Daily press. [volume] (Newport News, Va.) 1896-current, 1910-04-22

ing Twenty-fifth street recently. On
DISCRIMINATION Mr.. Cumming ask
ed IL it was not a fact that the city
had commenced this improvement
since the annexation proceedings
were started. Witness thought that
the improvements had been COM
menced within the past few months.
Mr.. Cumming Intercepted the wit
ness concerning the necessity, OF, the
absence of necessity, for police pro-
lection in this residential section, and
as to the general conditions existing
there.
City Clerk Subpoenead.
At this point Mr. Wiicoy asked that
the city clerk of Newport News,
Floyd A. Hudgins, be subpoenaed to
appear in court with the minutes and
records Of the city council and re-
ports of the finance committee and
the special retrenchment committee
of the council that might have bear
ing upon the annexation proceedings
of the city's retrenchment movement.
Mr.. Cumming stated that the papers
already had been prepared, and ar
rangements were made for having
them served at once.
Sergeant T. A. Mitchell.
T. A. Mitchell. police sergeant and
chief OF police elect of Newport News.
was the next witness He testified
especially as to the ability of the
city of Newport News to give ade-
quite police protection to the terri
tory proposed to be annexed. He
said that so far as he knew Warwick
county afforded no police protection
to the respectable negro residential
section known as the Thirty fourth
street section, and that the city Of
ficers often were called upon to go
into the territory on the waterfront
south OF the present city limits,
where Chesapeake & Ohio piers s, 10
and II are situated. He did not think
the county kept an officer In the VI
cinity of these piers. He told of a
serious cutting affair that occurred
there recently. The city officers took
the wounded man to city hospital
and notified the county officers of the
affair. A county policeman said that
he would arrest the man charged with
the cutting the next morning. and be-
fore the officer acted the fugitive had
sailed for Boston on steamer The
man was brought back from Boston
for trial. Witness said that drunken
and disorderly people frequently
came into the city from the Ivy ave.
nue. and Dawson city sections and
that he believed gambling went on
in the Ivy avenue section. He had
never attempted to stop the gambling
because it was not the policy of the
local department to interfere in the
territory pOiiced by the Blcodfield
force.
"The Barefoot Burglar
On cross-examinatiOn Mr.. Read
wanted to knew something about the
famous barefoot burglar and the
witness admitted that there had been
numerous burglaries within the city
limits during the past two years. Mr..
Read questioned the witness closely
as to the councils retrenchment
movement and wanted to know il
Chief of Police Reynolds did not re-
sign because of the effort to cut his
salary. Witness said that he thought
the attack upon the salary might
have had something to do with the
resignation. There was some fitting
between counsel on this point, and
Mr.. Massie brought out the fact that
the present chief is to remain with
nQnQrfmant D 81
than the one proposed to be given
the chief by the retrenchment COM
mittee. Mr.. Read questioned the wit
nesses to show that very few police
men are kept in the residential dis
tricts of the city, and asked whether
or not the witness deemed the pres
ent force adequate to protect the ter
ritory now within the city limits. Wit
ness replied that if he had his way
he would increase the size OF the
free instead of cutting it down. Mr..
Read asked about the number OF
murders occurring in the city. Mr..
Massie started TO question the wit
ness to bring out an explanation Of
the references to the barefoot burg
lar when Mr. Cumming said that
he would freely admit that ii was a
fact that the gentleman known as
the barefoot burglsr' had been
operating in Norfolk. Hampton. New
port News and vicinity for The past
two years. that all Of the police de-
partments and certain Pinkerton de-
tectiyes had tailed to locate him. end
that the failure OF the police OF the
city OF Newport News 20 capture
this party could mt be accounted a
discredit to the department Judge
Montsgre added that he would ad-
NIT that the gentlemen" had visited
his home twice. Mr.. Read declined
to be party to Mr.. Cummings ad-