The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-25
SAYS IT WAS BRUTAL
MINNEAPOLIS BUSINESS MANS Elk
PERIENCB WITH A ST. PAUL
POLICEMAN
ARRESTED AND THEN LET GO
A Prior Avenue Omcer Takes J. II.
Ranger to the Police Station
After Telling Him That He Was
Abusing His HOrse-No Report
Made to Chief Goss, So He Calls
for One.

]. T. Ranger, a Minneapolis business
man, had an experience with Officer
Twohy. Of the Prior avenue station, Sun
day afternoon. Under the heading "Bru-
tai" the Minneapolis Tribune exploits the
case as follows:
Mr.. Ranger is the manager of the Town
Market Furniture store, q and 20 Fifth
McKearn. he drove to st. Paul Sunday
Saints and Millers Mr. Ranger admits
the game, and warmed his horse up, but
| on the return ride he allowed the horse
to cool off by walking.
avenues he was stopped by st. Paul
mounted policeman, from the Prior ave-
nue. station, and placed under arrest on
But | was not driving fast" expostu-
lated Mr.. Ranger.
This remonstrance, however, did not
telligent officer, and he insisted that he
was going to make the arrest.
We'll, will you drive over to the sales
stables with me until can make ar
engagements for my release?" asked Mr..
Ranger, seeing that 1t was. useless to ar
que with the blue-coated limb Of the law.
could not see. this as part of his duty,
and impatiently drawing his club again
Ms last ME- aG g9 To-
q friend standing in the large crowd that
had collected and asked him If he would
Mr.. Moses or Mr. Cunningham of his
predicament. Before he had time to
catch the reply of his friend, he claims.
ly struck him a blow on the forehead.
Mr.. Ranger dropped like, log, and
selling him by the collar the policeman
the police station. Angry at the treat
ment the crowd followed the limb of the
! law. but they were met at the door Of
the station by the lieutenant in charge
and stopped. One young man who pro-
fessed himself a reporter pushed his way
Into the station Office and Informed the
but this did not awe them in the least.
and taking him by the back Of the coat
they threw him out of doors.
up of Mr.. Ranger would have been con-
sidered an arrest, and no matter how In
nocent the police afterward discovered
the man to be 1t was beyond their duty
to release him. But the st. Paul police
force has evidently introduced the Kan
CARGO court system, for after holding
avenue station the officers released him.
The officer admitted to me after had
recovered that he was in the wrong"
said Mr.. Ranger, land they decided that
the best thing to do was to turn me loose.
The lieutenant was present when the
policeman admitted that he had made
mistake, and I think that he was the
officer who advised letting me go. But I
have arrested him. explained the
man, and then the lieutenant said that
did :. make any difference as he would fix
This ability of the officer in charge to
fix unprovoked assaults would lead
casual observer to believe that there Is
something badly needed in the ST. Paul
police department, and until this condi-
ton of things is investigated the lives Of
wheelmen and drivers hailing from Min
neapolis will not be safe in ST. Paul.
Mr.. Rangers forehead bears deep
cash as the result of his encounter with
the officer. He says that the physician
who dressed the wound Informed him
that If the blow had landed half an inch
lower he would never have recovered his
senses. The physician, too is not certain
that Mr.. Ranger has escaped serious in
jury, and several days will have to elapse
before 1t can be definitely learned
/ whether or not his brain has been af-
fected by the shock.
A large number of Minneapolis people
who, like Mr.. Ranger, had attended the
ball game, witnessed the assault, and
they are all of the same opinion that it
was unprovoked and brutal.
Chief Goss, Of the police department,
was seen last night and asked regarding
the affair. He said, in speaking of the
alleged arrest:
mo report Of any such affair was made
to me by the officers at Prior avenue. A
gentleman who dropped into my office
during the afternoon, told me that he had
| witnessed an arrest made by Officer
process Of which the officer had used
more force than necessary. He stated
that a man was arrested while driving
back towards Minneapolis from a ball
game and that his horse showed signs
Of having been driven harder than the
| law allows. 1t was covered with foam
and seemed to be soft and unaccustomed
to such treatment.
"He was unable to give details regard
| ing the arrest, but I notified Prior ave-
| nue. to send in a statement of the facts
Further than the facts given I know
nothing about the affair, as no official
statement regarding the arrest has been
made to me-"
The officers of Prior avenue station last
night denied that an arrest Of this ma
| ture had been made. When asked to re-
| fer to the station register, the reply was
received that no such person had been
| arrested and that they had no report of
/ such a case.