Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-08-01
POLICEMAN A COWARD
SCENE IN NEW YORK RESEMBLED
DREYFUs DEGRADATION.

NEW YORK. August IA remarkable
scene, closely parallelng that memorable
one in Paris when Capt. AIRED Dreyfus was
publicly degraded before the French army.
was enacted in the trial room at police
headquarters yesterday. For the first time
In more than thirty years a patrolman had
been adjudged guilty Of cowardice He is
stephen S. Walsh. who according to the
charge made against him. last week ned
from an armed man who had shot and
killed woman. The keen interest with
which the unusual case was followed rose
to point of dramatic intensity when Police
Commissioner Bingham, who had presided
personally at the trial. announced in a voice
choked with emotion that the charge
against the unfortunate man had been
proven. Then the commissioner turned to
inspector Richard Walsh In whose district
stephen Walsh was a patrolman, but who is
no relative of the dismissed man, and d.
rected the inspector 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 policeman
In good standing on his person.
Elected From Headquarters.
The crowd look on in wonder and excite
mept as the inspector advanced to perform
his unpleasant task The dismissed man
stood still and offered no resistance as the
shield was unpinned from his breast but
when the Inspector started to detach the
buttons of the uniform Stephen Walsh
stepped back and appealed to his attorney
against any further humiliation being put
upon MN IN the presence of his former
comrades. Commissioner Bingham who was
laporing under great excitement then inter-
posed and directed the inspector to conduct
ms FORMER subordinate to the steps Of the
ponce building and eject him. Stephen
Walsh offered no resistance, and went with
the inspector to the outer doorway where
he was formally directed to leave the build
ing. Throughout the unusual proceeding
stephen Walsh maintained his composure
AS stephen Walsh was being escorted
from the room, Commissioner Bingham
with wave of his hand. indicated that he
desired the other men in uniform to remain
lone up close in front all you men in
uniform said the commissioner voice
choked with emotion. while his eyes brim-
med with tears. Il have a word to say to
you all: but I can scarcely say It, Ny
to think of charge of cowardice being
preferred against a 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 l
gave the accused In this case every chance
to defend himself. but 1t has been clearly
proven that he failed just at the moment
when he should not have failed This thing
Il
are together. You must forget this but
you must remember the proud record of
thirty years before, when not one man in
the many thousands failed to do his duty In
the face of any danger"
Feared to Face Revolver.
Stephen Walsh was one of the two men
against whom charge of cowardice was
made last week, when Frank Warner was
permitted to escape after killing Esther
Norling in AID street Before Warner was
captured he shot and mortally wounded
John c. Wilson and terrorized hundreds of
persons Patrolman Rosa, the officer whose
name was coupled with that of Walsh in
the coWardice charge, was eXonerated after
a full hearing before the commissioner
warner, who once was a prosperous hat
ter, but had suffered business reyerses
went to store where Miss Norling who
had once been his cashier, was employed
and shot her to death. When he dashed
from the store Stephen Walsh and several
pedestrians started in pursuit. Warner
Outran them and took refuge in a nearby
building and darted up the stairs toward
the roof. " alsh 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
fled to an Office on the lower floor Of the
building Other policemen, including Roosa,
capped. Two hours later he walked into
Wilson's store and shot him in the back
Wilson died several days later in a hos
pital. Warner was struck down and cap
tured as he ran out through the front door
of Wilson's store. He is now in hospital
in serious condition from the wound in
f1icted by his captor.