The Morris County chronicle. [volume] (Morristown, N.J.) 1877-1915, 1905-09-12
THE POLICE
INVESTIGATION
The Matter Taken Up BY the
Police Committee and the
Charges Dismissed.
THE AFFIDAvITS PRESENTED.

The upsavory mass in regard to
heretofore unnamed police officer re-
ceived what is to be hoped was the
final stirring on Wednesday evening
when in response to an affidavit filed
with the Mayor by e. Fl. Tomlinson,
editorof the Daily Record, on behalf OF
by Sophia Turdell, a young girl in the
employ of Mrs. Harriet e. Reed, the
police committee directed the chief Of
police to suspend Sergeant John Nor
rison, and issued subpoenas for hear
ing in the Board of Aldermen room on
that evening. The affidavit is as fol
lows
STATE OF NEW JERSEY, 90
COUNTY OF MORRIS, -
SoPHY TURDELL, being duly sworn
according to law, upon her oath de-
poses and says ] reside at No. II Nor
ris street, in the town of MorristOwn,
county and State aforesaid, and am
employed by Mrs. Harriet y. Reed.
Some four or five weeks ago, after read
ing the articles appearing IN Inc Daily
Record, / asked Mrs. Reed why so
much was being said about the police
of MorristoWn, and she told me that
ii was quite evident that the editor
Of The Daily Record did not think the
police were as good as they should be,
to which / answered " That's so I;
that's so; they are not. Mrs. Reed
thereupOn asked me what 1 knew
about the police force, and if any mem
ber had ever acted improperly toward
me. answered I" Yes" and told her
these facts:
When / have been going up town, at
many different times Policeman John
Morrison would speak to me when /
met or saw him on the street, and |
thought it no harm to answer his
greetings, until one Sunday afternoon
In September or October, 1904, the said
policeman, John Morrison, in his uni
form, was standing on the sidewalk
near Viedt S store and, as approached,
he thus addressed me:
Here comes the laughing girl.
| replied, What do you expect me
to do, cry s?
g Oh, no; / do not want to see you
cry, he said, and then he asked me
- Wf1efe1 was living, Sc, and what aft
ernoons was out.
told him where l was living and
thatI had Sunday and Thursday aft
ern0OnS out.
He then said: But you have
Thursday evenings, don't you?
told him / did not go out evenings.
He insisted But it's your evening
and want you to meet me on the cor
ner of DeHart street next Thursday
evening, won't you? I'm not fOOling;
| mean it," he said.
Immediately passed on, and have
since avoided meeting or speaking to
SOPHIA TURDEhL.
Subscribed and sworn to
before me on this Sep
tember lst, A. d. 1905.
G. FRANKLIN WILSON,
Master in Chancery
of New Jersey.
Accompanying it was an affidavit
from Mrs. Reed, which was not read,
which follows:
STATE OF NEW JERSEY, 80
COUNTY OF MORRIS, ~
HARRIET e. REED, of full age,
being duly sworn according to law,
upon her oath depoSes and says: re-
side at No II Morris street, in the
town of MOrriSt0wn, county and State
aforesaid. / am the author of the
communication published in The Dai-
ly Record in it's issue dated August
9th, A. d. 1905, signed From Moth
era The affidavit hereunto annexed,
made by SOphy Iurdell, contains sub
stantially the facts given by her to me
as therein narrated, and which prompt
ed me to write the above mentioned
communication to The Daily Record.
/ made no complaint of the occurrence
to the Chief Of Police or Town Mar
Shal of MOrriStown because my expert
ence and observation led me to believe
that no action would be taken by him
or anyone else in authority, and no at
tention paid or given to such COM
plaint as the facts narrated to me by
the said Sophy Turdell seemed to war
rant. The said Sophy Turdell has been
in my employ since the eighth day of
September, A. ID. 1904, and / have al
ways found her to be honest, truthful
and wholly reliable, and ! believe her
to be a good and YirtuOus girl. 1t
seemed to me crying shame and gross
outrage that such girl should be sub
Jected to the lnsinuatiOn apparently
implied by the proposition made to her
by uniformed police officer of the
town OF Morristown.
HARRIET g. REED.
Sworn and subscribed to
before .me on this Sep
tember lSt, A. d. 1905.
G. FRANKLIN WILSON,
Master in Chancery
of New Jersey.
The hearing was before the police
committee consisting Of Aldermen
Owens, Belby and Lippman. There
was crowd in attendance, Miss Tur-
cell was represented by G. Franklin
Wilson. and E. 7. Tomlinson, editor Of
the Z Record . seemed to think it was
his show and was at Mr.. Wilson'S elbow
with suggestions Sergeant Morrison
was represented by former Judge Cut
ler
THE VALET
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