The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1901-08-22
ARRESTED IN TACOMA.
North Yakima Citizen Snmmariy Dragged To
Jail BY Offieious Officers


The police department of Tacoma is
receiving merited criticism for its actions
last week in arresting a North Yakima
citizen, because he happened to be a
cripple, and throwing him in the city
Jail without giving him chance to de-
fend himself The party in question is
W. l.. Gilbert, the man who runs boot
black stand at the corner of Yakima
avenue and First street. MIR. Gilbert is
well known here and his reputation for
sobriety and peacefulness is unique stion-
ed; but lac is unfortunate in having only
one leg and follows the trade OF boot
backing because it is only one # the
few things that he is able to follow for a
livelihood.
He joined the excursion party from
this place to the Elks Carnival and was
in the city as peaceful spectator. On
Thursday evening he met an old friend
ON Pacific avenue and took up position
not far from the Northern Pacific station
to wait for the special from Eastern
Washington, which was due at 8 O'Clock.
to come in. Becoming tired he satdown
on curb stone, as it is difficult for him
to stand up any length of time. He had
not sat there very long till gruff police
man came along and accosted him.
do you live here?" questioned the
officer.
mo, SIR replied Gilbert.
Come with me them" said the cop.
and he hustled Gilbert into patrol wag-
on and took him off to the jail.
Mr.. Gilbert asked what the charge
was against him, and they gave out the
information that he was arrested as a
vagrant and without any visible means
OF support" He asked for hearing
right away but the chief would not ac-
cord him even decent courtesy by listen
ing to an explanation. The next MORN
ing Mr.. Gilbert again asked for the
chief OF police but got only an unyentle-
manly reply. Gilbert produced SIG in
money and return trip ticket home.
A hearing was set for 10 a. M, but it
was postponed till 2 p. M. He was
asked II he would leave the city at once
and he told them he would.no and they
put him in Jail again. He was taken be-
fore nabob of a police judge who had
no more idea of justice than hog does
of the growing of alfalfa. Mr.. Gilbert
was told to get out of the city at once,
and when he was discharged the chief
asked him if he intended to leave right
away and he replied that he did not
that he had money to live on, that he
was no vagrant, that he had ticket to
North Yakima and that he did not in
tend to leave till he got ready.
Mr.. Gilbert was not the only cripple
who was arrested. Besides him there
were 20 others, some of them being
prominent business men from different
parts of the state. The wholesale arrests
of these people came about by an order
issued by the chief OF police last week
that all cripples and Migrants found in
the city were to be arrested The order
happened to be too broad for the
average policeman OF Tacoma to UNDER
stand aud they went after the visiting
cripples as though they were the vilest
criminals on earth. There is no excuse
for such actions on the part of a police
department, and the only result from it
has been that OF discrediting Tacoma as
a convention city.