Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1912-09-06
WARRANT ISSUED
FOR POLICEMAN
IN ROWBOAT CASE
Court Thinks 1t Best
Not to Indict
Hummel.
CHARGE WILL SIMPLY
BE THAT OF MISDEMEANOR
Newark Bluecoat Will Not Be
Formally Accused of Trying
to Drown Boy.
From a starr Correspondent

rFrom a staff Correspondent
STAPLETON, S. l., Sept. 6-Juoge
Nathaniel Marsh, of Richmond couh-
ty, today issued a warrant for lne
arrest of Policeman John Hummer
of Newark
Hummel was accused of rowing
Herbert Opel, 15 years old, out on
Raritan bay, sinking the rowboat ana
then leaving the boy to his fate. Her-
bert was rescued by a chuh' Wh'
followed in another boat.
Owing to the grave nature OF the
charge, the judge at hrst acViseu
Sergeant Frank A. Opel, the boy
father. to endeavor to have hummer
indicted by the grand jury.
After conference. however, Assist
ant District Attorney Ernest Ennis
advised Opel to be content with nav
ing his son charge wilful destruction
of property and disorderly conduct.
"This will avoid all technicalities,
he said IF an attempt is made to
indict Policeman Hummel it will have
to be shown that he actually intend
ed to drown the boy, and that would
be difficult to prove
After Herbert had sworn to the
complaint, Judge Marsh directed
warrant to issue against Hummel.
Warrant for Two Years.
The charge is that of misdemeanor
and the penalty is $500 fine, six
months in Jail or both. The warrant
will he in force for two years and
may, at the expiration of that period,
be extended. Hummel i'll be liable
to arrest whenever he sets foot on
Staten Island.
THAT will keep him from the
cops colony at Tottenville, at any
rate said Sergeant Opel. Many
of the policemen staying there are
incensed about the way Hummel
treated my son.
"The rowboat over which ne
trouble took place was mine. Hum
mel gave 1t to me on July 3, saying:
"Its down there on the beach all
broken UP. If you can fix 1t up, go
ahead. It's yours" The other Of
f1cers who owned shares in it also
gave it to me. / had it repaired and
painted.
Dispute Evening Before.
"Then, the evening before Hummel
sunk the boat with my son in 1T, we
had words over it. He said he would
smash 1t. l asked him to go down
to the beach and settle the matter
then and there, but he wouldn't. He
waited until | had gone back to
Newark and then took it out on Her
bert
story Told by Boy.
Herbert Opel says that he raced
a father
bungalow at Tottenville a week ago
5 last Wednesday and took out row.
boat that Hummel wanted to use
According to his story the police
man. hurrying after him, waded out
and pulled himself into the boat
When the boy refused to give up the
oars Hummel is said to have taken
one away fyom him and peddled tor
about a nlae.
Finally Se stove hole in the bot
tom Of tie boat, so Herbert alleges,
and sw4m away, leaving him to
drown. The boy was picked up by
his chum, Marshallf who had foi-
lowed in another boat.
HummeI Denies Charges.
Hummel, who is attached to the
First precinct, denied trying to drown
Herbert when interviewed IN New
ark after the incident. He explained
that the boat had run on the rocks.
''Then l got out and was satisneo'
he added.
The boat over which the dispute
occurred is said to have been owned
bv Hummel, Lieutenant John W. NC
Geehan and Policeman Henry ID.
Hammond, of the First, and Police
man William r. Decker, of the sixth
precinct Newark.
Policeman Hummel, we'll known at
the ..Four Corners" for years as
member of the traffic squad, laughed
TODAY when told of the warrant for
his arrest
"I didn't get any summons TO at
tend the hearing" he said. Neither
did | run away from Tottenville.
onnel could have come to me like
man and asked me about the trouble
and we could have Strengthened 1t
ont. But he didn't do It,"