The Washington bee., 1909-05-22
OFFICER WATTS FINED $1,000
Robert A. Pelham Wins His Case
Against Bumptious Policeman
NT;c+or,v To- IT, D.

ne sessions OF the ROHCe IT1al
Board in the case of Robert A. Pei
ham, against Officer "Jack'f Watts,
attracted large audiences to the police
court at each of the three hearings.
In the throng were men Of the great
est prominence in legal, medical,
journalistic and business circles in
Washington, and the proceedings
were watched with the deepest in
terest.
After a hard-fought battle between
Lawyer w H. H. Hart, chief coun-
sci for Mr.. Pelham, and Lawyer Gu
sack, who made a feeble attempt to
Justify the actions of his client. The
Board found Watts guilty of con
duct unbecoming an officer and pre-
judicial to the good name of the
Metropolitan Police Force of the
District of Columbia" and assessed
a fine of $40 against him. Watts
was severely reprimanded for his ig
norance and brutality in connection
with the matters involved in the case.
and has been assigned to an outlying
district where he will not be liable
to arrest orderly and respectable col
ored men for the purpose of humil-
iating them before the public.
The inside history of the case is
familiar to the country. 1t will be
remembered that on the evening Of
April II, Mr. Pelham was one of a
crowd which witnessed the cowardlv
assault made by Officer Watts upon a
colored woman whom he was en-
deavoring to place under arrest. As
an act of humanity, he interested
himself sufficiently to take the names
of a few of the bystanders who had
also witnessed the incident. While
complying with the officers request
to "move on" MIR. Pelham's activity
was noticed by the offending police
man, and he, without the color of
justification, insisted upon taking
Mr.. Pelham to the 9Th precinct sta
ton.
The later went without any show
of resistance, preferring to carry his
protest to a higher and more intel
hgent tribunal. At the station, in
the presence of a score or more of
personal friends who had come on
to render any assistance that might
be needed, a charge of ''disorderly
assemblage" was entered against Mr..
Pelham's name and he was released
upon depositing $500 collateral. Had
Mr.. Pelham needed 5000, the amount
would have been Immediately forth
coming, for before the sum was
fixed, greenbacks were flourished
from every pocket in the indignant
group.
In the police court, Mr.. Pelham
scored a clean-cut victory. Not only
was he triumphantly acquitted of the
officers charge, bbut he surprised
Judge Kimball and all the persons
present by bringing forward as his
counsel, no less distinguished an in
dividual than United States Senator
William Alden Smith, of Michigan,
who handled Watts without gloves,
and testified in the strongest Ian
guage to the high character, veracity
and law-abiding disposition of Mr.
Pelham. The latter then preferred
charges against the officer before the
police trial board, with the result
above noted. Mr.. Pelham was sus-
tanned at every point, and he is be
ing warmly praised from one end OF
the country to the other for his
manly stand, not only for his own
rights as a citizen, but in behalf of
the race as a whole The capital
police have been treated to a much
needed object lesson, and they will
now be extremely careful how they
handle colored people, be they of
high or low degree.
1t will be remembered also that
Watts is the same bumptious police
man who arrested Former Register
Judson w Lyons, and Receiver of
Public Moneys H. V. Cashin, some
months ago, but was ''Iet Off by Mr..
Lyons because the officer pleaded that
his family would suffer if the case
should be pressed against him in
such a way that he might be dismiss
ed from the force.