Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-07-21
WORK OF THE TRIAL BOARD
The Police Judioatory Hears Evidence in
Various Cases.
Omcer Kfmmell Charged With Neglect
of Duty-ORcer BassfOrd Arraigned
for Maintaining Nuisance.

A number of policemen and citizens gath
cred In and about the sixth police station
| this morning. the moving cause being the
regular session of the trial board. There
were several cases on the docket, and Capt
Austin and Lieuts. Swindells and Heffner,
members of the board, anticipated a
lengthy session.
| The first called for trial was one involv-
| ing a charge Of neglect of duty against
| Policeman A. ]. kimmell of the eighth
| precinct. 1t was alleged that he left his
beat the night Of July II. and failed to
| perform police duty for thirty minutes.
The accusation was made by Night Inspec-
| tor Pearson, and, it is said, grew out OF
ar effort on the part of the officer to in
vestigate a case involving supposed serl-
| Gus assault On a man tanned Taylor
! One of the most important witnesses in
| the case was citizen famed Thomas
O'Brien. who told of having found ms
| friend Taylor in an unconscious condition.
| He had been assaulted by an unknown col
ored man, said the witness. and he
| (O'Brien) took him to the drug store at
| 14th and U streets. The druggist. he said,
would not allow him to bring ms TREND m
| the store. Witness said he afterward took
| Taylor home. He followed the colored
| n en- some distance, hoping he would hnd
an officer and have them arrested
| A young man named Carroll was also
/ examined to show that there had be IN
! trouble. He saw party of colored men
| and some distance behind them party OF
| white men, who appeared to be following.
He heard one of the white men say: ~ ou
-- you won't do me the way you cru
| that other man on street"
! INSPECTOR Pearson said he did not blow a
| whistle for the officer, nor did he see MIN
| enter or leave any house. Policeman DOR
| sett explained that the officer charged had
been with him to investigate the fight This
was also the testimony of the defendant.
| Poodle the Cause.
| A small poodle dog, not more than six
weeks old, seemed to have caused the ap-
pearsnce. on charges, of Policemen j. T.
| Bassford and A. ]. Headley. This unof-
| fensive but loud-barking canine was locked
| in patrol box at 9th and f streets south
| west the morning of July 10.
| j. F. Wilkinson, a colored man, who is as
| sstant law librarian at the Capitol was
| the prosecuting witness.
| The patrol box Is almost under my win
| dow said the citizen prosecutor, and ne
| disturbed me about daybreak.
| Witness went out and stopped the patron
! wagon on its way back from the Long
! bridge. There were four policemen in the
| wagon, one of them being Mr.. Bassford.
| This officer explained that he knew nothing
| Of the dogs presence in the box, and said
he did not want to interfere with what
| ether officers had done. The dog remained
| in the box all day, and annoyed his wife
| made complaint.
Sergeant Smith said he had received Mr..
| Wilkinson's complaint. and he had the stray
| dog released. He learned that Mr.. BaSSford
| was the officer in the wagon early in the
| morning. Officer Headley turned in from
the box later in the day. They were under
| the impression that brother off1cer had
| put the dog in the box, and left him there.
| WHO did put the dog there?" Captain
| Austin asked.
| Il don't know was the response of the
sergeant; Il have made inquiries, but nave
| been unable to ascertain the owner of the
| deg"
Officer Bassford said he saw The dog
| when Mr.. Wilkinson made complaint and
| as the box on another officerS beat,
| he did not care to interfere with it. His
| idea was that brother patrolman had put
| the dog there, and would take it away after
| q O'Clock.
| officer Heailley testified that the animal
| was not in the box al IL o'clock the night
| before, but it was there at 3 o'clock the
| next afternoon. Witness had heard no
| complaint about the dog. and not knowing
| why it was there, he did not touch it.
| Have you any idea now to whom the
| poodle belonged7' the officer was asked.
Not the slightest" was his response,
| land haven't seen the dog since
| Policeman Bassford said he could bring
| witnesses to show that Mr. Wikinson's
| dog is noisy, but Lieut.. Swindells remark
| ed that long as the brute did not visit
| Georgetown and bark it was not factor
| The identity of the poodle which caused
| the trouble has not yet been determined,
| and its departure from the box is as much
| mystery is its manner of entering its
| prison house.
Pleas of Not Guilty.
| Private Edelin, of the first precinct said
| Not guilty" when Capt Austin read to
| him a charge of having exceeded his au-
| tEority. 1t was charged that while a man
vas under arrest he turned over the prfs-
| oner's horse and buggy to a nan ramed
! Leach. Acting Sergt Lally was first ex-
| amined and he said he did not hear Officer
| Edelin, authorize Leach to take away the
| horse and buggy. The officer did tell him
| that he knew Leach to be responsible
young man.
| Policeman Lotus testified that when a
young man was arrested for reckless driv-
| ing he refused to allow his companion
Q4each) to take away the horse and buggy.
| Word was sent to the livery stable keeper
| to come for the team When he arrived
| the team was gone, but he did not know
| who had given permission for it to be
| taken.
| Patrol Driver Cook gave similar testi-
mony.
| There had been no evidence given against
| the officer charged, but the beard heard
his defense. He denied that he had given
Leach any authority to take the team
| away.
| j. w. Leach also denied that he was
| authorized to take the team from the sta
|
| thought had a right to control it, The
| members of the board were of the same
| opinion, but The charges cannot be dis
| missed until the testimony is sent to the
Commissioners.
Fired His Revolver.
Policeman ]. R. Narrower of the fourth
precinct was tried a charge of having
| fired his revolver in the public streets Il
| was charged that he fired the revolver
without having had sufficient cause At
| torney E. ]. B. O'Neill defended the of
| fcer. Sergeant Smith preferred the charge
| against him. and said that the police
mans indiscretion was the reason for his
| being in trouble. Last Thursday night about
| 10 O'Clock the offense was alleged to have
occurred en- K street southwest near Az
| street Officer Narrower, the sergeant
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