The Hawaiian gazette., 1904-05-20
COHEN is
DISCHARGED
Judge Lindsay Could
Find No Guilt
In Him.
tFrom Thursdays Advertiser)

(From Thursdays Advertiser)
Police Judge Lindsay yesterday found
j. C. Cohen, manager of the orpheum,
not guilty of the charge of assaulting
a police officer, and discharged him
after making some caustic remarks
concerning the conduct of the police
officers who attended the performance
at the Orpheum last Saturday night.
At the conclusion of the testimony
given by Manager Cohen, Judge Lind
say announced that arguments of
counsel would be useless as he had
already made UP his mind as to what
opinion he would give. Attorney
Robertson for Mr.. Cohen looked at the
judge for just an instant and then re-
marked with a smile that the defense
declines to waste any of the Courts
time trying to change his mind" High
Sheriff Brown said also with a smile.
1.-The prosecution can't hope to-"
The Judge stated that it was his be-
Altl tIlt ppllCe iIol dtltu IISht III
trying to force their way into the
Orpheum in the manner testified to.
He felt that If the police had applied
to the management in u decent man
ner the manager would have granted
permission for them to enter building
without difficulty. 81 do not believe
the police acted decentIy in the mat
ter. OF course the police have rights
and their duty, but Mr.. Cohen also
has some rights which should be
respected. If there was any assault
at all on Cohen's part, and / very
strongly doubt there was, it was at
the most a technical one. find the
defendant not guilty and discharge
him."
The most important witness on the
stand at the examination yesterday
morning was Manager Cohen himself.
He told of the order he had given to
the doorkeepers to admit only police
officers in uniform, but to refer plain
clothes men to him at the box office,
where he would give them tickets. AT
the same time he wished to take down
their badge numbers and present the
list to the High Sheriff the next day
to ascertain whether or not they had
been sent to the Orpheum on duty.
He was sent for and went to the
gallery door where he found Leslie who
asked that the men in plain clothes
be allowed to enter. Cohen asked
whether they We're detailed for duty
and Leslie replied that he ordered them
to come in. Cohen objected and then
said that they would have to go over
his body before he would let them
enter. He put his arms across the
entrance and two or three officers
pushed him back. He reganed his
former position and was then pulled
down by the officers directly in front
of him and the whole bunch fell down
the steps
He stated that he received two blows
on his forehead from somebody's fists,
and that at the bottom he was kicked
three times in the chest. He called out
to the officers to stop kicking him.
Then hands We're laid on him and he
was brought to his feet one officer
holding to him by the neck. He was
dragged to Fort street and then to the
corner where the patrol wagon was
rung up. He asked to go in a hack,
several having driven up and friends
offered to take him with them to the
station. He said Lieut.. Leslie would
not permit him to ride in hack
Cohen said there We're to his knowledge
about twelve officers attending the
show. He was asked who had hit him.
II don't know, but 1 would like to
know" he replied with a hard glance
at a row of officers.
Cohen said he was always willing to
allow officers in the theater in uniform,
and If others came on the direct Or
ders he would extend the same priv
ilege. 1t was a matter of courtesy to
the officers, but he felt that on this
occasion the privilege had been abused.