Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-01-01

in detecting derelictions on the part of pri-
Yates in the night time, were assigned to
the supervision of these divisions and to
the direct routine communication between
the major and superintendent and the sew
eral lieutenants. In this connection two
SergeantS who are wheelmen were detailed
to act as night inspectors. Major Sylvester
expressed the belief that vehicles and BIZ
| cycles should be numbered. Plans for a
central police station were discussed, but
congress has not made an appropriation
for such a building. The proposed law
making eight hours days work for mem
beers of the force was discussed and a meas
ure of this kind is pending in Congress.
Major Sylvester's annual report was an in
tefeStinS document and made an excellent
showing for the department. A number of
reductions and promotions were made dur
ing the year. the most important one being
the promotion of Sergeant John c. Daley
who was made lieutenant to succeed Lieu
tenant Gessford. who was given a detail
The department vacated its quarters in
the District building and moved to new
building on street. Detective Proctor
was taken from the detective force and de-
tailed to investigate viola lions of the phar-
macy law The annual parade of the police
force took place on the 18th Of November,
after the several commands had undergone
inspection and drill and the silk flag which
for year had been in possession of the
eighth precinct, was awarded to the eighth.
The bicycle squads in the several precincts
We're materially increased. During the year
great many policemen Were tried for Vio-
la tons of rules of the manual, and many of
them We're dismissed. In November Sergt.
McNeely of the sixth precinct was brought
before the trial officer on charges of bribery
and characterization. The former charge
was made by William H. Lee, colored a
pool room keeper bat it was not consid-
cred, charge was pending against the
officer in court Lewis j. Yeager escaped
from the sixth precinct station, and was
recaptured the following morning. A new
fnr, t,,r. 49,
establishment of fund for the use of the
officers whose clothing gets torn while on
duty. This fund is made up of part of re-
wards paid for work done.
DISTRICT SUPREME COURT.
Many matters of interest have occurred
within the province of the Supreme Court of
the District of Columbia during the past
twelve months Associate Justice Louis L.
McComas resigned to enter the Senate of
the United States. He was succeeded as
member of the court by Harry NJ. Clabaugh
of Maryland. After many years service on
the bench Associate Justice Walter S. Cox
voluntarily retired. There was a spirited
fight for appointment to the vacancy, the
President finally naming Job Barnard of
the District of Columbia. Henry E. Davis
rendered his resignation as United States
attorney for the District of Columbia and
was succeeded by Thomas H. Anderson of
Ohio. The resignation of ]. Nota McGil,
register of wills, was also rendered. The va
cancy thus created was filled by the ap-
pointrnent of Louis a. Dent.
On the equity side of the court l .OO5 new
cases were filed, the record for 1898 being
lilo new cases. There were S74 new law
cases instituted, as against 991 the preceding
year. Marriage licenses were issued to
300 applicants. The number issued during
1898 was 1850
At the suggestion of the Bar Association
the court ordered a postponement of all
trials during the first two weeks of Janu-
airy. This action taken in order that
the committees of the Bar Association
might thoroughly examine and confer with
the justices regarding the proposed new
code of law prepared by Justice Cox. AT the
close of the year the bar was taking steps
to Immediately urge that Congress make
the code law
Justice Hagner in the suit instituted by
the Potomac Electric Power Company
against the United States Electric Lighting
Company to have a restraining order dis
solved, held that certain permits issued to
the United States company by the District
Commissioners We're without lawful author
ity beyond the permission to make needful
repairs to keep in proper order the exist
ing cOnduits and wires of the United States
company in the general form in which they
Were at the time the permits were issued.
The Court of Appeals held that no stamps
are required to be affixed to tax certit-
Gates. In the case of Fritz Reuter-, charged
WIFI Selling llllOAitdllHS IQuOIS oil quiz
day, the Court of Appeals affirmed the
Judgment of the Police Court in deciding
that the act under which the Information
against Reuter- was filed does not apply to
duly licensed hotel keepers having bar
room license.
Justice Bradley made ruling to the eff
feet that the use of money In decoy letters
for detecting crime cannot be made the
basis for an indictment. 1t was also held
by Justice Bradley that the suspicious char
acter law is ambiguous.
The test case to determine whether or
not the act of Congress fixing the maxi
mum rate of rental for telephones in the
District at $50 year is constitutional was
argued and submitted. The decision of
Justice Barnard IS expected in the near fu-
ture.
adoption of the whipping post as mode OF
punishment for certain classes of offenders.
In the criminal courts Edward Smith,
William Strather, Charles Winston. Will
lam X Reed. James Powell. George w.
Horton and Frank w. Funk We're convicted
of murder and all but Funk sentenced to
be hanged. Smith, Strather, Winston and
Horton were executed. The sentences of
Reed and Powell were committed to impris
onment for life. An appeal noted in the
case Of Funk is pending. a qualified YER
dict was returned in the case of George
Grant Sewell, convicted of the murder of
Susan Mahoney, and he sentenced to
Imprisonment for life. James Riley, in
dicted for murder, was convicted of man
slaughter and sentenced to Imprisonment
for ten years. Dock n. Tharp indicted
for the murder of Aaron Bishop al the 9th
street depot, was acquitted.
Harry Johnson. colored. convicted of
criminally assaulting Mrs. Ada Hardy
white woman. was sentenced by Justice
Clabaugh to Imprisonment for thirty years
James Riley and II. c. Gawler, young
white men. convicted of highway robbery
in holding up number of citizens on the
streets of this city, received sentences of
fourteen years each. Henry Clark, con-
Victed of hOusebreaking, was sent to the
penitentiary for fourteen years.
Lewis j. ieager, an attorney-at-law. con-
Vlcted of carnal knowledge of a fourteen
year-old girl, was sentenced to imprison-
ment in the penitentiary for twelve years
Macmillan w. Falk was tried on a charge
OF adultery. He fled the jurisdiction of the
court during the trial of the case A YER
dict of guilty was returned in his absence
Later he was apprehended and the case
taken to the Court of Appeals, which sus-
tanned the lower court. 1t is the intention
Of counsel to present the matter to the Su-
preme Court of the United States and to
secure decision from the highest tribunal
IN the land as TO whether or not the Utah
act applies to the District of Columbia.
DR. Frederick c. Kenyon, formerly an
enplnSg nf no