The Michigan chronicle., 1943-12-11
Police
iContinusd from Page u

Stewart is expected TO end on Tues
day afternoon.
Williams and Stewart are charged
with conduct unbecoming an officer
by the trial board consisting OF po-
lice commissioner as chairman. su-
perintendent. Louis Berg and chief
of detectives. Paul Wencel.
Stewart. 20. OF 56s Erskine and
Williams. 20. OF 64p Theodore. ar,-
ment !. bot, declared they were
doing their duty as pol.,e officers
by remaining inside the Forest club
and attempting; to quell the dis
turbance inside. following a false
rumor report alleeedly made by a
Sergeant Fuller 10 a crowd OF ap-
proximately 700 dancers on the
night OF June 20.
Did His Duty
On Monday. Willie Williams stat
ed that he became a member Of the
police department on Ianua~y S,
1912. He too. declared he was rem
dering valuable assistance by keep
ing the crowd In order as they
surged from the dance hall to the
checkroom in an effort to get their
hats and coats to leave the hall.
Denying that neither he nor Stew
are had called their station (Can-
feld during the rioting, Williams
asserted that he had gone 70 a po-
lice call box at Forest and Hastings
and put in a trouble call" for aid,
after he had been told they (crowdD
were fighting like hell" outside on
Forest near Hastings streets.
Was No Paid
Williams also denied receiving
payment for his attempt to keep
the peace" inside the dance hall, as
charged by Tamble Whitworth who
testified that he had paid ten
special officers, seven dollars e-ch
to keep order in the establishment
on June 20.
Both suspended officers were ac-
cused of remaining inside the club
and of not offering assistance to
police. attempting to disperse a
mob along Forest street near Hast
ings, a few minutes after the an.
nouncement had been made inside
the club.
Testifying last week, Stewart stat
ed that he had been on the police
department since December is. 1910
and had taken correspondence
course and other studies In an st
tempt to become a better police Of
ficer."
He denied the assertion Of special
officer Tamble Whitworth that he
had accepted seven dollars for
keeping the peace" at the club on
June 20.
Was key Incident"
Corporation Counsel Nathaniel
Goldstick called the Forest club f.
fair the "key incident" Of the racial
disturbance which took a toll Of "a
lives.
Other Witnesses
Other witnesses testifying on
Monday were Joseph Beatty. asso-
ciate director Of Franklin Settle
ment, character witness for the
two suspended officers; Deputy
Sheriff Lee J. Morton, who ad-
mitted being mployed by the For
est club on the night in question
and who declared that he could not
identify Leo Upton as the man he
had seen making the false Belle Isle
report.
Morton testified that he had teard
the report being made and had gone
to the entrance of .he ballroom and
had seen a tall, slirr man dressed
in a brown suit leaving the dance
band platform, but that the man
was evidently ,ost in the crowd, al
though he and Stewart waited At
the hall entrance in an effort to
seize and arrest him.
Mrs. Edna Norris stated that ,he
operated the concession near the
dance hall and that Stewart and
Williams were trying tA Akeep order
as the dancers rushed the check
room.
Gave Cops Aid
Special Officer Arthur J. Smith
testified that he had been employed
to work in the he-bowling alley and
that he and Whitworth had left the
building, pinned their badges on the
coat lapel and went to the assistance
OF officers out on the eet. attempt
ing to disperse the mob.
Both Sergeants Abraham Lowell
and Harold Nickerson, on duty al
the Hastings-Forest trouble area
stated they lid not know heir
brother officers, Stewart and Will
liams. were inside the club during
the rioting outside. They added
that the assistance OF Stewart and
Williams could have been used out
side.
Whitworth was recalled Monday
evening to rebLt the denial Of the
two accused patrolmen that they
had been paid for their services at
the club.
Tho trial board hearing Is expect
ed to end on Tuesday. with pos
sible decision being ammo reed this
week by thu trial board members.