Richmond times-dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1914-current, 1918-01-11
Chief WERNER'S ILLNESS
DELAYS COUSINS TRIAL
Police Department TO Investigate
sas.ss charge of Promiscuous Use
t2ssAhscsS of Pistols.
DISMISSED In POLICE COURT
But Justice Crutchfield Takes Occa.
sion to Denounce Use Of Revolvcrs
by Policemen Such as Resulted in
;s.)cath Of Fiftcen-Year-Old Boy.

illness of Chief of Police Louis Wcr-
ners-a'ill defer for a few days action
5yE the police trial board on the case
or PatrolmGn l. C. Cousins, who was
dismissed In Police Court yesterday
afternoon by Justice Crutchfield where
ises,wae charged with killing Harry
Gayle. Aftecn-year- lad. on the
night OF January 5 Tho trial board.
cdnsisting OF the chief. Captain r. B.
Sowen and Captain 7. J. Mcmahon, will
take up the case at the earliest pos
sIhle time 1t is the intention Of the
P4hCestDepartment to go 10 the very
bottom. Of the shooting. Justice Crutch-
field tseverely arraisncd police officers
who: shoot promiscuously when he gave
his reasons for Diminishing the Cousins
case yesterday.
Chief Werner suffered an at
tack of acute indigestion We'd
neSday evening, and his physician
has advised rest OF few
days. He is confined to his home,
s015 Stuart Avenue. Should the I'LL
moss Of the chief be prolonged, Acting
Chief Mcmahon is expected to take UP
the continuance of the investigation in
thsyCousins case in the next few days.
Tho chief was resting well last night.
In Stating his reasons for c1cusing
the patrolmaE. Justice Crutchfcld said:
This promiscuous pulling and shooting
Of pistols by policemen ought 10 be
broken UP. If l werc Chief of Police
and an officer went TO shooting, l would
dismiss him summarily from the force.
In this case the charge is murder.
Tho evidence shows that there were
eight or ten shots fired. Cousins man.
fully comes gu: and says he fred six
shots. 1 don't think he did right. but
It is also shown that the boy was
killed by .3S-caliber bullet. l cannot
send him on to the grand jury for
murder. The case is dismissed SO far
aa that charge is concerned"
WISE MAY BRING CASE
BEFORE GRAND JURY
When asked whether any further in
dictment would be sent to the grand
Jury against the pasrolman. Common
wealth's Attorney Wise stated that he
had not determined. but would have
10 confer with witnesses ,cfore an
nouncing his intention It is expected
that further action Will be taken.
Dr ]. d. Hinchman, who removed
the bullet from n, body OF the Gayle
boy while he was at the Virginia Hos
initial, positively idcntifed it. II was
the bullet he turned over to the Coro-
ne,., and which the Coroner weighed
and measured determining il TO tn OF
:S-cAiiber anu Which would not pass
through the pistol Cousins carried.
Sergeant Shepard and Policemen
Moore, Emby. Ryan, Kidd. Paul, Nc
NamAra and Akers. members OF the
sa me relief as that upon which PATROL
wan Cousins served, testified that they
knew him TO be the owner OF only one
regulation 81 calibcr police pistol. and
mad seen il AT the stat.on-house many
ti;ncs Detective Sergeant willy testi-
fled as to the use CT pistols by police
officers
G.. +. Jones, GO North Thirty fourth
street was a witness and said that he
had lles:d one shot. then three in quick
IucccsSio!:, and after that six more i'll
QuicS succession. He could not state
exactly how many shots he had heard.
There may have been more than those
mentioned. he said.
Another witness. John Grundy, 1105
Dickerson Street, said that he saw six
flashes in the dark and heard six
shots. He was far away from where
the shots were fred, he said, and could
see no person firing nor none fleeing.
BELIEVE OTHER PERSONS
WE'RE ENGAGED IN SHOOTING
From tho evidence produced at tho
hearing in Police Court and before
the Coroner at his inquest, the theory
has developed that some other persons
in the locality were engaged in the
shooting. This is the theory upon
which the department. IS Yorlsins in
trying to clear up tire death OF the
Gayle youth.
II, NJ. Winsfield, on whose property
the lad was alleged to have come TO
steal chickens. and who made the COM
plant pursuant TO which the patrolmun
was detailed to look out for prowler,
testified yesterday that lie had carried
d 1850 pistol out OF tho house the
night he heard the firing. but that he
dropped the pin out OF il and did not
shoot that night. He never kept tho
p!stol~loaded while in the house and
stated that he put four cartridges III
the chambers, that being all he had
before he left the house OH the night
Of the shooting. These four cartridges
were turned over to the Coroner. The
-,ketol Ern