The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1902-10-03
REV. MR.. NICHOLSON NOT SATISFIED.

REV. Mr.. NICHOLSON NOT SATISFIED.
IS Captain Humphrey and officer Han
l. mersla. of the Baltimore detective fore
:, returned their answers on Friday last I
the Board of Police Commissioners in a,
5 cordance with the request made to til
Il Board 10y Rev. S Nicholson, secretary ,
L the Anti Saloon League, that these tw
"tncers should explain their conntcti"
= with the case of David A. Fisher, recent
tried in Bel Air, for selling liquor on Sur
day in Havrc de Grace The officer
; state i'll their reply, that they were legal
summoned to testify in the case and tina
their evidence was in accordance witt
what they knew about the witness Well
and his associate, who testified for TIN
State Their answers were handed owe
to MIR. Nicholson
MIR. Nicholson was not satisfied will
the answers made by the detectives anc
has SO written to the Police Commission
crs. In further commenting uopon the
subject, Mr.. Nicholson is reported in The
News to have said:
1T has not vet been explained how the
defendant Fisher or his attorneys knew
that these Baltimore detectives had any.
thing to reveal on the witness stand about
the character of Louis Vein, the prosecut-
ing witness. The detectives swore that
they had heard about the work of the
Anti-Saloon League in getting evidence
against certain liquor dealers i'll this city
whom the Grand Jury subsequently i'll
dicted for violating the liquorlaws But
there is no record that when they found
out the things they were supposed to
have found about the prosecuting wit
ness they took any steps to aid the
League i'll its work of law enforcement
by informing the superintendent or any
OF its officers that they were relying on
bad man forevidencc. There is no record
that these men took steps to inform the
other officers or the Police Board that
there was bad man in the city that
must be watched. The people of the city
were not notified to look out for a crook
and DE on their guard. Evidently no
steps were taken to inform the Grand
Jury here that it was relying on the evil
dcncc OF Il man who could not be believed
The only thing that was done was BY
innuendo to establish a case that in some
mysterious way was revealed to those i'll
charge of the defense at Bel Air. And
there is no evidence that their so-called
information about Vein was to be used
i'll any other way. lfthey knew anything
wrong about him, why, as paid officers
of the law, should they become only the
contidants of the defenders ofthose under
indictment for violating law?
1T must be charged that they either
voluntarily worked up the case to help
the defense or they were inexcusailv me-
gligent and renliss i'll not giving their So
called knowledge to those who would
use il i'll protecting the interests of the
city and State from the work of man
that they endcavored to say is danger
Gus. Ii they be So negligent, of what ad-
vantage is their work in the city?
III the witness had been a dangerous
crook, which we know is not true, what
business had they to wait until criminal
case was on, and then, after associating
for two days with those whose interest
/ Spaf11,4I t,, ha nf - how,
by grandstand play seek to break down
the prosecu ion by the fimsiest sort of
testimony? One of the points that must
now be determined Is whether such pro-
ceedings will be permitted in the future
But there is more in this matter than
| have spoken of We know that our
witness was attacked from a false stand
point. There was no intimation that the
evidence of the prosecution was not cor
rect. There was probably no one i'll the
court room who did not believe the evil
dencc was true, and when it is known
that the evidence of the witness has never
before been successfully attacked. and
that his evidence has time and again Sc
cured convictions, and that he has never
been i'll court except as witness, it will
be seen that there was no reasan what
ever why these city detectives should thus
deport themselves.
THE end of the case is not yet Web
lieve that public opinion cannot too
strongly condemn the course ofthosc who
sworn to execute law, voluntarily be.
come the chief defenders of those indicted
for violating law. If such record is per-
United to continue. then have we no de-
tense whatever against those who, being
law-breakers, may happen to find d friend
among the officials"