The Pensacola journal. (Pensacola, Fla.) 1898-1985, 1911-07-18

At what was probably the stormiest
meeting Of the board Of public safety
ever held, including two executive ses
slons, which the circumstances indicate
were also stormy, Officer G. II. Williams
was last night summarily dismissed
from the police department, while Chief
Sanders was instructed to prefer
charges against Capt. Charles Simpson
for incompetency, after both Of these
officers had been tried on the charge Of
brutality to a prisoner while under ar
rest.
The charges against these officers
were preferred at the last meeting of
the board as a result OF the trial Of
Ofhcer Parnell, who was tried at that
time on the charge of being drunk
while on active duty, 1t being shown
in the evidence that the officer had
been locked up in a cell at the time
that he was charged with being drunk
and that in locking him up he had
been struck in the face. The board at
that time found Officer Parneu guilty
as charged and preferred the charges
against the other officers, as stated.
Officer Parnell was the principal wit
ness against Simpson and Williams, the
only other witness being Ed Bowers
who was prisoner at the time, and
who. according to his own testimony,
was held on the charge of being drunk
six witnesses for the defendants ex-
amined, besides the statements Of the
defendants in their own behalf.
PARNELL's TESTIMONY.
officer Parnell told how the captain
had come to him on his beat and had
told him that he wanted to see him at
the station. After he got to the sta
ion he said he had asked the captain
what was the trouble and that Capt.
and that he intended locking him up.
He said he then tried to reason with
Simpson and begged him to allow him
to go home, but that Simpson insisted
on locking him up. After he was car
ried up stairs, ParnelI claimed that he
had begged to be allowed to stay in
the bull ring, but that the captain had
| insisted on putting him IN a cell.
Finally, he said that he refused to go
into the cell and admitted that he had
resisted being placed in one. He said
| several men took hold Of him, Simpson
| being among the number, and that
Williams hit him with his club, knock
ing him down and that while he was
down he had been hit several times,
| finally being thrown into the cell.
Later, he said, he called for aid and
asked for a doctor but was refused.
| He said that when he was released the
next morning, he again asked for med
ical attention and was denied it, and
that he later had to go to a dactor and
had four stitches taken in his lip.
BoWERS'S STATEMENT.
Bowers said that he was asleep when
| the trouble began, but that he was
| awakened just as the officers who had
placed Parnell In the cell were leaving.
He was In the bull ring and securing
| q match, he went around to see who
had been locked up. This was ten Of
fifteen minutes after the trouble, he
stated. He said that when he got to
the cell Parnell was apparently not
conscious. but he could not tell whether
he was stunned. intoxicated, or asleep,
but that in q few moments Parnell
reused up and recognized him. He
said a few minutes later Of1cer VIII
liams came back up and that he heard
| Parnell ask him why he had hit him,
and that williams replied that he had
done so because he (ParnelO had bit
| him. -
OTHER TESTIMONY.
The testimony Of the other witnesses
| was practically the same, all OF II being
to the effect that Officer Parnell had
resisted being placed IN the cell and
that he was trying to strike Williams
when he hit him. It was also proven
by a number Of witnesses that VIII
lians struck Parnell with his first and
that he did not have his club with him.
| (contlnued on Page Two.I