Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-07-28
BE HIS OWN LAWYER
Senator Stone Goes to BaIti-
more to Defend Charge.
|STRUCK NEGRO CAR WAITER
Declares Latter Was Impudent and
Assault Was Justifable.
COLLEAGUES OFFER THEIR AID
Senate Constitutional Lawyer Gives
Free Advice to Missourian.
Senator's Own Account.
COLLEAGUES OFFER THEIR All

Armed with lot Of freshly acquired
i legal knowledge such a police court
lawyer must always have at his tongues
end. and blessed with the good wishes
of his senatorial colleagues and scores of
his constituents from the "show me-"
state. Senator Stone of Missouri left here
on the noon train today for Baltimore to
attend the afternoon session of a police
court in that city in the role OF defendant
/ in an assault case.
| The offense with which the senator is
charged is assaulting a negro. Lawrence
J. Brown of 3715 Filbert street, Philadel
| phia, a Pullman car waiter, on a train
which was bringing the senator to this
| city last night. He was arrested by
special officer in the Union station. Balti-
more, and taken to the central police
station in company with the negro, who
preferred the charge of assault against
him. He had to stay at the station for
| two hours while messenger hunted for
| Police Commissioner J. b. A. Wheltle.
who when finally found directed that the
senator be released without bail
Senator Stone is one of the ablest law
! yers and most widely known members
of the upper branch of Congress. He Is
| also extremely popular with his col
/ leagues. who delight in his dry humor
/ and general good nature. When they read
/ in the morning papers OF his escapade
| last night they began telephoning him
! at once. twtting him and Offering aid.
| The whole affair has amused the Missou-
ran very much. and he declinedl all prof
fers of aid, announcing that he was go
| ing to try his hand at being police
/ court lawyer himself
Among the very first to offer him legal
! assistance were Senators Rayner and
\ Cy,lifh st Mo nd hut y X
ed them profuselv and made the same
| reply.
Undecided About His Defense.
When he left on his way to court Mr..
Stone was undecided whether to defend
himself by pleading immunity from arrest
under the Constitution as a member of
| Congress or because the offense with
which he is charged was committed while
| the train was passing through Delaware.
| SO that Maryland officers had no right to
| touch him without a requisition from the
Governor of Delaware, or to simply plead
justification and let it go at that He
| said he would probably act on the spur
| of the moment.
Senator Smith of Maryland said this
morning that he didn't think Mr.. Stone
was legally arrested, as the offense was
| not committed in Maryland. He wasn't
| so sure about the constitutional i'm
munity. Senator Rayner, noted as great
constitutional lawyer had long con-
forenoon. in which Mr.. Stone received
some coaching on constitutional law. Mr..
| Rayner suggested that Mr.. Stone hire
/ certain lawyer in Baltimore and MIR.
| Stone promised to think about it after he
1 got to Baltimore.
| If Mr.. Stone had permitted it, he would
| have been accompanied as he left the
| Monumental city by Senators Rayner and
0-sy 1~~I
! several of the other big constitutional
| lawyers of the Senate. They all seemed
| eager to go along. but Mr. Stone, for
| some reason. said No
Senator's Account of Affair.
Senator Stone is absolutely certain that
| the assault was justifiable. He gave the
| following account of his adventure this
| morning as he leaned back in an easy
| chair in his room in the Senate office
| building and smoked good cigar:
II had been in Philadelphia he said,
| visiting my son-in-law and daughter.
| Mr.. and Mrs. John ]. Parkinson, at the
| Hotel Walton. and was returning to
| Washington When the train pulled out
| from Wilmington 1 felt hungry and or
dered light lunch. l was made to wait
| about thirty minutes, and when the
waiter passed me hailed him and asked
| him the reason of the delay He made
| an impertinent answer and / felt called
| upon to resent his attitude toward me,
which | did by slapping him in the face.
| II he had committed the same offense
| toward white man in Missouri he
might have Jared worse. I contented
| myself with only one slap, however.
| q don't know what / said to the darby
| Tor when excited | do not remember what
| Is said. The negro left the car, and when
we arrived at Wilmington the conductor
OF the train came to me and asked me
/ ha al h "a IL he
negro and go about his business l was
expecting something to happen. but did
not expect my arrest in Baltimore.
Rode in Patrol Wagon.
when we arrived there 1 was arrested
at the instgation of the conductor and
taken to the police station in the patrol
wagon. That is the first ride 1 have had
in an auto patrol wagon. and 1 did not
! think it a distinguished honor.
| Il was arrested only once before in my
| life, and that was when 1 was about
| twenty-seven years of age. l got into
| trouble with white man in my home
| at me with a knife, and / hit him a good
| strong blow on the jaw. Some bystanders
then parted us. l paid fine that time.
Il don't see what right they had to
| how, the offense was committed in
Delaware. At any rate. l don't believe l
| am liable to arrest as long as Congress
| is in session | could have resisted ar
rest and nobody could have blamed me
| for it. My daughter and her husband.
who had visited me at Washington, are
now on their way to Buffalo. and on this
| trip of mine / had accompanied them as
| far as Philadelphia. l hope that they
will not know that l had sojourn. no
matter how short. in a police station
Senator Stone was arrested by Patrol
man John Burke of the Pennsylvania
railroads police force. after orders had
been received from Wilmington from Supt
w. N. Banter of the Maryland division of
the Philadelphia. Baltimore and Wash
ington railroad.
Arrest Was Surprise.
The senator had no knowledge that his
arrest had been ordered. and when the
| train reached Baltimore he was reading
| q newspaper when the conductor of the
Pullman, according to Burke, pointed
| him out sitting in the smoking compart-
| ment of the car. The policeman said he
| told the senator he was under arrest and
Senator Stone followed him off the car.
He walked across the platform with the
policeman and probably nobody realized