The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1844-08-09

mlnnl Justice In this City.
The escape from the City Prison OF notorious
criminal, who has repeatedly been suffered to elude
the grasp Of justice, has again awakened the aten-
ton OF the community to the gross corruption and
inetficency of the criminal tribunals of this city
Tn e administration of criminal Justice in The
Iomos, has, indeed, been so long and so gene
rally known to be farce, and effort after effort to
cleanse out that Augean stable having hitherto
falled as matter OF course, that the viruous and
intelligent portion OF the public had begun TO re-
gard the case as quite hopeless and had sunk into
apathetic indifference Of this terrible evil Ii
does appear, however, that the escape of the con-
Wet Hoag, under circumstances, revealing in such
aglarlng manner, the unparalleled corruption which
pervades about the precincts of that place. roncal-
iy denomlnated a temple Of justice, has aroused a
very considerable degree of attention in the public
mind. We, therefore, embrace the opportunity
which this moment OF excitement offers, to point
out, for the hundredth time, the necessity Of a
complete and thorough reorganization and reform
OF the Court OF Sessions and police system-if sys-
tenn it can be called, which at present exists ia this
city.
We do not bel eve that the annals of legal and
Judicial corruption present blacker page than that
which contains the record of the administration Of
criminal justice in this city for many years past.
Had The system been originally intended to
encourage crime, and award per centage
to rosuery, it could not have worked with more
admirable efficiency 'Whdt," some one may ex-
claim, do you mean to say that there have been
no convctions-that there have been no offenders
punIshed-that the sword of Justice has been WELD
ed altogether in vain!' No. II is very true that
many offenders have been caught and punished
punished with no ordinary degree of severity. But
they have been the small fry of offenders. The
miserable wretches who have stolen loaf OF bread
TO assuage the Iormenting paDgs OF hunger-the
outcasts who have purlolned few yards of calico
TO cover their nakedness, have been hunted down
with sportsmanike diligence and success, and have
been despatched in patches of dozen at the time,
with hardly The Formally of trial, to the Peniten-
tiary and the State Prison. But the criminals Of
the higher grades-the swindlers- the bank rob-
beis-the forgers, burglars, thieves and rogues Of
all descriptions, who have grown rich by plumber
ing the community, and who could afford to pur
chase immunity, have laughed at the prison doors,
and babe defiance to the tribunals OF Justice Has
not all this been notorious ia it necessary to go
into detai9 What citizen is there who needs r.
be enlightened by US respecting the ''straw bail'
system-or the swearing Oft" system-or the
"Hoag' system? No. All this has been long mat
ter Of public notoriety, and public disgrace.
Just take this single case Of Hoag as an example
and illustration OF the effects Of the gross NAL
administration OF criminal Justice in this great city
Of New York. Here is rogue who has been
known to the police for years. He has been pur
suing an organized system Of plumber and robbery,
by which he has amassed upwards of ten thousand
Inl dlu ha tac haau .hapd LODI
and as repeatedly escaped. Whyl The answer 10
this brief intenogatory presents the evil Of which
we have SO long complained, in all its enormit,
and danger Will the people OF this city deem il
necessary for us to tell them why this rich rogue
has uniformly escaped punishment? We rather
think they are quite well-lnformed on that subject
If any light were wanted on the matter we might
ellude to the fact that the men entrusted with the
admins ration OF criminal justice, the officers and
other officials, have not, at all events. grown poor
in the service Of the goddess with the sword and
scales, and pocket handkerchief tied over her
eyes.
Now we certainly did expect, when the new 70.
form party came into power, that this would have
been one of the very first subjects to which thew
would have directed their attention. We are quit.
confident that it was the hope entertained by the
great mass of the citizens, of obtaining this all i'm.
portant matter of police reform, and re-organ
cation Of the entire system Of the administration
Of criminal justice, which put the new party into
power. Reduction Of the taxes-clean streets
numerous minor reforms, had their influence, bu
II was the general determination to make las
effort for reform OF the police system and Of The
Court Of Sessions, which gave the American Re.
publican party their remarkable victory at the polls
last spring. And none know this better than
the new party themselves Their orators
deci"imed with great force and Justice on