Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1899-05-09
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The main streets. 81 our city YER
the scsns q : dspnrabls aflair ST.
urday syeninE. and the blame for ~
anair y chasgsd 81 many who ~
messed Il to the inc0mpetsncy q tn
omcsr who va mixed up IN Il. s
AZ about 6So'clock Frank BouFs
49,, . youth IS or 10 year, q a&s.'
considerably intoxicated, was walk
Ing up First street with ! compan-j
Ion u about his own age. IN front,
.of T. W.; Palmer's store Bouraas4
said something for which Omcsr
sHeroux. whom 10 met &C that point.
placed him undsr arrest and started
70 take him 20 the city lookup. "
When about haf way down thsl
block q scufile ensued between til
.omcer and his prisoner, the cause q
which = : disputed question. Some
state that the ofneer was unnecss-
sarily handling his prisoner rouGhly.
and others claim that the prisoner
was attempting 10 resist arrest
The 0mcer threw the prisoner down
AND choksd him. a bystander asked
tho omcer not to hurt the boy, and
the omcer got on his prisoner and
lifted the latter up. ID some Wy
the man who demonstrated with ths
officer. . stranger IN the city. got 10.
tween tho officer and his prisoner,
and the latter wrsnched himseii
away and ran, with the onicer III
pursuit, toward his home on Broad
way. At this stage Of the procestt
ings, Jos. Bourassa, father Of thu
boy, appeared on the scene. The
boy, apparently encouraged BY the
presence Of his father, stopped rum
ming and turned to meet the officer,
SEEING that the boys Intentions wefe1
hostile, the odicer drew his club.
The boy struck at the officer and fell.
and while attempting to regain Blu
feet the omcer struck him on the
head with the club. Mr.. Bourassa
states that when the officer drew hi
club he told him to leave tho boy.
alone and that he would compel him;
to submit to arrest, but that the Oh
3ficer said: II viii take him. damn
him, or kin him. He thep warned
the omcer not to strike the boy witl
the club. and no sooner had the ot1
|1cee done 70 than Mr.. Bourasea
struck him ilith hiy NJ ma knoeks
him dOwsn. Both father. ana fson
were mixed for i short space 81
time. but the latter was too drunk
to do much injury, although the, Of
fcer was struck several times IN the
melee. Again bystanders interferred
to the RELIEF Of the oficer, and the
scene shifted to tho saloon OF Mr..
BOurassa. neaf BY. The boy took
refuge behind the bar with the officer
in pursuit. A scene III Wild con-
fusion ensued. Bottles were thrown,
and the officer claims to have been
struck By one thrown by the person
he was attempting TO arrest.
The boy retreated to q back room.
and the officer. drawing his revolver,
started In pursuit. At this juncture
Chief Lauerman appeared. and EVIL
IDENTIFY realizing that Officer .Heroux
was too Infatuated to act with judg-
ment. ordered him to. 60 outside and
allow him to make the arrest.
Heroux left the building, and after
some talking to the boy BY the chief
and Others. he quietly submitted to
arrest, and was taken to the city
hall before Justice shaw. a warrant
under the city ordinance. charging
him with assault and battery. was
made ont and served upon him. and
another for his father under the
state laws. charging him with In
tsring with an omcer In tho discharge
Of No duty. wa also served.
Both pleaded not guilty and their
trials were cot tor next Thursday.
Tho ailair canssd considerable ex.
element at the time anu much dis
question since and. of. course, many
diflersnt vlews d the afiair are given
~ parties who witnessed it. ca
However. the TACT cannot b very
well denied that the omcsr exhibited
his unlltness for the position and
his incompetency In falling Co make
the arrest. II the boy deserved ar
rest the ofacer should have made
nc with much H. trouble. We ven
ture tho statement that any other
oncer on tho ioscs could have made
the arrest without using biz club or
othsr harsh and extreme measures. d
Policemen u the honest discharge
81 their duties should 10 sustained,
and II ii seldom that the citisens Of
any place arc the loast bit backward
n rendering the oflcer assistance
whenever they believe him to BE
actiDg Justly and without prejudice.
y II, - some claim, the arrest was
uneallsd for, and unnecessary vi0-