The Montgomery advertiser., 1905-03-15
Councilmel Say Police Will Be Held Responsible. !. DENOUNCED BY PAPERS Indignant at Treatment of Advertiser Correspondent. Council VIII Consider Cases of MoseIy nnd Davis, Suspended by Chief
 walters, at the Session.
 Tonight.
Advertiser Bureau.

all indications the City Council will to- morrow night sever the official heads of several policemen against whom numerous charges have been made.
 The reinstatement or dishonorable discharge of Policemen Moseiy and Davis whom Chief of Police Walters yesterday afternoon suspended for an alleged insult to the Selma correspon- dent of The Montgomery Advertiser lies wholly with the Council and the matter will come before that body wednes- day night.
 A number of the Councilmen yester- day and today heard the newspaper and agreed with him. promising the newspaper fraternity of this city that the police would be held responsible for the gross insult the correspondent of The Advertiser is said to have received from them. Tomorrow night they will hear the side of the policemen. who will make a determined fight, it is be- lieved. for a continuance of their regime as policemen.
 The cases of Policemen Smith and White will also be taken up by the Council and, 1t Is said, probed to the bottom. Grave charges have been made against Policemen Smith and White and it is said that the former has advocated an investigation.
 Likewise the Council will investigate and report on the general charge of in- efficiency an incompetency made against the whole police force.
 With these and other vital issues before that honorable body the second day after the primary election it ap- pears highly probable that the session tomorrw night will be one of the most interesting if not the most, interesting and sensational ever held.
 It is not known what defense Police man Mosely will make of the charge that will be brought against him by Chief Walters. Policeman Davis con tends that The Advertiser correspon- dent named the wrong man when his name was given to Chief Walters as one of the policemen who offered insult to the newspaper correspondent. He approached the correspondent this morning asking for statement from the latter of the charges against him. He denied that he had said anything to the correspondent. On the other hand the correspondent says that Policeman Davis spoke to him threat ingly and insultingly when the cores pondent asked Policeman Smith for a statement of his side of the charges preferred against him.
 Both of the Selma newspapers today commented editorially on the alleged insult to The Advertiser correspondent. The Times. devoting much space in denunciation of the acts of the police men now suspended. Said The Times in part:
 This is supposed to be country of peace. Mir. Hamilton was on a peace full mission. He was making an att tempt to do the policemen of Selma justice. They are wearing the uni- form of peace officers, and as such are the last men in the world to start a rough house unless they are attacked.
 "The conduct of some of the police force yesterday toward MT. Hamilton lays them open to very grave criticism. He told the officers who were threaten ing him that he expected to print what had occurred. and 1t will doubtless ap- pear in The Selma department of The Advertiser this morning.
 Chief Walters owes 1t to himself to suspend every police officers engaged in this disgraceful affair pending an in- vestigation. It is the duty of the City Council to probe this matter to the right to talk extensively and insulting Iy to a citizen in the peaceful pursuit of his calling"
 The Evening Journal was as em- phatic, saying in part:
 The Journal cannot censure too se- verely the conduct of police officers Mosely and Davis who took occasion to threaten and insult MT. Hamilton, the representative of The Montgomery Advertiser, while at police headquar- ters in the legitimate pursuit of the du- ties of his profession and seeking to give opportunity to the police for any expression they might desire to make in regard to the various reports that have been current. Chief Walters in suspending the offending officers per= formed service for the good of the officers themselves and for the discip- line and morale of the entire police force."