Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-02-02

the man who had assisted ItaWhins to
rob Farley It Year before, S.,
r. Don tale strength of this. IteStimonN
there WIS Il whole lot of talk about in
who had sworn to. an aiibi for Dawkins.
but it does not appear that anything
WIS ever done in the matter. DaWkins
was sentenced to eight years in Sing
Sing for burglary and grand larceny,
and is now serving his term. But the
system never worked more actively in
defense OF one OF its members than in
the case OF another brooklyn police
man, a mar named James Dillon, who
murdered a nineteen yea"-old hG%,c~Lo2is
Probber.
Trobber was the son OF man who
kept deli@ateSsen store. Dillon had been
grating n = small way OF the dclca-
lessen man fer weeks He was par
ticularIy fond Of duck eggs. Eve:y Sat
urday night he would step into the store
and carry away dozen OF more of the
eggs. The deicatessen man gave up
without word of protest. under the
threat that he would be arrested for
Sunday opening if he didn't come
across.
one Saturday night Dillou stepped into
the store for his duck epge and was told
that there WAS none left: they had al
been sold. He MAS offered hen eggs. but
wouldn't accept them. declaring that he
would get even.
The Following morning he entered Tia.
store. assaulted Probber, the father. and
when Louis. the SON. went to :: telephone
and called mp police headquarters Dillon
drew his revolver and shot the lad The
boy died soon afterWard.
OF course, Dillon was arrested. but the
system got al work at once TO build
up a case fer him. 1t was contended
when he had been attacked by Mrs
Probber with a cheese knife. and that
when the boy seized the revolver il was
DISCHARGED in the scuftie and the boy was
shot.
In support OF this contention AT the
trial Dillon's uniform was exhibited TO
the jury. The coat was found to he cut
in several places as with Il sharp knife.
This piece of mute evidence might have
saved the day for Dillon but for the fact
that the district attorney was able TO
produce several witnesses who testified
THAI when Dillon was put under arrest
his uniform was whole. and. furthermore.
that during the trip in a patrol wagon
to the station house one of the policemen
who arrested Dillon was seen to slit
Dillons Uniform with sharp knife.
IF Dilious story MAS true, of course,
the killing of the boy was justifiablc
at least eXcuSable. If. ON the other hand.
the Sits in his uniform were the WORK OF
ten law, which ordainS that they shall
stop at nothing when policeman is in
trouble, then Dillon was. guilty Of homi-
eide
The jury found Dillon guilty of man
slaughter. He got seven Years in Sing
Sing.
The system worked tn better advan-
tag. in the case of another Brooklyn po-
liceman. also accused of murder In a
shelter hous. in Irving Square PARK,
Brooklyn, used rendezvous by Police
man David Snellard and girl named
Barbara Reig the girl was shot and kill
ed. 1t was the pOiceman's pistol which
Aired the fatal shot The policeman ciaini
ed that the girl had SHOT herself with ine
pistol.
x i
Half ii dozen policemen, more or less
familiar with the facts regarding the
tragedy were examined as witnesses in
the murder trial which followed Very
little could he obtained from them On
ever, point on which their evidence might
have been of assistance their memories
strangely failed. The Judge who tried the
case was eXasperated, sand scored the
police system" which was believed to
be responsible for this sort of thing
1t appeared that the pistol in question
was of a kind which was extremely diff
cult to fire. 1t required three fingers to
press the trigger. 1t also appeared that
the girls fingers We're crippled as the
result of an accident she mad previously
sustained that she could not bend them.
Despite this strong evidence against
the suicide theory. IAe evasiveness of the
police witnesses was such that the jury
10 IN y