, 1873-03-22
THE TIP FARRELL FARCE.
Record of Ono of the Most S1ln1ne-
loss Actions in Our County
History.
How Notorious Ptckr0oket Escaped
Punishment, and Ills Bonds. :
men Obtained "Ro-
licf."

licf."
Among tho items OF Criminal Court nows
which appear to have escapod tho vigilance OF
tho reporters Is an entry on tho journal, under
dato March 18, 1878. "100-Farroll, Mum, and
Thompson, dis. at d. c."
That "Tip" Farrell, who has nato mora no!so
among tho police Of this city than almost any
other man. should hnvo' thua quietly dropped
ont Of notice. and of tho criminal books of tho
county, as we'll as out Of the County jail, seoms
incredible. This man waa always talkod about by
tho police as ono Of tho most capable thievoH In
tho West, and tho police woro always on tho
lookout tor him, Somehow lie WINS mover caught
but once, and then ho got out Immediately on
bnil, and OF course Jumped Lis bail,-that is
to Buy, novor afterwards appeared ut tho bur of
tho Criminal Court, t,-and when hiH bail woro
called upon to pay or produce the nuns body.
tho County Commissioners stopped In md
ordered the ball dismissed On tho 18th inst.
Attorney Root tllod an opinion to tho offect that
tho Commissioners had put their foot In It by
doing an illegal net; cynically pointing
out that tho logical conclusion Of such
An net would ho that they Ind power to vote
money to my private porsons. or for any private
purposes, out Of tho public Troasury. It is raro
indeed that a loyal officer Is under tho melan-
cho]y necessity of writing down tho authorities
sot ovor tho pcoplo aBaeB Us plainly aB Mr. Root
found It hia duty to do on this occasion.
Tho reporter who note1 tho nbovo iton1, de-
| mandcd OF tho Clerk permission to investigate
| the rocorda, which being accorded, Ito found to
exhibit tho following history Of tho caao:
Farrell was cnpturod oarly in Juno, 1879,
charged with picking tho pocket Of Hannah
| seayoy. On the 18th OF June ho appeared in
court. and gavo rocognizanceB in tho Sum Of
| 81 600 to appear from day to day; In which he
was joinod by Thomas N. Thompson and Donta-
| min II. Mum. A search for tho schedule Of
property, which an examination Of the recorda
on previous OCCASION showed tt was the custom
Of tho Clork TO tahe, disclosed the fact that no
such sohetlulo had been filed, bpt TINT tic bail gil
the Btato's Attorney, aB nppoarod by the follow
ing indorscmoot on q paper written in poncil
an ss.lsaed with MoHsrs. Thompson and Mum Mum -
bull for Tip Farrell. REED.
satisfactory as the bail was satisfactory IT
needed to DO, as tho oyont proved by tho prie.
onor escaping; and satisfactory It might as vol
not have boon, sooing on how aimsy an oxcuae
1t WAS subsequently sot aside.
During tho june term, Farrell not having 70.
sponded to hia namo. and 1t boing found out
that ho had fled, the rooognizance WAS declared
forfeited In the usual way, aud sciro facias i8-
eued on tho 11th Of July, returnablo during the
| August term, which was served by reading on
tho 18th OF July to Thompson, and on tho 18th
| to Mum.
The object Of the parties being delay, the Be-
| curities at the August term presented tho fol-
| lowing den1urrers:
First-1t does not appear by asd acire facias for
what oGenso the principal In said rccognzance WI
| indicted.
eeond-1s does not appear by said aelre faotaa whose
g. g zen snd
Ihird-lt does not appear By said scirc facas that
II aa aaa n y
Fourth-No reason il assigned On said aciro fnciss
Criminal Court (Which appears part Of tito record
Of said court to have been hold) should intervene be-
fosfeited and tho present August torn, to which the
| Raid scro facns Was mado returnable.
what tsy Of the said jane Tcrs, A. b. is73, Of ssd
Court, said supposed forfeiture Of said
- Of Of 5 ssd
Meanwhile, Farrell had long ago disappeared.
The coveted delay was thus secured, and mnt.
tors went on easily until Docs 20, whom tho do
fondnnta onterod pleas, eetting. UP, among othel
thngs that tho body ct Farrell was M surrendered
granted, continuance till the 17th; that they
wore not required to entor upon q new bond
after 30 giving up his body, md did not, md
that they wore entitled to relief.
|
Rood put in his appearance, answering to the
ploas TINT they wero insufficient.
Whilst thia solemn farce was going on, farrell
had been ontirely lost sight Of, and he now dis
| '1hon the balls, as u last recourse, had tho un-
oxnmplod impudonco, as ono would think, to
apply to tho County Commissioners for relief.
| Oh what ground, docs tho ronder suppose On
srouad o sd'l That 'a thoy % had pal paid i tie % onoy W
o tas eoay ground on the sa" 1d3S sS s0s of 5un9
tho responsibility WAS transferred from thom to
tho stato'a Attorney Or tho coMrt' Nothing oi
that they should not DO made to suffer Hero is
| the report Of tho Judiciary Committee on their
application, which now for the first time sees the
iitgkt:
70 The Hoard ef Commissioners ~ Cook County:
Your Committee Oil Judiciary, to whom WIS referred
tho communication Of .. ii. h'nn aud T. NJ Thon.p
aon praying for ruef from recognlzanco as sorrtie!
Court of Cook County, having Ind tho aamo under aa
yiacment, beg loaYe to report That 5oll!
ss hs ntsn.ou from ''fs"' sy e.a Of as ss 'ss as
subject, satisfied that tho IL one Of great hard
ehip nh hat the petitioners are Justly entitled to t
lo states Attorney 10 directed to dismiss tie pro
M 8 ~s syssn ssspssu If ssta Il petition
| 5osnra ); xailis, M1nn,s,
| Committee On Jud!c1ary.
Report concurred in by the following vote:
Yeas-Aahton, Harris 1derting, Lonergan, Pahlrnan
Mns-DoEue, Olough, Crawford, Galloway, Jone'
! IT.
Ordor by the stato'n Attorney:
The Clerk will dlsmtaa proceeding above ulontfoned
In compliance with the ahoys reaolutlou, March u
| 1878. CuAHLss u. hEEn' hato4 Al'oFhey.
Comtnont would bo IN insult to tho undor
standing Of oil intelligent citizcn.
It is ali open question aH to ,oho made I" ths
abatement Of fsota" roferrcd to; and the ma
ture Of the "harilahip II. ID nattor tor tho live
" imagination Of Sum Ashton to conjuro up.
With tho authoritative statement Of Dir
Root boforo tho public that this act s Illegal, al
we have soon It to be outrageous and danger
oua to tho administration Of Justice, tic nex
question for the Commlssionera to sostle vii
DO, who is to account to tho County Treasure
Thon,pson r, mn soz aud W Mnn took lie payment iron
Farrell: that bailsmon gonorally extort,, tho.
must havo made very handsome speculation
cut Of tho county.