The Belmont chronicle, and farmers, mechanics and manufacturers advocate. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1848-1855, 1853-06-10

cs 10 be at court except at the most burden
some sacrifices.
Several important cases have been lost /
from tho necessary absence Of witness from
the city on business of his own, ignorant OF
the day fixed on for the trial. To prevent
defeat from such absence of testimony, po-
lice justices in certain cases require the wit |
ness to give bonds for appearance, which, i'll
he be not poor and not literally blessed with
monied friends, generally results in his being
locked up for safe Keeping.
This may be the surest way of conviCting
the offender but is really made the instru-
mcnt of cruelty and injustice, and doubtless
deters many wel-informed and rightly dispos-
cd persons from testifying at all.
woman, who so far ovcrcame her scru-
pies in this respect, as to become a witness
against policy gambler, was held to bail,
and for want of the needed amount, was kept
in Jail 81 days. The young gambler was
charged with "selling policies" as under the
new law for which The penalty is, or may be,
fire of thousand dollars and Imprisonment,
from ten days to five years, in pcntentary or
or State prison; when brought out to trial the
culprt plead guilty to charge, which the
witness had never made or intended to make,
"insuring numbers" as under the old law
the penalty of whichis, paltry fine often dol
which the honorable Judge enforced, aud
turned the poor woman out pcnnyless,
beggared and lame from long confinement in
that dubious stone paradise-the Tombs--
without farlhngs, compensation for loss OF
c,. bor
relief till our Secretary Unexpectedly written
to, or visited the Judge, TO urge the matter
upon his attention. Finaly ,aller long delay
ten dollars were paid TO thewoman, who was
likely to become City charge.
If the penalty for telling the truth in open
Court, concerning swindlers and w-breakers
he so much severer than for acknowledged
crime, who will consent to be witness!
1t may be neediul in certain cases to hole
the witness in custody, but never for society
or the State, to CONT the double injustice
shut them in prison and rob them of the yalu,
oftheir time.
Our Report, when published will speak o
the arrest of gamblers and policy dealers, bu
in the brief abstract we give to night we omi
most of them.
of our surprise that SO large "cloud @
witnesses" as our nine hundred policemen
can so longreman blind and dumb concerning
the existence eollottery-vending policy -plnyin
and gambling Of all kinds. Policemen of tn
several wards are required by the rules Of tn
Police Department, ; 92) "to make complet
returns of all policy-dealers and gamblers,
in their several beats, and we make n
question, do quite generally obey instructions
but to what purpose! Where are the arrests
trials. and convictions!
We have no desire to complain of th
inetiicency of our police system; there ar,
enough to do that. The difficulty lies bacl
of the policeman, in the power that created
them; and finally, rests with the people, VIII,
il they do not "love to have it So" but Mnael,
desire any thing better, must suffer 1t il
time for the people to eclthlt on them rest,
the responsibility of bad laws, and the opcr
violation of good ones.
There is smachincry enough, and very goot
machinery, 10 close every gambling hell in
this metropolis in six weeks, if the mass o.
the people do but drmand it,
The Police know where these dens are 10
Gated, and can identify the guilty keepers, an,
half the zeal manifested in the arrest of som,
fugitive counterleiter weuld shut their fatu
doors.
The rules generally agreed upon in thu
Police Courts in regard to evidence in Polio,
cases render worse than useless most OF tn,
testimony furnished by the buyers OF Poce
themselves. To give any general information
to the public, removing this difficulty, woul,
only stimulate the art(ul gambler and polio,
vendcr to resort to n new eXpcdient to evad
the law, and so the ends OF Justice be defeat
ed. All the essential Information could b.
communicated to few competent and wllin,
men-nnd such there are from the great bod
of the Police force, ard they could safely u,
about the business of banishing from anon,
us the appliances and agents of gambling
The work seems indeed to be begun by th
recent action OF the District Attorney, VIII,
deserves the thanks and support of the pubI
in his recent arrest of lottery offenders.
The meeting was now addressed by Rev
CyRn PEARL, Of Maine, in forcble appea
in behalf of the Society.