The New York herald., 1922-01-27
Magistrate Corrigan Says Bru-
tality in Department Will
Have to Stop.
VICTIM SHOWS WOUNDS
Warrants Ordered for Two
Brooklyn Detectives Charged
With Beating Suspect.

Patrolman Patrick Lennon of the
West Thirtieth street station, living In
424 West Forty-seventh street, was
sentenced to the workhouse for thirty
days by Magistrate Joseph Il. Cor
rigan in the Essex Market Court. after
the Magistrate had found him guilty
Of assaulting Owen w. Watkins of 27
Lincoln avenue.
Watkins had accused the policeman
of beating him In a restaurant AT
Tenth avenue and Thirty-f1fth street
on the morning Of January Is and
again while he was being taken to the
police station.
In sentencing Patrolman Lennon
Magistrate Corrigan said:
Il feel sorry to have to send police
man to prison. n is against my per-
sonal wishes. but the law must be
obeyed. Tho brutality in the Police
Department must stop, and the only way
to bring ii to stop is 10 punish police
men who brutally beat prisoners.
n Third degree methods are being used
by the police all over the city. The
Police Department officials know IT, and
decent citizens know such methods are
being used The conditions arc shame-
full, and the only way to stop this
brutality is to punish policemen found
guilty Of brutaily beating prisoners"
In somewhat similar case earlier In
the day Magistrate Reynolds Of the
F1atbush Court issued warrants charg-
ing felonious assault against Detectives
the Parkville police station IN Brooklyn.
Thomas Raffeiie of 81 Fourth place,
Brooklyn, told the Magistrate that last
Monday night steele and Dempsey beat
him with blackjacks and their fists after
they had arrested him on suspicion OF
being one Of three men who held up the
restaurant of Morris Horn at 800 Coney
Island avenue, Brooklyn.
RaffeIle was arraigned in court Tues
day. but was exonerated when Horn said
Raffelle was not one of the holdup men,
Horn said he had told the policemen
that when they took Raffelle into his
restaurant. but that they had insisted
on arresting the man, anyway.
Watkins testified before Magistrate
Corrigan yesterday that on January Is
he was sitting In the United States
Lunchroom. at Tenth avenue and Thir-
ty-ffth street, when Patrolman Lennon
entered and accused him OF being "the
man holding UP lunchrooms," and then
began TO beat him with his club. Wat
kns said he had gone into the lunch
room to wait for friend who had
proceeded TO The Bronx to escort a
woman home.
Lennon testified that during the row
watkins struck him In the nose with
such force that when he reached the
police station an ambulance was sum-
moned and = surgeon treated him. This
was corroborated by Lieut. Joseph
Gaasman of the West Thirtieth street
station Several character witnesses
were introduced on Lemons behalf. and
his attorney, Thomas l.. Sullivan Of 152
West Forty-second street, made a lons
plea for Lennon. but Magistrate Corri-
gan said that he did not believe the
testimony either of Lennon or Lutz. a
policeman.
"This is not the first time Lennon has
been In trouble" he said. Last Octo-
Der n summons was issued for him fol-
assaulting a citizen. but the case never
came TO trial"
When the case FIRST came W yester.
day sullivan asked that the facts bs
heard by some other Magistrate, but
Magistrate Corrigan said that he felt
competent to pass on the case and thai
IL counsel for Lennon was not satisfied al
appeal could be taken.
"r had Watkins stripped Of ALL hi:
clothing In an anteroom OF the Jefferson
Market prison. said the Magistrate. "ant
found his body mass OF bruises. There
were bruises on his ankles also"