New Britain herald., 1915-07-07
PldinvilIe News OFFICER 4 COWARD,
 PRISONER CLAIMS Marine Shook With Fear While Officers Struggled With Mason
  SMALL FINES ARE IMPOSED.

NMhuu FINED AhE lMFUOEU Arthur Perrin and Sylvester Mason
 Found Guilty-Appeal Taken By
 Perrin-Saturday Nights Brawi
 Aired in Court-Briefs.
 Accusing Officer Philip Marine of cowardice, Arthur Perrin, a member of the gang alleged to be implicated in a street fight near the center Sat- urday night, asserted in court this morning when arraigned before Jus tice c. H. Calor. that he refused to enter the melee, even to assist in sub- duing a prisoner. because the police man himself was only acting as a looker-on and instead of lending a hand to the other constables was standing aside trem bling with fear. At the time Officers David and Down. ing were on the ground struggling with Sylvester Mason whom they were attempting to arrest.
 Perrin was one of a number of To- cal young men who were in court on charges of drunkenness, breach of the peace and using abusive language. Through his counsel, Judge W. F. Mangan of New Britain, he entered u plea of not guilty to all charges. The lawyer stubbornly contested the ef- forts of the state to convict him and put the policeman through . severe grilling during their testimony.
 Justice Calor backed up the officers, however. and imposed fine of $3 for intoxication and $2 for breach of the peace, with the costs added. An ap- peal was taken. Bonds were fixed at $50.
 According to the testimony of tho officers Perrin was drunk. Both Con- stables David and Marine said the ac- cused threatened to smash their heads If they struck Mason while they were trying to arrest him.
 Perrin claimed he was in no way culpable. He told the court that he had seen Constable Downing strug- gling with Mason on the ground and had hurried to David and Marino to urge them to assist him. They re- fused and he admitted that he then threatened to report them. Subse- quently he followed the crowd to the SCSAC VI LIE LIE Ill., ne aQu1lJLGQ LHdt Officer Marine called on him to help but he said the constable was doing nothing himself. tHe was standing aside shaking with fear" he said land told him that I would do as much as he would.' He denied the charge that he had threatened to smash any ones head.
 The officers declared that they did
 Lz first told of Constable Downing's pre- Fourth of July joke. They insisted. mixed LID in the brawl and Officer Ma rino declared that he had to pull him away from Downing.
 Both were questioned at length by Judge Mangan, whose queries so dis turbed Officer Marine that he refused to answer some of them. They stuck to the contention, however, that Per rim was guilty as charged. Marine set up the claim that he was in the thick of the fray until someone kicked him in the hip and he had to retire He devoted the rest of the time to keep ing the crowd back, while Downing and David wrestled with Mason
 Attorney Mangan argued that Per- rim could not be convicted on intoxi- cation because he was not drunk when arrested. He had not been talk en into custody until this morning. He intimated that Officer Marine was "scared to death'' and didn't know what was going on about him. He wanted his client discharged but Jus tice Calor ruled that the state had proven it's case.
 Sylvester Mason was charged with drunkenness and breach of the peace. H denied that he was intoxicated but entered a plea of guilty to the breach of peace charge. Justice Calor ac- cepted Judge Mangan's suggestion, that fine ofs$7 and costs be imposed with the intoxication charge nolled. Tn passing sentence the court ex- judgement on the case of son of pressed grief over having to sit < in Douglas Mason and he gave the ac- cused warning against continuing in the paths he has been following
 The cases of these two were not disposed of until noon and a recess was taken until ? o'clock, Grand Jur- for the state and Former Justice M. O. Ryder served as clerk of the court.
 Marine Inexperienced.
 As the result of injuries received in the fight Officer Marine has been laid up at his home on West Main street since Monday The officer was kicked in the hip during the struggle and is too lame to be on duty. The center was patrolled last night by Constable David.
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