Daily inter mountain. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1881-1901, 1900-05-11

CHARGES ARE PREFERRED BY
TWO CITIZENS AGAINST
OFFICER ELDERKIN.
ACCUSED OF BRUTALITY
AND ABUSIVE LANGUAGE
Alleged That He Broke the Nose of
NJ. Myer and Called Him
Vile Names.

Charges of a sensational nature were
filed against Police Officer Arthur Elder
kin in the office of the city clerk this al
%ternoon. The charges were preferred by
Attorneys Breen & Mackel, representing
NJ. Myer and A. Ehrilch, who We're arrest
ed a few days ago, the former on a
charge of interfering with an officer and
the latter with leaving a horse unhitched.
The petitioners represent that Elderkin
used undue violence in making the arrest
and that he used improper language. Of
ficer Elderkin is a brother of Alderman
Elderkin. The charges are as follows:
Butte, Mont, May 18th, 1900.
To the Honorable Mayor. and City Coun-
Gil, Of the City Of Butte, Montana:
We, the undersigned, hereby prefer
charges against Police officer Elderkin,
and state the facts to be as follows:
That on the evening of May 9th, 1900,
the said Officer Elderkin threatened to
arrest one Ehrlich, on the ground tina he
had left a horse unfastened; that the said
Oftlcer Elderkin threatened to arrest the
said Ehrlich, unless he paid to him the
sum of three dollars. The undersigned
further state, that the said Ehrlich was
then and there willing and offered to put
| up a cash bond for his appearance in the
fo'A>N SouiS > nc llIo d " dCCGpltus
that in attempting to max the arrest of
the said Ehrlich the officer struck the said
Enrich in the fact and forcibIy kicked
Mrs. Enrich, who was then and there
present. That one M. Myer who was pass
ing at the time, and hearing a commo-
ton entered, and offered to put up a bail
bond n attempted to pacify all parties
there; that without reason or cause the
said Officer Elderkin struck the said M.
Myer across the face with some weapon
breaking his nose; that all through the
said proceedings the said officer acted in
a very brutal ann without cause or
excuse.
That the said Officer Elderkin her
placed the said Ehrlich in a carriage, n
said to the driver "Wait a minute. there
is a Sheeney in here that 1 want to take
along that the said M. Myer, was the
arrested and taken to the city Jail, In
company with Mr.. Enrich; that upon ar
irving at the Jail Mr.. Myer protested
against the treatment he had received,
and the officer replied Il will fix you -
Of - Mr.. Myer protested against
having such epithets applied to him while
in custody, and Elderkin replied Shut up
you -
Wherefore the undersigned ask that
these charges against the said Officer Ell
derkin be investigated: that he be sus-
pended during Investigations; that the un-
dersigned be permitted to introduce testi-
mony to substantiate the above facts,
and that if these charges be proven true
the said Officer Elderkin be dismissed
from the police force of the city of Butte.
Officer Elderkin stated to an Inter
Mountain reporter this afternoon he had
not seen the charges that had been pre-
ferred against him and would say moth
ing until he had read them, except that
he expected to prove at the hearing that
he had simply lone his duty as an officer
in the Arrest of Myer and his friend and
expected to vindicate himself at the hear
ing