The Worcester spy. [volume] (Worcester, Mass.) 1898-1904, 1898-10-25
BUTLER DISCHARGED.
His Case Gives Lawyer Sullivan Chance
to Score the Police Department.

/
to Score the Police Department.
The subject police brutality" was
aired to considerable extent by Lawyer
John E. Sullivan, of Sullivan & O'Con-
nell, in his defence Of prisoner in the
central district court yesterday morn
ing.
The case at issue was that of John
w. Butler, who was arrested Saturday
night by officers Hines and Fitzgerald
of station 2, charged with drunkenness
and assaulting an officer
The story of the affair as told by the
officers. was that they arrested Joseph
McGourty Saturday night for drunken
ness The man resisted and Butler
came along and told the officers not TO
handle the prisoner so roughly. His in
reference caused a crowd to gather,
which followed them to the Lamartine
street station house.
Butler followed them inside the
building and was finally elected He
hung around outside until he was fin
ally placed under arrest.
Buffers story was that he saw the
officers dragging the prisoner along,
with a tWister on either wrist. They
were handling the man with unneces-
protested.
The officers told him it was not his
affair, and he had better attend to his
own business
He followed the officers into the sta
ton house with the intention of re-
porting the matter to Lieut. Walsh.
Before he could make known his wants
he was seized and hustled out of the
building. A few minutes later he was
placed under arrest.
Lawyer Sullivan said that police bru-
tality was much more common than it
should be- and that it would seem as
though two policemen ought to be able
to handle one small prisoner without
putting twisters upon him and drag
ging him along the ground especially
when they We're within a short distance
of the station house. and could easily
have obtained assistance if they had
required it,
Even in the case of a man who was
assaulted there We're limits beyond
which he was not permitted to go in
self defence, without himself becoming
an aggressor, and in the case of a DO
hceman making an arrest he should use
no more force than is actually neces-
sary. He knew that policemen gener-
ally resented any criticism of the
amount of force which they used, and
liz DtbcNtu tii6ls VIII the exception or
Maj. Raymond, there had not been
man at the head of the police depart
ment in Worcester during the past 20
years who had not resented as a per-
sonal affront any complaints from cit
liens in regard to the brutality of their
subordinates.
Butler, he thought, deserved credit
for possessing the courage to remon-
strate with policemen for Unnecessary
brutality to a prisoner.
Lawyer Sullivan afterward changed
the statement regarding the attitude of
the chief of police when complaint was
made against an officer, putting it in a
general way.
Chief brennan was approached on the
subject last evening. and said he
thought the statement would stand re-
versing, so far as he was concerned.
IF any one comes to me with a valid
find no one more willing to investigate
and punish than I, If satisfied there is
Just cause" was his remark.
Butler was ordered discharged on the
assault case, while the case for drunk
enness was placed on file.
Michael Needham and Gilbert Ron
deau We're charged with breaking and
and larceny. The evidence |
went to show that the men entered the
house of Harry e. Steele, the night !
lunch man, on the night Of Oct. 8. and |
stole S35. They were ordered held for
the grand jury, bail being fixed at $500 |
each. Sullivan & O'Connell for Need |
ham, James f. Ryan for Rondeau.
Daniel Pattison, charged with break |
Ing and entering and larceny at the |
home of John Young of Sutton, was or |
lered discharged, as the evidence failed |
to show that he stole anything.
Fred Montville, charged with steal |
ng watch from Max Fabian, was
sentenced to the house of correction for |
six months. Bridget Guinet, charged |
With stealing bed clothes from Bridget |
Brosnihan. was discharged for lack of |
sufficient evidence. Arthur Burke and |
Ldella Bennett, charged with disorderly