Evening Republican, Volume 15, Number 263, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 7 November 1911 — STEGER OFFICERS WERE INDICTED BY GRAND JURY. [ARTICLE]

STEGER OFFICERS WERE INDICTED BY GRAND JURY.

Dr. Beruri 8. Maloy Seeking to Hire Steger “Dipe*" PuUM Fer Aiwilthg Hin. ■ i ' The following is part of an article which appeared in the October number of the Musical Courier, beering on Dr. Major’s connection with the trouble in Steger, 111., mention of which has appeared in this paper from time to time: Indictments were returned by the Cook county (Chicago) grand Jury last week against Chief of Police Henry B. Ranee and Patrolman Edward Hanzel, accused of false arrest and imprisonment, assault, oppression and malfeasance in office by Dr. Bernard 8. Maloy, of Steger, 111. The circumstances under which these police officers -of Steger were held to the grand jury doubtless are fresh in the minds of our readers. Dr. Maloy. a young physician living and practising in Steger, appears to be,. by common consent, informal bead of the anti-Steger party or faction of the village. The anti-Steger party is more numerous than bold, and except for a few leaders like Dr. Maloy would not dare utter a squeak in protest against the “one-man system” that runs the town.

Maloy naturally got himself disliked by the powers that be, who have no admiration for Independence. One thing led to another, and a few months ago, Ranee, the police chief, tried to “get” Maloy, according to the evidence presented to the grand jury, and went about In a primitive fashion, approaching Maloy on the street and striking him without fair warning. Maloy, who is tall and muscular, turned upon the chief, and was making good self-defense when Hanzel, the patrolman, came up and took a hand. Together, the officers arrested >Maloy and locked him up. They left him in the village calaboose without filing a formal charge against him or giving‘him a chance to furnish bail. The incident created quite a stir, and a number of indignant villagers gathered at the calaboose intent upon storming the doors and liberating Maloy, who, however, was cool-headed enough to advise legal procedure. A writ of habeas corpus was procured and Maloy was released, but not until Ranee and the peace justice clashed in a dispute over their authority.

When the charge of assault,' which the policeman eventually filed against Dr. Maloy, was set for trial in a village court, the justice “excused” Maloy’s two witnesses by whom he expected to show that the officers, and not he, led the assault. Maloy promptly took a change of venue to the neighboring village of Crete, 111., and on a jury trial was declared not guilty. In the meantime Ranee and Hanzel had been tried in a Chicago Heights court and held to the grand jury. Dr. Maloy’s experience is said to be only one of its kind. Stories are told of other men who “got in bad” and fell afoul of the home-made brand of law. At least one such case is a matter of record in the Cook county circuit court, the complainant in that case having recovered SI,OOO damages from J. C. Steger for false arrest and Imprisonment