, 1873-12-11
AN QuTDAQE---VH0 IS TO BLAME?


solf aud tho public deeply wrongod aud OUT
raged would not foroo myself on your notice.
Cacoothoa scribendi is not my failing; yet tho
following circumstances arc Of et,ch naturo as to
require yot,r and and all other good citizous i'm
mediate attention and thorough Investigation:
Some weeks ago, burglars entered my rosi~
tlouco, on prairie avonuo, hctwoen tho hours Of
2 and in tho morning. They ransnoked tho
lower part, and doubtless would have continued
their soarch had not Officer Dorger, Of the
Cottago Grove Station boon on tho alert and
disturbed tho thieves. Owing to the superior
vigilance aud intrepidity of this officer, and
after severe hghsinng, one Of tho butglara,
named Thompson, alias Conway, waa arrested.
The othor, for want Of prompt assistance, eB-
capped. It wns At tho risk Of lis lifo TINT tho
bravo officer secured bis prisoner. Subsequent
ly, tho man Was tEied before Police Magistrate,
and, attor several dolaya, was sont for trial to
November eitting, brought in . truo bill for bur
glary against Thompson. You know it ia not
any casy task to follow up all thoae procecdings:
it involves loss OF time, patience, and business.
What with adiournmenta, attendance on diffor-
ont courts, conauitations, &o, several days were
On tho day fl1oa for his trial at tho CRIMINAL
Court, I waa ready to give my testimony; and I
understood oil tho witnesses we're Bubpmnaed,
aud tho caso thoroughly worked up By the police
whom was calmly told by our bland States At
tornoy that the prisoner had been bailod. and
he could not now be found but that he
would forfeit the bonds. Great satisfaction, for
sooth, My llonao had boon robbed, aud Il man
caught in the vory act my famly'a security en-
dsngerod my wifo's nervos unstrupg and a.
most paralyzed 80 TINT sho was incapaoltated for
several days, and is ntill In constant dread m
officer had risked his lilo to do his duty had,
along with Ills Sergeant and myself, spent days
in serving tho public BY trying to convict fclon ;
| and thon to be assured that tho bond-tho straw
baii-was to be estrentcd, was poor, worry poor
consolation, Was this not adding insult to In
jury?
I was approached BY man, aud cortain hints
thrown out, mud innuendoes given. that! ].
would bc to my interest not to PROSECUTE, aud I
trouble u, "a aud "'' outl.y. Tho officer - who ho
captured the burglar was also ap-
preached, and he says D large num Of
money offcrod, and By him acornfully rejected:
tho bail insufficient but still the Judge said ho
would take it. Whether he MAS satisfied us to
itn Buflcisncy, Or thought tho prisoner an honor
abla man, 1t is not within my province to un-
honest conviction that the prisoner was ont Of
the State in \ few hours after his release.
This is plain and unvarnished narrative Of
faota. a felon caught in tho act admitted to
bail. What kind Of bail Two man, named
respectively Milton Forbes and John H. Leon
ard, both unknown to mo, but known to otlors,
not, as haYo boon informed, az men who arc
responsible. Our States Attorney, and tho
whole coterie OF o1loals. know who!hor theae
men are professional bailora or not.
Should felony bo bailab1e ofronse7 ls money
payable to tho State, or eyon to tho Individual,
compensation for or satisfaction Of an injury
Which amounts to q felony7 II SO, then haYo
proper bail taken. II We hare professional bail
ots in our midst, it docs not Bpeak much for tho
oapncity OF our officials il they do not know it.
4 man who has tho slightest suspicion Of hiH
Bonliiuoncss should be rejected. Our Prosecute
| ing Attorney-who, whom he has an audience, 80
loudly and yahemeutly denounces crime, corrup-
ton, md brhery--slould SEQ that tho Court ia
not dacoyod in taking bail.
DIislomeanors ARC tho only claaa of wrongs
against the person or property that should be
branch known "a burglary. the prisoner should
not be baitcd moro especially whon he has boon
caught in tho net, tho proofs aro iudispusablo.
But, sir, after careful survey OF tho facts, /
have como to tho conclusion that when the
public press follows up . case, it ih prosecuted
successfully; aud it is only when it is aroused to
denounce wrong or expose villniny that others
-wlether to gain notoriety or not ! know not
bocomc yirtuouA, loyal, loud in thoir protesta-
say this adyiHedly. How many true bills arc
found, and In how many cases wns nolle
prosoqui entered! There wore about ,f1ue h,ts-
dred criminal charges not prosecuted laat year,
or rather this year, although, true BILLS wore
sensation. and tho presa had no.
ticod them. What IL tho uao Of our
county being to tho expense Of d Grand Jury it
nearly onc-half of their truo bills are not prose-
cnrod. Think OF it in one year fiyo hundred
The public would iiko to know why is It. An
An evasivo OF aonoral answor iB lot sufficient.
When faots arc SO patent, aud wrongs SO often
recurring, we want men not to speak in plati-
tules II has como to this pass, that 1t s doubt
FIJI whether any great outrage, liko the ono conf
mtted on tho young girl few evenings ago.
atabbod in trying to make the arrcat.- will bo
prosecuted. r. G. G1v1Ns.
Cu1CAEn Dan. D. 1H73