Waterbury evening Democrat., 1906-07-12
OFFICER DUMAS
 SUSPENDED TO-DAY Misunderstanding Over a Diamond Ring Cause of His Arrest By
 Detective Dodds
BELONGED ID [. W. WEBB
Dunais Got It at the Turkish Bath. and He Refused to Give It
 Up to the Owner.

Police Officer Peter H. Dunais and Cassius M. Webb of 27 Abbott ave- nue, a mining engineer, had a diff ference this morning oyer a $200 dla- mond ring, which resulted in the arr rest of the officer by Detective Dodds and his suspension later on by Su- perintendent Beach. The, officer was of duty last night by permission and during the evening he fell in with MT Webb and together both went to the Turkish bath rooms on Leaven- worth street. Mir Webb admits that they had couple of drinks, but not enough to prevent them from going ahead about their business. After MT Webb had his bath he decided to so to bed there and remain for the night and before doing this he says he put his hand in his pocket and gave tho officer what small change he had in his pocket with the understanding that he should return 1t to him in the morning, which he agreed to do and did
 This morning when Webb went to his office on Grand street somebody missed the ring from his finger and when his attention was called to 1t he immediately hurried to the Tur- kish bath and asked the proprietor If he knew anything about it. He was informed that the officer who was with him last night had it and while they were talking Dunais step ped in to have another bath. When confronted about the ring he admit ted having 1t, but said he couldn't get 1t until night. Webb claims that he told the officer that that would not do. He wanted 1t then and of- fered to release 1t If he had raised anything on it, but as the officer was rather slow Tn producing the prop .erty Webb became impatient and, tei- epf1oned to the police station. De- tective Dodds answered the call and tion. Superintendent Beach was there and after a consultation with tho officer it appears that he learned that the ring was in the safe at McGraws cafe. where he had left 1t for safe keeping and where Detective Ken naugh located 1t without any trouble. Dunais represents that he loaned Webb $35 on the ring and that the reason he didn't want to give it up when called upon to do so was be- cause the money which he had loan ed upon it did not accompany the re- quest. Superintendent Beach put the ring in the safe, suspended the eff cer for the time being and told him to go home.
 It Is very peculiar case. The cfi- cer made no attempt to conceal the ring else nobody would have known that he had 1t. When he was leaving the Turkish bath early this morn ing the proprietor brushed his clothes and noticed the diamond and Dunais did not try to hide it. Neither did he make an effort to raise anything on it and the turning of it over to Mr McGraw is an evidence that he want ed to make no mistake about being able to get it when he wanted 1t.
 Mir Webb told a reporter of the Democrat that he was very sorry he found it necessary to call upon the police. but he didn't see what else he could have done. He did not know how the officer came into posse ssion of the ring nor would he say that he meant anything wrong. He denied positively that the officer had loaued him anything on the property and said that no such thing ever was mentioned between them. The officer gave him back the change he en- trusted to him when retiring and while he didn't really refuse to give him the ring he hesitated so long that the broker got out of patience. The whole thing looks like a case where somebody blundered and t will be hard to tell whether the min CT or the officer is the more 10 blame for the misunderstanding.
 Oficer Dunais has been on the force less than three years and up to the present time his record was above suspicion. He is young man and has many friends. Webb has been in Waterbury a couple of years. He Is a. man In middle life and has travelled much. his principal field be- ing the mining districts of California and Colorado.
 onicer Dunais's suspension Is for and is for forty-eight hours, by which time his case will be heard by the board of safety.