The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1855-09-30

ence TO the careless and culpable manner IN
which the duties of the courts are in general
performed. The discharge, without the know
ledge or consent of the District Attorney, of
parties well known to be thieves, and against
whom there is adduced and fled sufficient ev'l-
dence to send them to the State prison, is
very frequent occurrence. Not long ago,
man caught in the act of stealing, was discharg-
ed by police justice, without the slightest pre-
text. Another case, similar 10 this, happened
about three weeks ago. A Notorious rogue
who stands indicted for thr ZEE several offences
after being arrested on bench warrant issued
from the Court of General Sessions, was dis
charged on straw bell, and as matter of
course, when the case was called on for
trial the defendant was among the missing
The bondsman was looked for, but in vain; no
one had ever seen or heard Of the gentle
mamie was perfect myth. It is thought
by many that this straw bail system was
entirely done away with some years ago.
Taat is great mistake. Every day men come
forward and become bondsmen for prisoners,
sums varying from three to ten hun
bred dollars, who are known to the ma
| gistrate not to possess one hundred dollars
worth of tangible property. IF verdict of
| guilty is inevitable, and the accused, there
| fore, desires to absent himself from trial, why,
| then the bondsman takes tour along with
him, until the affair appears to be SO far for
gotten as to admit of their return in safety.
Then, again, there are set Of men who fire.
quent the courts for the purpose Of going bail
for Tom, Dick and Harry. 1t appears to be
philanthropc profession, but it is nevertheless
paying one. Persons accused of small crimes
pay very willingly ten, fifteen or twenty dol
lars to these philanthropic individuals for be-
coming security for their appearance when
called upon for trial. Those who follow this
profession generally manage, in the course of
few years, to scrape together the very mo-
derate sum of fifteen or twenty thousand dol
lars.
| By the unfortunate state of affairs which we
have described, there are daily let loose upon
the community criminals whose repeated es-
capes from the clutches of the law render them
| bold in the commission of crime for, acting
under the impression that they can always
manage in the same way to evade punishment
by the connivance of officials, they stop at no
crime until the commission of some capital Of
fence places it out of the power of any one
either to discharge them altogether or allow
hem to 60 at large upon worthless bail.
There are also certain officers connected who
become business partners of the lawyers,
and procure for them oil cases coming before the
magistrates that they think will be productive
Of profit That is done in this way: Officers
having warrants for the arrest of parties, first
intimate the fact to their business partner
the lawyer. The two forthwith proceed to the
residence of the accused party, and here all
arrangements are perfected. A bondsman is
procured, and, everything being arranged, all
parties come into court; bail is given, and the
accused is discharged. That is, of course
where the party can afford to pay. But if, on
the other hand, the accused is poor man. and
unable to fee either the lawyer or policeman,
why, then, without any ceremony, he is uncere-
moniously arrested and placed in prison. If
party well to do in the world has any dlHiculty
in obtaining bail, and it may require even
week or month to procure the requisite secu-
rity, then, for consideration, the officer hold
ing the warrant for his arrest will wait patient
ly until the offender has all things properly
arranged, SO as not to permit of his remaining
in the felon's cell single hour.
The portrait which we have here given of
the corrupt manner in which justice is dis
pensed in our midst is, by no means, an
exaggerated or highly colored one. The evil
loudly calls for remedy. The recent action of
the Grand Jury may, and we hope WILL have
the effect of remedying some of the many
wrongs that have existed so long in connection
with the administration of justice in this city
Certainly there is no species of reform more
sadly needed in our city than that which would
convert the police courts into temples less re-
pugnant to every principle of morality and
good government.
GEN. WEBB HARD AGRvUND-Our venerable
and venerated veteran of the Courier and En-
0Uiyer the Cheyalier James Watson Wahh is