Los Angeles herald., 1907-05-10
TO INVESTIGATE
PATROLMAN' s
BRUTAL ACT
Mrs. Burdette Makes
Statement
Declares Officer Who Knocked Her
Into Street Deliberately Walked
Away, Leaving Her Helpless,
Screaming with Pain

Screaming with Pain
The mystery in regard to the identity
of the policeman who either accident
ly or Wilfully knocked down Mrs.
Robert j. Burdette on Los Angeles
street near First Wednesday noon
will probably be cleared today, as the
officials of the police department have
promised to do all In their power to
clear the affair and place their find
ings before the police commission.
All efforts to learn who the man was
have up to this time been unavailing,
as he did not make any inquiries as
to the extent of Mrs. Burdette's in
jurieS and failed to turn In q report of
the accident at the Central station.
Police officers are instructed by gen.
eral orders to turn In reports of all
accidents which occur on their beats,
together with names of witnesses and
the details of how the accident oc-
Cured.
So far all the officials of the depart
ment express ignorance of the acci-
dent.
Mrs. Burdette Makes Statement
Mrs. Burdette said last night:
IT was walking north on Los An
about 11:45 Wednesday morning. A
number of shipping cases and boxes
nearly blockaded the sidewalk.
passed between the boxes and the
curb. The passageway was narrow.
Suddenly uniformed policeman
stepped from behind a patrol box on
post and started toward me. I
thought the man would be courteous
enough to yield part of the passage
way to me. Instead of this he set his
shoulders rigidly and was knocked
from the sidewalk into the street. My
left arm struck the curbstone and l
am told it is fractured in three places.
"The policeman was exceedingly
gruff and rude and he must have
heard my screams but he made no ef-
fort to assist me. / would know the
policeman again. He was tall,
smooth shaven and well set up.
1T feel worse over the fact the man
left me lying there helpless than 1 do
because he knocked me down. 1t was
most brutal and incomprehens1ble
performance"
Chauffeur Tells Story
Mrs. Burdette's chauffeur, who had
taken her to Los Angeles street where
she was going to purchase some
wicker baskets to use in decorating
| the Auditorium temple, said:
"I drove the machine up to the
woodenware store. l turned away to
attend to the steam when heard a
scream. Looking up I saw Mrs. Bur-
dette lying in the street near the curb. I,'.
| A patrolman was walking rapidly
away. 1 didn't know how he knocked
her down. Mrs. Burdette's cries
brought a man. whom 1 believe was
customer, from store. We lifted her
into the automobile and I took her to
the Auditorium"
DR.. Norman Bridge said there was
strong hope that Mrs. Burdette's arm,
though fractured In three places near
the elbow, would heal and leave no last
ing effects.
The radiograph made by the X-ray
camera was of great assistance in learn
ing of the character of the injury.
DR.. Burdette said last night the
patient was resting as comfortably as
could be expected
No report describing an accident Of
this nature has been made by any officer
connected with the police department to
Auble and Capt. Tom Broadhead, the
men to whom all reports are made.
Broadhead Has Solution
1.-THE first 1 heard Of the accident was
when I read an account Of it in The
Herald this morning." said Capt Auble
yesterday, land 1 can scarcely believe
that any officer would act in this man
ner. 1 will instruct the sergeants to
question the men, and if 1 find any Of
ficer has been guilty of this act 1 shall
Immediately report the affair to the
chief.
81 do not just see how an accident of
this nature could occur unless the
policeman was running, and Mrs. Bur-
dette states he was walking. 1 think 1t
probable that Mrs. Burdette stepped on
some slippery substance and that this
was what caused her to fall"
This is the first 1 have heard of the
accident" said Capt. Tom Broadhead,
when shown the statement, "but will at
once make inquiries and endeavor to
learn whether any policeman knows
|anything about it.
II think 1t probable that the woman
stepped on a piece of orange pairing, or
something of that nature, and slipped.
In fact l saw two women fall on that
account this afternoon. 1t does not
seem probable any officer would be so
rude as to go away and leave a woman
after she had fallen without first learn
ing the extent of her injuries"
'I am the officer on that beat during
the afternoon and have heard nothing
of any such accident as you describe"
said Patrolman Harry Henderson last
night. "I was not in the neighborhood
at the time the accident is said to have
occurred and did not hear of anything
of that nature having occurred"
Patrolman Bartlett Talks
Patrolman Frank Bartlett, the officer
on whose beat Mrs. Burdette was when
she met with the accident and one of
the three policemen who were standing
near the patrol box at First and Los
Angeles streets at the time of the acci-
dent, was seen last night and said:
ST rang in a call from the box at First
and Los Angeles streets at 11:45, but
saw nothing of any accident such as the
one described. After ringing in jumped
a street car and went direct to the
police station. did not pass the Craig
Woodenware company and was not in
formed of any accident having occurred
there.
with me on the corner were PATROL
men r. A. Winnerton and d. l. Beasley,
but neither of these men had cause to
pass the woodenware company. Win
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