Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1899-11-21
Mon0t0nous and Tedious Police
Board Investigation.
BOTH OFFICERS ENUMERATED
Took Four Houra to wade Throu,n +,.
Aviderce. Commissioners Stuart
struck Note Of Warning in
Which Other Two Concurred.

The Board Of Police Commissioners
were in session last night from 1880
O'Clock to 1880 o'clock. investigating
charges that cventuatcd in nothing.
Even then. hardly half Of the witnesses
were heard.
Both officers, Charles and AcCalrum,
We're eNonerated. The former was
charged with cruelty, the latter was
cna|g eu twice with intoNication
All or the witnesses against the for
fner testified that there was no cruel
ty-"Scept to the compliments feel
ings.
y. None None, Of the witnesses against Nc
charges against him. All Of the Wit
nesses for the defense testified en?phat-
icaly That the defendant was not I'M
oef the influence OF liquor upon either
OF the occasions charged
is safe to say that all Of the com
l'lissionsers were rather disguised. One
or them. Mr.. MacKay, stated openly
mat rs for him he was Disguised with
ne whole proceedings. especially with
leIerence to the case against Charles.
officer Charles was represented Nv
Coi. }. c. Baker, the complainant in
ms case being represented by Mr.
Charles Ruth.
Officer McCallum's attorney was Mr.
B. Il. Sem1ncs.
The case of Officer Roy Charles vas
t ts.,n Up 1irst. it being the bliefer OF the
Two Two Alle officer was charged by Sol
berUGn, Il grocer on Warwick avenue
Win cruel and inhuman treatment
Berman, in making his stat c1nent
said that on the :Sth Of October {, ne
gro attacked his father and Knocked
hlmi down. He went to the assistance
OF his father, firing two shots. The
3n1cer came up and placed Bc:man I'M
Ger arrest: putting nippers on him
Bellnan asked the officer not to put the
nIppers on him. He also wanted to stay
Dy MS father, who. he said was lyin:,
on the ground bleeding.
Els handouts, or rather putting the
n!ppers on him, seemed to constitute
che only cruelty in the case for the
witness seii' that Charles never hit him
Or hurt him, or nlaltre.,tcd him: bur
the witness said that it hurt his heart
rather than his hand and he would
rather have lost $1,000 than have had
handouts on.
Mamie HgSombotham followed MI
Berman telling about the same story
except that She said that his father was
sitting UP Bleeding like u hog 1t be
Ing Saturday night the pistol shot drew
quite a crowd. Mr.. Bes-l1lan wanted TO
stop to put his fruit inside and shut IN
wait. a.
Grace Ann Tyler came in. but befor,
she could testify Colonel Baker asked
her If she had not been in the penl-
1entiary.
Why. certainly" replied Grace Ann,
as though it were 4 matter Of course
The witness was eNcused Without ex-
nI1rina ton.
"A young man by the name OF Levine
was the next witness. He was asked
Ut he were of Jewish Faith and answer
cd have it any way He was sworn
On on me pentateu:h. as was herman.
ins witness testified essentially to the
same facts as the preceding witness
only he aid that he Ohe witness) pug
IN the fruit off the street while the
officer was taking his prisoner out.
The evidence a ic ~ ri,
oy the officer was the same as that
related TO the treatment Of Berman by
me officer was the same as that OF the
other witness cs-tO the effect tina; there
was no cruel treatment. He also said
that Bernlan made no protest about the
nippers while the officers We're bringing
him over
J. T.. Marshall, a watchman, helped
to bring herman over to the station.
VIE saw the arrest but saw no cruel
treatment. He said there was an ex-
clted crowd on the outside, and as he
and the officer came up several persons
cried there he is that's the man
referring TO the man who did the shoot
ing. me witness also testified that the
ot1lcer asked couple Of bystanders to
put in the fruit on the sidewalk
N. Il. PTtnmn testified that there was
crowd of from fifty TO seventy five
people IN front of the store most of
them negroes.
Louis Blankenship was the last Wit
ness for the complainant His evil
dence did not add any material point Il
the previous testimony in the case
other than in favor Of the officer
Louis Fine, the first witness for I'll.
deiense. said all the wrong he thought
done the prisoner was in not allowing
him to close his store. He did not
think the nippers necessary.
o7tlcer Charles took the stand in hi,
own behalf. He said that there was a
big excited crowd in front of thes tore.
'3Hhe elder Bcrman had a pretty bad
cash over his eye. but was not 1lncon
sc1ous. The younger BernHan at first
denied having fired the shot. He placed
hfm under arrest disarmtsd him and nut
the nippers on him SO as to carry the
prisoner through the crowd, not know
ing whether the man who was excited
would run or wha he would DO He did
twist the nippers or hurt the man
Coming over to the station Berman told
him he had done his duty.
Mr.. Ruth cndeavorcd to snow by
cross examination that Officer Charles
mad deep rooted antipat!y toward the
Jewish rae. The dcfen(ia Mt elnpllti-
cally ',.enicd the insinuation
This was all the evidence submitted
by the defense.
In an argument of about one minute,
duration, Mr.. Ruth said ne Thought IT
was case which at least called TOR a
severe reprimand.
Standardization replied with equal brc
witty arguing quite to the contrary
The board went into executive session
and after dc,ihcration cxonerated on
Ger Charles.
THE AICALLlHA1 CASE.
There were two charges against
House Sergeant Thomas M. McCallurn.
one charging him with being intoxicat-
ed on C'>toher 18th, the other with be
ing intoxicated on October 18th.