The Washington times., 1931-08-29
WIFE REC|TES
STORY Of
FIXING
Plea Of Guilty, She Says,
induced by PatroIman's
Pledge TO "Get Him OFF"


Commissioner Reichelderfer said
today he had turned over an ad-
ditional third-degree charge to
the Department of Justice. Ulysses
Weaver, the commissioners col
ored chauffeur brought it to Mr.
Reichelderfer's attention, he said.
weaver said cOIOred World
HTar v;teran has been in Walter
Reed Hospital as . result Of
injuries inflicted upon him by
policemen. He does not know
the name Of the veteran or the
policeman, Weaver said.
Commissioner Reichelderfer
said he believed the Department
of Justice agents can find the
man and check the information.
Department: of Justice agents
today had another complaint Of
q prisoner who declares he was
hidden by police at Gallinger
Hospital after being bruta1ly
beaten by policemen who broke
into his home.
Beaten With Nightstick
Louis A. Cooke, of 122 Eleventh
ST. N. E., is the new complain
ant. He is the second man to
charge that Ninth precinct police
assaulted him and then hid him
at G0llinger.
In Cookies complaint, he de-
clareS:
ION August 8, two policemen,
and --, from
No. 9 came to my home and
broke the lock and entered
without warrant. They
grabbed me and beat me with
!, a nightStick. The beating
lasted about Is minutes. I was
bleeding badly and they waited
= for q patrol to come to take me
to Casualty, where was treated.
"They SeHed up four cuts In
. my head, 10 stitches in all
being required. / was taken to
Gallinger Hospital sunday
evening, where / remained
. until Monday night, when No.
- patrol came and took me to
the Fifth precinct station,
where l stayed overnight.
80 Case Called Fixed"
= Tuesday morning went to
Police Court. On Monday m
officer whom l believe to be
- called twice at my house
and told my wife to have me
plead guilty as it was fixed
with the District Attorney to
get me off. My wife went to
court Monday, where she saw
that the papers for my dis
missal had been made out pro-
viding 1 pleaded guilty. .-
"They impressed upon my
wife that / should, plead guilty
and / would get off. Tuesday
morning in court / pleaded
guilty to assault and disorderly
conduct Il had been In my
house alOne). They then dis
missed the assault charge and
took my personal bond on dis
orderly conduct.
81 was then released and the
policeman who arrested me
drove me home. / lost one
weeks work"
Wife's Statement
In corroborating her husband
statement, Mrs. Cooke declared
"On Monday - met me
and my husbands mother In
court and told me to tell him
to plead guilty, that he would
be released and 1t. wouldn't
cost anything. They said II 1
failed to see, him at Gsllinger
they would come after me and
have me tell him at the station
house to plead guilty"
That higher ups" in the de
partment likely will be held re
Sponsible as well as men found
actually TO have used brutality
was indicated when Mai. Gen
Herbert B. Crosby, Police Com
missioner, declared he was going
to ascertain Immediately whether
they c.'ndoned or approved beat
ing prisoners.
Pratt's Idea
General Crosby revealed that
plans already had been made fol
q separate detention STATEN, out
Of control Of police.
The general said Major Pratt
had suggested the idea. and that
the municipal architect has drawn
into the plans for the Courts
Building, in the municipal center
q large cell block TO house
prisoners awaiting trial.
The detention station would
under the plan. be controlled by
q board under the supervision Of
the Commissioners.
s. McComas Hawken, attorney
for James Henry Harker. whose
charge that he was beaten in thI
First precinct precipitated the
probe, has supplied the Depart
ment of Justice a lengthy state
ment of the case, giving every de
tail, 1t Is understood.