Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-07-10
AFFAIRS IN ALEXANDRIA
THE GRAND JURY INVESTIG ATING
CHARGES AGAINST POLICEMEN
Neglect of Duty-Busfness
Men Meet-Census Returns Be-
lieved to BE Inaccurate.
Evening Star Bureau,
No. 701 King Street,
Bell Telephone No. lp6.

The grand jury in the corporation court
met this morning at 10 o'clock. to which
| hCGr 1t adjourned yesterday afternoon for
| the purpose of examining several members
of the police force on the charge of neglect
of duty in not arresting ]. Thomas Beck
ham, jr., for whose apprehension a capias
| had been issued on an indictment for house
breaking. AS before stated In The Star
| Beckham appeared in this city about a
month ago, after an absence of several
months following his indictment. He made
| no attempt at concealment, but visited the
police station and conyersed with police
men ard leading town officials.
| At recent meeting of the board of police
commissioners, Commonwealth Attorney
Marbury brought the matter to official at
| tention. The police officers stated that thew
had no instructions to take Beckham into
| custody. and Mayor Simpson said he had
| received no official notice of the issuance Of
| the writ. and did not propose to instruct his
| officers mere hearsay.
| The entire morning was consumed with
| the examination of policemen and other
witnesses. According to the instructions
Mayor Simpson. the judge himself the COM
| monwealth attorney or anybody else found
guilty of preventing or being a party to
| preventing the arrest in question.
Business Men Confer.
A special meeting of the Business Mems
League was held last night for the pur-
| pose of considering a proposition from the
Trgg Shipbuilding Company of Richmond
to establish ship yard here, provided the
citizen of Alexandria subscribe half of
$2,00O,000 capital stock. Mr. NJ B. Har-
low presided and Mr.. William F. Carne
acted as secretary. Mr.. Harlow stated that
he had had q conference with Mr.. c. F.
Irigg in Washington. when the above men,
| toned proposal vas made. The matter
was then laid open for discussion on it's
merits.
Mr.. Eichburg derided the proposition,
saying that he thought the Trgg COM
pany did not want to come to Alexandra
and therefore offered impossible terms In
| his opinion. the sum of 81 coo 600 was en-
| tirely too great 70. local capitalists.
Mr.. Leadbeater thought that Washington
people might become interested and take
| stock. He said he believed that some
100000 might be raised In Alexandria. and
| asked II the Trigg company would enter
| tain proposals for smaller subscriptions.
| Mr.. Harlow thought 1t would. All present
| agreed that in order to make successful ap-
pea. to outside capitalists 1t would be neces-
| sary to have a local subscription. The mo-
| ton Of Mr.. Leadbeater that subscription
| books be opened at once was carried. and
| the chair appointed the following commit
| tee to have charge of the matter: Messrs.
| C. c. Leadbeater, Captain Robert F. Knox.
Julian T. Burke, j. Clinton Smoot, Park
| Agnew and William F. Carne. On motion
| Mr.. Harlow was added to the committee as
chairman.
| After this business had been disposed Of
| Mr.. Leadbeater called attention to the ap-
parent inaccuracy Of the recent census
| enumeration Of Alexandria.
He did not believe that the enumerators
had been negligent inefficient, but
| thought those enumerated were at fault.
In a personal canvass Of about $50 people
| the speaker had found at least forty who
| had not been enumerated. He Thought
| that some action should be taken to provide
| for correct count. To these remarks Mr..
| Harlow added the statement that the city
directory for 1909 showed a population Of
| 1900, while the census figures were less
| than 5000.
| A resolution was introduced by Mr. Lead
| beater and adopted reciting the Importance
of correct census and empowering the
| president OF the league to appoint a COM
mittee of three to take necessary steps to
| procure a proper census and to have such
recognized by the director of the United
States census. MesSrs c. c. Leadbeater,
| c. c. Carlin and John w. May were APP
pointed to constitute this committee. after
| which the meeting adjourned.
General Matters.
A meeting of the Young Mems Sodality
| Lyceum was held last evening. at which
| a committee was appointed to draft resolu-
lions of respect to the memory of Rev
Father F. X. McCarty, an honorary mem
her of the society. who died Sunday night
at Providence Hospital in Washington The
committee consisted of the following: ]. p.
| Laphen. W. H. P. Kelley, w. H. Sweeney
| E. P. McKenney and William F. Carne The
remains of Father McCarty will be brought
here tomorrow afternoon and will be placed
| in St. Mary's Church. to remain until
Thursday morning, when solemn high re-
QUEEN mass will be celebrated. During the
pastorate of Father McCarty at St. Marys
Church he was spiritual director Of the
| lyceum.
At the meeting Of the Alexandra county
board of supervisors. held yesterday. Act
| ing Commonwealth Attorney James E.
Clements rendered an opinion that personal
bonds secured by deeds of trust and held
by non residents, were not taxable but
| that such bonds held by residents should be
| taxed This opinion is regarded as i'm
portant deciding a long-standing question.
| The funeral Of Benedict Wheatley. whose
sudden death occurred Sunday morning.
win take place at 6 o'clock this evening
from the late home of the deceased, No.
sO7 King street. Rev. DR.. George Hunt of
the First Baptist Church will conduct the
services.
The Joint committees Of finance. general
| laws and streets held a meeting last night
and conferred with representatives from
the Washington, Alexandria and Mt. Yer
non railroad certain matters affecting
that road now pending in council. The
committees report will be submitted to
council this evening.