The daily exchange. [volume] (Baltimore, Md.) 1858-1861, 1858-07-03
BALTIMORE.
SATURDAY, JULY 3, 1853.

Very recently there occurred in this city, one OIL
those dainty little episodes in the annals of roguery
the details of which, though they are not particu
larlv clear are al all events, remarkably sugges-
two Tho narrative is TO be found in the local COL
umns of the morning papers OF Thursd ~ last
The S,n calls it IA fracas at the Court House"
Tn the Daily Exchange it is placed under the head
of Police Intelligence. Both reports agree rs TO
the facts of the case and differ from each other in
no essential particular. From these sources we
Gather the following information: few days ago,
officer GoRMAN, of the Detective Police of this city,
arrested two men, named respectively JOHN c. VIII
HANS. and JOHN B. WEST on the charge of being
professional hotel thieves and on suspicion of hav-
inc committed robbery at Browns Hotel, in
Washington City. Justice MEARIs, "by virtue of
his office committed these suspicious characters to
iail to await a requistion from the Washington
authorities. So far, then, there appeared every
probability that the accused would not escape the
fisacreeable necessity of an compulsory excursion
TO the Federal Capitol. But the old proverb tells
rs that "a friend in need is friend indeed, and,
at this iuncture, officers DoRMAN and GRAHAM, Of
tbe independent Police, two gentlemen who-Judg-
inc from their conduct in the present case-carry
on the double vocation of arresting rogues with
the one hand and setting them free with the other,
appeared before Justice MEARIs TO obtain an order
for the release Of the accused on bail, which release
that obigng functionary granted forthwith. In the
meantime detective officer German was apprlsed OF
the mannuvre and promptly circumvented 1t by
oh accused
Commitments upon these warrants were immediate
" transmitted by the Sheriff to the Warden of the
iail who received them int ep minutes previous to
the appearance of the ordr from Justice MEARIs, d.
recinq lin 10 release has prisoners which, of course
under the circumstances, he did not do. Being
thus baled in their first efforts, officers DoRMAN
and GRAHAM next attempted to obtain the consent
of the Criminal Court to the liberation of Williams
and West on ball. but failing also in this instance
through the unusual firmness displayed by
His Honor JUDGE STUMP, and feeling that it 'would
never do to give it up So, they proceeded to ar
range another plan of attack. Accordingly, ap-
plication was made to the City Circuit Court for "A
writ of habeds corpus which, upon the representa-
tons then made, was granted, and upon this writ
the accused were brought into Court on Wednes-
day morning. 1t was then stated to the Court that
the writ had been issued with the consent of
the STATES ATTORNEY, which that immacu-
late officer, on being questioned, Indignantly
denied; so JUDGE KREBs very properly dismissed
the writ, remanded the parties to Jail, and
mncted them in the costs of the suit Or
course Independent Police Officer DoRMAN felt
himself greatly aggrieved at so unexpected proof
of the administration of impartial justice, and gave
vent to his feelings, in no measured terms against
the STATES ATTORNEY, from whom he perhaps had
reason to hope better things. Outside of the Court
Room he did not hesitate to call the STATES AT
ToRNEY thief; which imputaton Mr.. BAER, one
of the Deputy Clerks of the Criminal Court, pro-
nounced lie, and was forthwith assaulted by
DoRMAN, and severely wounded in the face. A
warrant was Immediately issued for the arrest Of
DoRMAS, who was taken into custody by the Shcr-
if, and held to bail in the sum of $500 TO answer
at Court. We have reproduced the leading par
tculars of this affair, for the purpose of showing
how ii is that suspected criminals so frequently
escape after they have been arrested by the police
The regular judicial officers, with one exception
appear in this case, TO have strictly performed their
duty. The prompt and effective manner in which
detective officer GoRMAN acted throughout the whole
course of this somewhat mysterious transaction, is
worthy of all praise but what shall we say of the
conduct of Justice MEARIs? We find him one day
committing two suspected rogues to prison, and an
other day, under very equivocal circumstances and
without any light, ordering the release of these
same rogues on bail We find, moreover, the indie
pendent Police firm of DoRMAN and GRAHAM COM
bnng the profession of shystcr with that of thief
taker, and pertnaciously endeavoring to effect the
liberation of two men, whom in the exercise of
their osensible vocation, it would have been their
duty TO hold secure. When foiled in one trick,
they resort TO another and when baffled in that
they attempt third. They resent the active in
reference of detective Police Officer GoRMAN; they
are perfectly amazed at the rigid impartality Of
Judge KREEs, and thoroughly disguised
with the course pursued by the STATES ATTORNEY,
that DoRMAN, one of the firm, openly pronounces
him thief AN opprobrious epithet, which is the
more remarkable as coming from one whose long
acquaintance with knaves of all sorts and degrees,
presumes some knowledge of their characteristic
traits and leads to the inference that he is either
singularly deficient in that particular faculty
which enables the professional thief-taker to dis
crlmnate between the thief and the true man, or
that he knows more than he cares to avow. II
now only remains for Mr.. Justice MEARIs to ex-
PLAIN to the community the part he took, in con-
nection with MeSsrs. DoRMAN and GRAHAM, in
transaction which even our venerable contempo-
rary appears to regard as Every reprehensible."