The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1912-04-16
CHARGES AGAINST OFFICER WESTON
 FALL VERY FLAT
Complaining Witness Williams Didn't Actually See Off,
 ficer Drink
Bartender Testifies, Witness Said: ''Pm Proud Now, I've
 Got That Son of a Gun"

Charges against Patrolman Daniel Weston, accused of entering the sa- loon of James B. Cross at 679 Nor man street and taking a drink, fell pretty flat at the trial of the police man before the board of police com r1issioners last night. The true cir cumstances of the case, when brought out, elicited nothing but sympathy for the accused officer on every hand, and the commissioners found him technically guilty on one count out of three accusations and suspended judgment.
 1t. developed that at 5:2O o'clock on the morning of March 7th, Officer Weston entered the saloon and took enough Whiskey barely to tlnge the color of a thumblerful of water, on an occasion when drink Of st1mu- lant, according to the testimony or his physician, Dr. c. N. Haskell, was a rnatter of life and death.
 Of the witnesses called, Dr. Has kell was the most interesting and his testimony clinched the case in favor of the accused patrolman. although the case outside of that was not par ticularly damaging.
 Dr. Haskell declared that when he first read of the charges against the officer he called up two of the com missioners at once, realizing the cir cumstances for which he himself felt in a large measure responsible.
 The doctor said that he was treat ing Weston for an acute and danger ous form of heart failure. He gave him a stock of nitroglycerine pellets to use In case of an emergency and then told him that if this medicine failed to work. as it sometimes will. that Weston should get a drink of r,rI ffvvarr Ia n a his heart working.
 He explained to me-" continued Dr., Haskell, that the department S rules forbade his entering saloon while in uniform. I told him to take oil his uniform and go in his under clothes then, but to get the drink under any circumstances. as his life was more important than his job."
 Thus was Patrolman Weston's only drink accounted for. On two other occasions when he entered the sa- loon, he took no drink whatever. Dr. Haskell furthermore told of an operation under which Patrolman Weston was obliged to go, which has left him the victim of an ailment re- uufring him to seek relief frequently. This accounted for one of his visits to the saloon; on the third occasion. door of the saloon had been found open by Watchman Daniel OLeary. who requested Officer Weston to re- port to the saloon when 1t opened, on suspicion that there might have been a burglary A number of witnesses testified to having heard the ooA-' versation between the officer and the bartender on this occasion, and Patrolman Weston did not touch a drep-sof any form of 1ntoxlcant on either of his visits to the saloon.
 While a number of witnesses had been sscheduled to testify against Weston, the only one whose testi- mony was in any way damaging was Arthur F. Williams, a newspaper man. who made the complaint whicfls resulted in charges against the of ficer-
 Williams testified to having seen, Weston in Cross saloon on the morn ing of March 7th. He saw the of ficer enter, receive a small glass of water. pour some whiskey into it and drink the contents When, Weston left the saloon, Williams testified that the following conversation took place between himself and Bartender Pat rick Weary:
 Who's the officer?"
 Dan Weston"
 Hes fine officer, isn't he!''
 ''Yes, he is a fine fellow. Once when the police were going to make a raid here he called us up and tip ped us off about it.
 Bartender Neary was called as a witness and utterly denied having made any such statement, declaring that Williams must be dreaming" Asked If he did have any converse ton with Williams regarding the of ficer's visit to the saloon, he replied that later they talked of the matter and Williams said, I'm proud now, I've got that son of a gun."
 The commissioners thought that no hor oh having received tip" from Officer Weston concerning forthcoming raid was worthy of further investiga- tion. but the officer was quickly cleared of suspicion in this direction Superintendent Birmingham testified that no raid against the Cross. place had been projected in years, and that Officer Weston had been on that beat only since the first of March, and not before then in five or six years. Superintendent Birmingham also testified that Officer Weston never. to his knowledge, had been in a position to tip off, anyone about any raid.
 None of the facts about Weston's first visit to the saloon was disputed. He admitted having taken the drink under the circumstances outlined, when suffering from an attack of heart trouble, and in pursuance with his doctors explicit directions. c. J. Haines, telegraph operator who was one of the witnesses, testified to hav- ing seen Weston take drink of whiskey, such small dose that ''it didn't appear to color the water" The bartender and other witnesses testified to Weston's having com plained that he was sick, and asking for glass of water. Bartender Neary urged him to take a drink and Weston at first refused to do so, but later poured a few drops of whiskey into the water. f- -res-s f'3>
 None of the witnesses saw Officer Weston take anything on the occas- ion of his second and third visits to the saloon, March 18th and 18th, re- spectively. Witness Williams said that he saw glass of beer go out behind a partition where the officer was and that the beer didn't come back.
 T couldn't prove that he drink it,' said the witness, but suspect that he did.'' rs-
 Other witnesses showed that Of. ficer Weston didn't drink 1t, and Cor nelius J. Leary, an inspector for the Crane Valve Company, testified that the beer in question was for him. that he drank it, and that Officer Weston drank nothing. The bar tender corroborated this testimony.
 The deposition of Carl Lawrence who saw Weston in the saloon on the 18th and 18th, but didn't see him drink anything, was read. John Swords, formerly a driver for the Borden Milk company. saw Weston in the saloon on the 18th, but didn't see him drink. Watchman OLeary