Spirit of the age. [volume] (Woodstock, Vt.) 1845-1913, 1907-08-03

Bingham Showed Much Emotion
During the Ordeal.
New York--A remarkable scene,
closely paralleling that memorable one
in Paris, when Capt. Alfred Dreyfus
was publicly degraded before the
French army, was enacted in the trial
room of police headquarters Wednes-
day. For the first time in more than
80 years patrolman had been ad-
judged guilty of cowardice.
He is Stephen S. Walsh, who, accord
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week fed from an armed man who had
shot and killed a woman.
The keen interest with which the
unusual case was followed rose to
point of dramatic intensity when Pol
ice Commissioner Bingham, who had
presided personally at the trial, an
nounced in voice choked with emo
tnon that the charge against the un-
fortunate man had been proved.
Then the commissioner turned to
Inspector Richard Walsh, in whose
district Stephen Walsh was a patrol
man, but who is no relative of the dis
missed man, and directed the inspec-
tor to strip Walsh of his shield and
uniform buttons so that he might not
even leave the trial room with the en-
blems of his former position as a POL
iceman in good standing on his per-
son.
The crowd looked on in wonder and
excitement as the inspector advanced
to perform his unpleasant task.
The dismissed man stood still and Of
fered no resistance as the shield was
unpinned from his breast, but when
the inspector started to detach the but
tons of the uniform, Stephen " alsh
stepped back and appealed to his at
torney against any further humiliation
being put upon him in the presence
of his former comrades.
Commissioner Bingham, who was la
boring under great excitement, then
interposed and directed the inspector
to conduct his former subordinate to
the steps of the police building and
eject him.
Stephen Walsh offered no resistance,
and went with the inspector to the
outer doorway, where he was formal
ly directed to leave the building.
Throughout the unusual proceed
ings Stephen Walsh maintained his
composure.
AS Stephen Walsh was being escort
ed from the room Commissioner Bing-
ham, with a wave of his hand, indi-
Gated that he desired the other men
in uniform to remain:
Come up close in front, all you men
in uniform" said the commissioner in
voice choked with emotion while
his eyes brimmed with tears. II have
a word to say to you all, but l can
scarcely say It,
my cheeks have burned with shame
here even to think of a charge of
cowardice being preferred against
man in this department. 1t has been
our pride to say that whatever other
faults there may have been, there was
no cowardice in this department.
gave the accused in this case every
chance to defend himself, but it has
been clearly proven that he failed just
at the moment when he should not
have failed.
This thing must never happen again
while you and | are together. You
must forget this but you must re-
member the proud record of 80 years
before when not one man in the
many thousands failed to do his duty
in the face of any danger"
Stephen Walsh was one of the two
men against whom a charge of cow
ardce was made last week, when
Frank Warner was permitted to es-
cape after killing Esther Norling in
42d street.
Before Warner was captured he shot
and mortally wounded John G. Wilson
and terrorized hundreds of persons.
Patrolman Roosa, the officer whose
name was coupled with that of Walsh
in the cowardice charge, was exoner-
ated after a full hearing before the
commissioner.
Warner, who once was a prosperous
halter but had suffered business re-
verses, went to a store where Miss
Norling, who had once been his cash
ier, was employed and shot her to
death. When he dashed from the store
Stephen Walsh and several pedestri-
ans started in pursuit. Warner out
ran them and took refuge in a nearby
building and darted upstairs toward
the roof.
Walsh at the time was only a short
distance behind the fugitive, but it is
charged that when Warner turned and
aimed the revolver at him he turned
and fed to an Office on the lower floor
of the building. other policemen, in
,cluding Roosa, soon arrived on the
scene, but Warner escaped.
Two hours later he walked into
Wilson's store and shot him in the
back. Wilson died several days later
In hospital Warner was stlu k
down and captured as he ran out
through the front door Of Wilson's
store. He is now in a hospital In
serious condition from the wound In
fiicted by his captor.