The herald., 1898-04-15
fIfIfLD ON THE CARPET
HE WILL HAVE TO ANSWER
SERIOUS CHARGES
HE FINED THE WRONG BOY
Harold s, Smith Claims He Is Not the
Bicyclist Who Indulged in
Scorching

Hardly does the police commission dis
pose of the case of one officer up before 1t
for a breach of discipline or some bad
break than another crops up to take its
place and make the lot of the members any
thing but happy one.
Officer Wesley ]. Fifield' will probably be
on the carpet soon before the commission to
try to explain certain charges preferred
against him by r. W. Smith of 212 East
Tewnty ninth street. Mr.. Smith claims
that his son was the victim of mistake on
the part of the officer last month and was
made to pay the fine of another boy, who
had been arrested by Fifield for fast bicy-
Gle riding. The charges have been filed
with the commission and are as follows:
"In behalf of my son, Harold s. Smith,
Aged 10 years on June Is, 1897, hereby
charge Police Officer Wesley j. Fifeld with
misconduct in office, committed as follows
"On or about the oath day of March, 1898,
without any authority of law, he came to
my residence at 212 East Twenty-nirth
street, in this city, and arrested my son,
and declared that he would put him in jail
Immediately unless he should be then and
there paid the sum Of SO, and refused to re-
lease him or delay the matter in any way,
although my son and my family declared
his entire innocence and that he was not
the person sought by said police officer. !
was absent from home at the time, and my
wife, to prevent our sons being taken to
JAIL under protest paid the So demanded by
said police officer
Permit me to further state that since
said date application has been made to
said police officer to correct the wrong,
but he has positively refused 80 to do, and
upon like application being made to the
chief Of police, said police officer has at
tempted to justify his action. The officer
alleges that he arrested boy on Main
street for scorching Cast riding of bicycle)
and then released him, with directions to
appear the next day in the police court;
that the boy thus arrested and released
gave his name as c. Smith; that the boy
failed to appear in court; that he reported
him In court, and that he was defaulted and
adjudged to pay 50. and in default Of such
payment to be committed to jail for three
days; that commitment was issued for c.
Smith, and that he took the commitment
and went in search of C. Smith, and, not
finding him where he expected, he was in
formed that a Smith boy lived at 212 East
Twenty-ninth street, and, upon going there,
Identified my son as c. Smith, the boy he
was looking for.
'In behalf of my son, hereby assert
that he was not on Main street at the time
and place alleged by the police officer;
that he was never arrested on Main street,
or at all, nor told to appear in court; that
he has never had any trial on any day in
court; that he has not been arrested for
scorching or fast bicycle riding, nor for
violating any city ordinance, nor at all, and
has not been convicted of any crime nor of
violating any city ordinance; that the.court
has never had any jurisdiction of him. and
has never adjudged him guilty of any of
fense; that my sons name is not C. Smith,