Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-03-24
MPROvERS TO
TAKE CLUBBING
TOPOL|CE BOARD
West Side Assn Protests Beat
ing of Wagner and Arrest
of Two Youths.

Charges of "unjustly beating and
arresting'' Walter Wagner. twenty
two years old, of 10 Holland street.
and the subsequent "unjustified
arrest of two other youths, will be
brought against Patrolman William
Z. Clark, of the Fourth precinct. at
the next meeting of the Police Board
by the members of the West Side
Improvement Association. This action
was decided upon at a special meet
Ing of tho association held last night
lol the purpose of discussing the
case. Resolutions were adopted to
that effect
During the course of the meeting
the members Of the association
praised the local police force as a
whole but said that there were pc
licemen in the department who did
not belong there, judging from their
actions. The meeting was the result
of Wagner's arrest, and also that of
William Backfish, employed as a
salesman in the shoe store of William
Atofeh, at 421 Springfield avenue, and
otAp Hoffer, of 495 Springfield avenue.
Clark had been detailed by Captain
Oscar Vogel, of the Foorth precinct,
to stop corner loafng along Spring
field avenue, from Paramount avenue
to South Tenth street. Last Tuesday
night he was on duty, when he or
dered Wagner and several other
youths TO move away from the corner
of Springfield avenue and Jacob
street. Clark alleges that Wagner
put up a hght and he struck Wagner
on the top of the head with his club,
Inf oh xsyIi r,
physicians treatment.
Several witnesses to the affair at
tended the meeting last night John
Is. Brasser, president of the organi-
cation, presided. The first person
called upon to speak was William
Storch, a member of the police COM
Mite of the association and proprie-
tor of the shoe store at AL Spring
field avenue. He stated that the as
saut on Wagner should be brought
to the attention of the Police Board,
and sad that Wagner and the two
others who were arrested were not
corner loafers. IF they were" he
said. we would have nothing to do
with them
Head in Bandages.
Waiter Wagner, the youth who was
struck by Clark, was present at the
meeting. His head was swathed in
DdiludsSS. II was SLdttQ btlOIG ny
John r Brasser that five stitches
were required to close the wound in
" aener5 head, but Wagner admitted
last night that DIR. Ignatz Klein, of
All Springfield avenue, who treated
him, did not take any stitches in the
injury.
Wagner told practically the same
story that he told before the men,
bers of the association were inter-
ested in the case. He said:
Il came out of Max Seidis store, at
Az Springfield avenue after | bought
0 package of cigarettes. The police
man came along just then and
ordered several fellows to move on.
As I did not know them or did not
think | vas included in the order,
did not move on right away The
policeman pushed me, and my hat
fell off When ! went to pick 1t up
he hit me over the head with his
Silly He told me I WAS under ara
rest \ woman gave me n handlSer-
chief to wipe the blood from my face.
As we walked to the box I asked
fellow l didn't know for his hand
kerchief. and he gave ii to me.
Another policeman came along,
and Clark told him to arrest the fell
low. When we got to the precinct the
fellow who gave me the handkerchief
fixed my head for me. wagner told
an Evening Star reporter that he
never saw Patrolman Clark before
and that he never loafed around any
of the street corners. The fellow
mentioned by Wagner is Otto Hoffer.
Max Seidl. the storekeeper. was
then called upon He said that he
had sold Wagner the cigarettes, and
the next thing he knew about the
case was when he saw Wagner lying
in front of the store, He said that
Clark had asked him to telephone for
the patrol wagon. He also said that
le had never seen Wagner loiter at
Sthe corners.
Thomas Williams, of S46 Lafayette
street. said that he heard Seidl was
the man who had complained to the
police about corner loafing Seidl re-
piled ANY man who says [ COM
planned lies
Williams replied: 81 think this case
is exaggerated. ! heard that Wagner
went to a pooroom around the corner
from where this happened after he
had been released from the Fourth
precinct.
MI. Brasser asked Wagner if this