New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1870-09-30

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UNPUBLISHED. This censure is general-is
not directed toward any individual or
court, and is, therefore, not taken home by
any of those who are charged with the ad-
ministration of the criminal laws. This
is the old way OF doing things here, and
violence and murders are committed, and
the press reporters rush to the scene and
describe every little detail with the most
trifing particularly.
A simple transaction is amplifed in
sensational, prosy, pathological sentences.
The police fly around and arrest the perpe-
traitors, who seldom attempt fight. The
Recorders and the Coroners perform their
duties promptly, and the offender is sent
down to the First District Court. Even
the Grand Jury does very well. There
is but little difficulty in getting a true
bill before that rather harmless append
age to the Criminal Court. But after
these noisy and Intellectual demonstra-
tons, the public lose sight Of the case,
and the interest subsidies. A squall of
wordy indignation is made to take the
place of that swift and sure justice, by
which alone evil doors can be restrained
from repeating their crimes.
Latterly, culprits who have no other
prospect of cheating justice, have adopted
the fashion of going to Judge Cooley for
relief. Under the mysterious workings
of the writ of habeas corpus, the muir
derer, thief, burglar or vagrant is enabled
to walk out free with the approving smiles
of the judge, while the faithful officers,
who have risked their lives to arrest the
criminal, are amazed and rebuked with
Judicial censure, or if the rogue does not
happen to think of the advantages Of
fered to him by the Sixth District
Court, he has but little to fear from
the First District tribunal, which latterly
stands as a vigilant sentinel before the
prison door, determined to keep out as
many bad characters as possible. The
Judge of our criminal court is not always
fully alive to the faithful discharge Of his
duties. He is frequently sad blunderer,
and his District Attorney is amenable to
much blame. It is believed that he too
frequently fails to make himself sufficient
ly persuasive before the petit juries. The
number of verdicts recorded of mot
guilty" is alarming, when considered in
connection with the notorious facts of the
cases. There are by far too many noVe
prosequis entered up.
A man who has graduated once or twice
through this harmless court becomes bold
in his operations. He soon comes to
know that he has nothing to fear except
personal harm from the private citizen he
attempts to kill, assault or rob, or the
annoyance of few days imprisonment
from the police. And the Pierre Bertins
know how to avoid the latter. A shyster
lawyer, writ of habeas corpus and a
properly selected court, are sure to release
him from the grasp Of the Recorders and
the police, with the outlay Of small per
centage of his stealings.
We notice that some of the city papers
charge the Republican officials with re-
missness. But the charge is without suf-
ficient foundation, A criminal rarely es-
capes arrest, and as rarely receives pun
ishment at the hands of the Criminal
Court, which is not in the possession Of
Republicans. But we do not retort the
charge. We do not say that Democracy
is responsible for the laxity with which
justice is administered in New Orleans.
The evil existed before the Republican
party was known in this State. 1t ex-
listed under Wing, Democratic and Know
Nothing rule, respectively. During the
time Judge T. G. Hunt presided over
the Criminal Court, more than
three hundred prisoners were discharged
by noHe pros at one term. Yet he was
esteemed an excellent and able judge by
all classes. These discharged criminals
had been turned over to him and his dis
trict attorney by former officers, who had
been dilatory. The witnesses mainly
could not be found. The trials had been
postponed from time to time, upon one
pretense or another, until the interest in
the old cases was ecipsed by the daily
occurring new ones. And such is the
habit, somewhat improved upon to-day.
Lawyers, and officers of the court, under
stand the system thoroughly, and know
well how to turn it to their advantage.
The jury is told that the offense Of the
prisoner at the bar is not so enormous as
that of the last murderer before the court,
who was let go because the former jury
could not agree. One juryman hung out
to the last, and finally the District Attor-
ney became discouraged and threw up the
case. He entered motion Of noNe prose-
qui Hearing this statement urged with
vehemence by the prisoners lawyer, the
soft headed clods, who are invested with
the whole power in the matter, give way,
and find the prisoner "not guilty" Not
because he did not commit crime, and
a very grave one at that, but because some
former jury had let off some other rogue
who should have been hanged instead.
High tone, ''good family" ''chivalrous
character political influence, and many
other frivolous reasons are pleaded Sue
cessfully in bar of punishment. Men
have been acorittad IN q cborre of MR.