Los Angeles herald., 1907-12-25
PATROLMAN
BEATS MOTHER
OF NE WSBOY
TAKEN TO STATION, WOMAN IS
RELEASED
WITNESSES pENoUNcE AFFAIR
AS BRUTAL OUTRAGE
Mrs. Anna Decker Charges Officer
Mccomas with Torturing Her on
streets-He Was Drunk,
Say Spectators

Mrs. Anna Dicker, of 1878 East Twenty
ninth street, was arrested and hand
cuffed by Patrolman McComas, whose
star is 2l2 at Third and Main streets
last night about s o'clock. At the station
she exhibited q pair of eyeglasses which
were broken to pieces and claimed that
the patrolman had struck her viciously
again and again. Mrs. Dicker pointed to
a confusion under her right eye in proof
of the rough treatment she COM
planned of.
After Patrolman McComas took her
to the police station, she was immed-
lately released without any charge pelng
filed against her.
my little boys sell newspapers" said
Mrs. DiclSer, land last night, as we
were going home, the policeman as
saulted me on Third street between Main
and Spring streets. He hit me with his
clenched fist in the face.
II am poor and have hard struggle
to get along. We worked late so that
we could earn enough money to buy a
Christmas dinner. The officer caught me
by the wr.sts and bent and twisted my
hands till / was in agony. and made me
kneel on the ground in front of him.
his beat again he would beat them,
that if they ever tried to sell papers on
his beat agaian that he would beat them.
too. He took me to the station, out
was released right away and he did not
dare to place charge against me be-
cause I had done nothing"
Herman Blumenthals, of 200 South
Spring street, who witnessed the affair,
supported Mrs. Dicker in her statements
Denounced as Outrage
IT saw the officer throw three small
boys away from In front of Levy's cafe,
and then l saw him go after woman
She was powerless in his prasp, but
think he must have been very intoxicated
because he struck her repeatedly about
the body face and head. He struck her
in the eye and made it black and blue.
He knocked off her spectacles and it is
a wonder that the glass did not blind her.
The spectacles were broken and fell on
the sidewalk. Then the policeman hand
cuffed her and took her to the station
1t was The most coward.y and most
brutal attack that / have ever seen a
man make on woman"
Sadie Branch. young saleswoman in
a nearby candy store, also witnessed the
scene.
"Oh, it was simply awful!" she said,
land that policeman almost slugged that
poor little woman to death. He hit her
in the face and blacked her eyes"
Miss Branch, corroborated her comrades S
statement. as did also Miss Elizabeth
Jones.
A crowd gathered and protested to Nc
Comas to keep his hands off the defense
less woman and her children. Many wit
nesses declared that 1t was brutal and
disgusting spectacle and that McComas
showed unmistakable signs OF intoxica-
tion.
When seen last night on his beat Nc
Conlas was in company Of Police Com
missioner Fuller, who refused to say if
he was making an investigation.
"Had to Use Force"
'I had to use force with the woman.
She tried to fight with me- said Nc
Comas, who is large. muscular man.
II did handcuff her. did not strike
her. I received orders to compel her
brats to stay away from Levy's cafe, and
1 followed orders"
Mr.. Levy said: 'I regret this thing,
but those dirty little kids have been
standing in front of my place trying tc
sell papers to my guests, and / COM
planned to the police to have them or
dered away from the sidewalk In front OF
my place"
Patrolman McComas, when first ap-
preached for his version of the disgrace
full affair, said: You can go to ---l
won't talk to nobody. l follows orders
and that ends 1t. If you want to find out
about this you can go to --."
1--WE will file charges with the police
commission" says Mrs. Dicker.