Waterbury evening Democrat., 1904-07-23


 Chauncey NJ. Hall, who claimed that the officer arrested him unwarranted- ly on the night of July 13 Commissioner Beach presided at, the meeting and ali the members were present. After the meeting. had been called to order the charges were read by Clerk Reeves and Officer McCar- l thy pleaded not guilty. Chauncey NJ. Hall was the first witness and owing l to his deafness the commissioners asked him to tell all of his story with- out any questions being asked. He spoke as follows:
 "On the night in question 1 was standing on the top steps of the Elk change hotel, where I board. l had been there but a minute when /this l policeman Hooking at Policeman Me- Carthy) came along and ordered half q dozen men on the sidewalk to move l on. The officer spoke to the men and 1 they did not move. Then he came to me, and said something to me, but I didn't know what he said. He then 1 took me by the arm and tie collar and took me to the police station. when Captain Ramon told me I could go.'' When asked If that was all he had to say, he replied yes.
 R. +. Porter of the Exchange hotel was the next witness. He stated that on the night mentioned he was stand ing on the top of the flight of stairs leading to the first floor of the hotel. He heard Mr Hall tell the officer that he boarded at the hotel and the officer l took hold of him and arrested him. 1n reply to questions he stated that Mir Hall was standing just inside the doorway of the hotel when arrested. A half hour before Porter himself was standing in the same doorway and | Officer Mccarthy came along and or- i dered him to move on. He asked the officer if he could not stand ill his own doorway and received the reply l that he could not.
 F. J. Manville testified that he was coming along the street that night l just in time to see the officer take Mr Hall out of the doorway. On cross examination by Officer McCarthy he l said that the officer went off the side walk to make the arrest
 E. B. Kfrkhann's testimony was to l the effect that he was one of the late arrivals and Hall was being taken over to the station at the time. There was much confusion and people were | Cs Officer Mccarthy the witness said that Mccarthy used Iio force i'll mak- ing the arrest.
 The only reason for Max Aldrich's $ l appearance as witness was that he had an argument with the same off, cer about the same thing earlier in the evening. He had not. seen the arrest nor the incidents connected with it. Captain Charles k. Bannon. who l was i'll charge at the desk at the po- | lice station on the night of the arrest, stated that Officer Mccarthy told him Hall was standing on the steps and refused to move when so ordered and then he arrested him. Captain Ban non allowed Hall to go because he knew he was deaf and thought that he had not heard the officers order to move. He also stated that there have been numerous complaints about peo- pie lettering in railways in that vicin- 1 ity and that special orders have been given to the police officers to keep the places clear, to move any persons blocking the stairways. Tn reply to a question he said that he thought the officer was acting under his duty. Chief Egan stated that he had re- ceived complaints about people loiter- ering about the hallway leading to the barber shop above Cones drug stores On the same night the arrest was made he had reprimanded Officer Nc Carthy for not keeping that passage clear. He also said that under the ordinances an officer could easily in- { terpret them to apply to hotel steps.
 Officer McCarthy's story was as foi- lows. About S3O o'clock on the, evening in question I was patrolling my beat on Exchange place. In front of the Exchange hotel there were three men leaning against the rail, with Mir Hall nearest the door. There were three men standing near them. I requested them to move on, and they all did but NIr Hall. He said, T live here.' told him that made no difference. He then went up the steps and stayed there, saying to me, I can stay here. told him that was
 not moving on, and after waiting a little took him to the police station, after placing him under arrest.''
 A few questions agked the officer by the commissioners and the answers thereto follow.
 Did yon know he was deaf?y | Not until got him to the station
 "Did you know Hall before the time of the arrest?'
 f'I knew him by sight, and have had to move him every night I have been on the beat
 Did you know he lived at the no- tell"
 T didn't think he lived there since have seen him cross the green near ly every night to go to his home.
 "Did he protest against the arrest?',
 'When he got to the station he ask ed me what charge was entering against him. He said he was deaf. so I told him he was violating the city ordinances"
 "You didn't know he was deafP' 'No sir. We did not exchange a word until we got to the station"
 From what you know now do you think he hefunderstood what you said to him?"
 ''He answered my questions then as if he understood what I asked and