The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1913-11-25

1t Occurred ut Fifth and Kan.
sas-Result Of Dog Fight.
Policeman Accused by Citizens
Of Unnecessary Brutality.

Unnecessary brutality displayed by
a. policeman in stopping a dog fight.
. caused a small sized riot at Fifth and
Kansas avenue at IL o'clock today.
After beating a dog with his club, the
policeman was followed to the pro-
lection of the station house by two or
three hundred highly excited citizens
business men, lawyers and mer-
chants among them.
w. T. Calvin, an appointee of the
present administration. and employed
as police patrol driver, was the object
Of wrath. The victim was a pedigreed
dog belonging to w. p. Montgomery,
assistant attorney general. The dis
turbance began when the Montgomery
dog met another bull dog belonging to
Otis Hungate. The dogs began the
bout near the Merchants National
bank, and SPARED" for Is minutes
up and down Kansas avenue without
either gaining a grip on the other or
doing any damage. A crowd OF pas
sers-by stopped to watch. Then came
the policeman, Calvin. He separated
the dogs for a moment, but they clos
ed again. Another separation and the
scrap was again renewed. Gavin re-
turned to the work of peacemaking,and
near the corner of Fourth and Kansas
avenue, caught the Montgomery dog by
a hind leg. The other dog left the VI
cinity via Fourth street. and after he
was dIOuuu Tie COIHcIp LILO OAA1CSA
lifted Montgomery'S dog by the leg,
so that it's head rested on the pave
ment and struck it two heavy blows
with his club. The dog relaxed and
rolled over as though dead. and then
the crowd of spectators broke loose.
They gave their personal opinions OF
the policeman. Gotlieb NOller, spec
tator, said that it was no way to treat
a dog, and Calvin called him an I'M
printable name. The dog. in an ap-
parently dying condition. was placed
in an automobile and hurried to a
veterinary, while the crowd Of several
hundred closed in on the officer. Po-
liceman Walker came to the protec-
ton of Calvin, and Col. III. c Lindsay
tried to quiet the spectators.
A few minutes after the occurrence,
elevator loads of indignant citizens
were going up to the office of Robert
Stone in the New England building to
sign a statement for presentation to
Mayor Cofran. They were unanimous
in their declaration that the brutality
of the policeman showed him to be
untitled for any job. The statement
follows:
ITO r. L. Cofran, mayor of the city
of Topeka:
I'VE, the undersigned, just wit
messed a piece of cruelty and brutality
which should not pass without your
attention.
1.-TWO bulldogs were fighting on the
avenue and were separated by one of
your policemen. We understand it is
Mr.. Calvin. After the dogs were sep
arated they again began fighting and
on the second separation, the same
policeman held one dog while he sep
arated the two and after the other
dog had run away and was at least |
one hundred feet from the policeman, |
running as fast as he could to get |
away, the policeman held the first |
dog by a hind leg and beat him over |
his head with his billy, after. which |
the dog was left senseless and appar- |
emily dead. The dog afterwards re- |
vived enough to stagger around the
street and was taken away by its
master. The beating of the dog was !
so unnecessary and inhuman that we |
who saw the action make this protest |
against it and demand that you inves- |
tigate and deal with the officer ac-
cording to his deserts.
"Signed: Robert Stone, Chas. A. |
Magaw, ]. P. Symmonds, Bob Bills, |
Gotlieb Noller. F. c.. Mcclure, F. A. |
Lewis, H. L. Hammond, ]. F. Dillon,
e. J. Olander, H. T. Barber, Geo. Nc
Dermott and H. G. Larimer."
Several of them also signed this
statement:
1--WE, the undersigned, heard some |
of the bystanders protest against the |
inhumanity of the act and heard the |
policeman in reply call one of them |
Mr.. g. Noller, the unspeakable |
name"