The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1902-05-03
ACCUSES POLICE
Boy Says Officer Assaulted
Him But Testimony
Is Conflicting.

Patrolman jeremiah Curtis of the First
Precinct was brought before Police JUS
tiec Hoos this morning in the First Grim
inal Court on charge of assault and
battery upon Walter ]. Newell, seventeen
years of age, of No. 21s York street.
The alleged assault took place on Thurs
day afternoon in the rear yard of the
house in which Curtis lives. The police
man was off duty al the time and had
been asked to drive away some boys who
were playing on the woodsheds in that
neighborhood. He was complying with
the request when, he claims, Newell in
terfered with him and wanted to fight
with him He denied that he assaulted
the boy.
Curtis was defended by Counsellor VIII
liam Barkalow and Newell was represent
ed by Counsellor James Manning.
on the evening Of the assault, Curtis
stated, he was in his home when lot
Of small boys who have been a nuisance
TO the property owners in the neighbor-
hood were running over the roofs Of the
woodsheds in the rear yards and destroy
ing the property.
7 went down in the yard Curtis con-
tinued, "and climbed up on the woodshed
of my fathers property and was warning
the small boys that / was an officer and
il they ever came there again / would ar
rest them.
7 let them go after warning them,
when Newell came up on his shed at No.
20S York street and asked me why | was
chasing the boys off the roof, and told ne
I was too fresh
II explained to him that I was police
officer and that if he interfered with me
l would be compelled to arrest him. He
came closed to me, and I again warned
him He then began to abuse me ana he
raised his right hand as If to strike me.
when I pushed him away, and he then
challenged me to go out in the street and
fight with HIM
when we were in one of the yards
Newell began to abuse me again and /
then placed him under arrest. He began
to fight and was compelled to defend
myself from mis- attack upon me.
"At the time all the neighbors were
looking out of their windows and they
appealed to me to let Newell go and not
arrest him.
s.I then let him go"
Newell, when placed on the stand, con-
tradicted the officers statement entirely
and said that he did not abuse him, that
when the officer punched him he tNewelD
had his hands in his pocket. and he only
went on the shed to chase his smaller
brother off.
Freeholder Holmes. who lives in the
neighborhood, said that the boys were a
nuisance and that on the afternoon in
question he saw Curtis and Newell strug-
Cling with one another, but did not see
the officer strike the boy, and that he was
one of the neighbors who asked Curtis to
let Newell go.
Mr. and Mrs. Samuel Moore, of No. 2lS
York street, said they saw the officer
punch Newell in the face while the boy
had his hands in his pockets. They saw
the fight from their rear window.
Edward Bracken, of No. 204 York street,
said that he saw Newell make a pass at
officer Curtis when he ordered him off the
shed, but did not see the officer punch the
boy.
Mr.. Joseph Martin. Mrs. Tuite, Mrs.
Dengler and several other witnesses tes-.
tilted in favor of the officer and all COM
plained that the boys had been nuisance
in the neighborhood for the past two
months and had destroyed much property.
Police Justice Hoos after hearing all the
testimony reserved his decision until next
Saturday morning.