarded,
| after hearing details i'm connection with
| the matter that they had been guilty
| Of characterization. 81 have al
ways allowed the sanitary officers
latitude in the matter OF the employment
and the discharge of men," continued
| DIR. Oppenhimer, as he added: by this
policy / have found that l have been en-
abled to maintain the best discipline
among the employees and get the best
results for the city"
| officer Walton was next called TO the
witness-stand. and questioned as to his
reasons for asking for the discharge OF
| the five men who had lodged complaint
| against him. He said that this past sum-
mer he had taken a vacation, and
during that time his place was filled by
| Policeman b. NJ. Angle. Upon his return
| to duty he found. to his surprise. that n
| spirit of insubordination had arisen
| among his men, and that there was talk
| about going to see Major Howard in or
| der TO have him removed. The Sanitary
| officer added that he reported what he
had heard TO the president or the Board
of Health, and discharged the men who
were now complainants against him.
| He felt that ne was JuStilleu III lniS &c
tion. as Il was the only course he could
nursue and preserve the decorum and
| dignity which the department should re-
| nuire.
WHAT THE CHIEF KNEW.
Chief-o Police Howard was asked to
| teu what he knew about this matter.
| That gentleman stated that he knew
nothing whatever about the discharge of
the five men, but that he was called on
| one day. some weeks ago, by a man.
| whom he did not know and who asked
| him who had the power TO remove the
sanitary inspectors OF the city. Major
Howard inquired of his visitor why he
| wished TO know this. The caller re-
snonded that he wanted to have Officer
| Iohnson Walton removed from the office
| he then held and returned TO the police
| force. Having learned this" continued
Major Howard. II told the gentleman
that he would have to apply to the
Poard of Health to obtain what he
wanted" Chief Howard said at that
| time he did not know who this visitor
| was. but he had since learned that he
was a Mr.. Ford. brother OF one Oh the
discharged men,
| Nj n. M. Angle, the officer who filled
the place of Mr. Walton as Sanitary In
spector while the latter was on his va
cation this past summer. testified that he
had not spoken TO any one at all aocut
becoming the successor OF Mr.. Waiton'
but that he had been approached re-
garding tNe matter. and had stated dis-
tinctly that he did not want the place.
Hon. Henry Il. Pollard and Mr.. Hin