The Washington times., 1913-04-16
Miss Hyde Withdraws
Charges Made Against
Imrty-two Policemen

A sensation was sprung today before
the Police Trial Board, which is try
ing the hundred or more policemen
charged with being delinquent in their
duty during the passage of the suffrage
parade through Pennsylvania avenue on
March 3. when Miss Elizabeth A. Hyde,
complainant against thirty-two of the
Officers. announced the withdrawal OF
? knnodnsefnent to this erect made by,
Attorney Miller, counsel for the COM
plainaflt. came as a sudden and pleas
ant surprise both for the men facing
trial and the members of the special
board sitting to hear the charges pre-
ferred against all members of the force
as the result of the suffrage parade af-
fair. 1t would have at least taken
month, and probably two months, to
hear the testimony in all the cases of
alleged misconduct and neglect of duty
SO far listed.
Withdrawal of the compla aints by
Miss Hyde was decided on following
the trial of Policeman L. c. Norton.
who was arraigned yesterday as the
result of being one of the men whose
number the complainant took while
she was walking in the suffragetts
parade. Miss Hyde declared she took
the policeman's number, but could not
identify him or any of the others
against whom she preferred charges
except by numbers. The Inadequate
means of Identification, coupled with
the fact that Norton had summoned
score OF witnesses to refute the testi-
mony Of the complainant. and the in
ability Of the complainant to gather
witnesses to sustain her contentious
before the board, is given by counsel
for the complainant as the reason for
Withdrawing the complaints.
Then, again. there is another reason
why Miss Hyde wishes to wash her
hands of the entire affair, according
to her attorney She has business to
attend TO, and it would take weeks of
her time appearing daily to testify to
the same story against this or that
numbered" policeman.
Policemen Embrey, Gilfoyle and Ehl-
ers, whose numbers were taken by Miss
Hyde, along with Norton's and others,
were summoned to stand trial before
the board today. Each of the officers
had engaged counsel. and had prepared
to fight the case TO the last ditch. They
were agreeably surprised by the with
drayal of the charges.
p In all of the cases so far tried before
the board only one complaining witness
has appeared. The defendants in each
instance have had numerous witnesses
TO refute the allegations of each COM
plainant Gen. Anson S. Mills, U. s. A.
retired, was the only complainant
against a half dozen policemen tried on
charges outgrowing the Suffrage. He
merely identified the men by the num-
ibers he took from their caps, and his
testimony was contradicted in each
case by eight and ten witnesses for the
defendant policemen.
Assistant Corporation Counsel Gus A.
Schuldt is sitting as president OF the
special board and the two other mem
bers of the tribunal are Captains Peck,
of the Second precinct. and Captain
Elliott of the Tenth police precinct.
The charges preferred as the result OF
the suffrage parade against several
members of the force by Senator Miles
Poindexter of Washington are prac-
'tically the only remaining cases left for
the board to hear as the result of Miss
Hyde's action today.