The New York herald., 1875-11-25
INVESTIGATION.
Legislative Committees Looking
Into City Abuses.
OFFICIALS CALLED AS WITNESSES
Methods Of Police Courts and Defects in the
Fire Department.

rhs Assembly commlticO On Crime resumed Its in
ve.tgElons od chamber or the Board OF Alder
unrn yesterday morning The hrst witness examined
unS NJ Jerome Buck 0f No. 2l5 West Forty ninth
strcstne waa acquainted with Captain James Irving
of the police force and met him evening in a
nioon corner of broadway and Thirteenth street. wit
aeaa haa bon wallaeks and, during The ntermis-
naon weHt - ths place with friend for refreshments;
Captain Irving was sober Al The time, the witness
fhoawht entFsiy -
roncn CouHrs AND MAGISTRATES
Police Justice James Rilhreth was next called He
snd lhat ~ practising lawyer a, the time OF his
appointment police magistrate; summary powers
bestowed upon police justices In cases Of drunken
hAsiariy ana dsordcrly conduct; such prisoners
hase fsht 70 AZ examination and call witnesses;
40 pet Rink thai they had right 70 demand trial by
iury the dlaerrnoc between 'hawdy and disordcrly'
hoaaen explained ~ the judge. tho former must
necessarily b. disorderiy while tho latter may
at b. of baway churacior the magis-
uatc ! cases of dlsordcriy pcraons has a right to
tnnri ane n flo hold tho prisoners bal for
future good behavior, bah i discretionary,
hsi thc witness had Axcd the amount
- hah A. 1900, haa ~ personal knowledge OF wha.
90 doue il oaaoa who're ban forfeited and whether
% ~ sued for 0r not Judge Khbreth explained In
coll snd clearly thc workings ~ the police where
he has been the bench; ne bad always taken good
sare when prisoners only temporarily committed
~ him not 40 allow thcm remain incarceraicd
ever nlght wthout fuI disposition of the case the
Commissioners of Charities and Correction had charge
81 az 80 prisons and 4 vas IN thcm discretion
how i0ua tnny cuuld krcp persons committed ia tho
poicc court prsous before removal the witness
AN aAkstfhtes L. Thought that ~hcn applications Tor
mMrhafkn ni pHfRurE committed dis0fdcry made
woald y aise that shey should be presented the
iorm a. aaatiR With regard % the closing q disrep-
aiAble houses great aiHcaoe experienced oh
aining evidence sufficient 10 convict, occa-
mons thert sss no evidence at an q show that the
places werc ~ such character any evidence which
sended y ehew ttAi : person Was the keeper % tho
house % ~ charge ~ the frcmscs would b. sufficient
NE witness thought. for him % hoa them, a. 70 The
assistance oNered by the police convict persons
sasea q violating the reFaraag gambling, lottery
and the excise he would say ha the latter they
generally provided with evidence sufficient; he had
beid nearly seysntynve per cent ~ such cases for
Eia did not know how many wsre convicted nor
pouh ne account Why The majority never brought
70 trsli That y ior somebody elso q te quietly
ore mo- bus sfler the papers leave ny hands my lurls
rHr csusH ov cnmH
The excessive usc 81 liquor the main cause of all
crime, aud proper excise aw, swim punishment in
any scheme thai be devised ics NC speedily bring
ihg % trial and conveton ~ All voatora % the liquor
law would e q great public advantage me penalty
for eases 0f intcxcaii0n = nov insufficient, there
should to change IA nc present iaw that with
Tepcli,ons q The offence or IN cases O ncorrigipe
bummers the punishment should bc u such nature
~ 70 keep them oul ~ ne way the witness thought
IA cases Of convection ~ yoaths under sixteen tbo
Court of SPECIAL Sessions had M power 70
Of Refuge; when the Judge nrst took hls
seat A. 2 magistrate many applications we're
made % him by parents 20 seld girls 10 institutions
sot apart % receive such prostitutes and possibly
there had been such commitments made ~ him ID
ps early da}6 Az uihce. but 20 the witness
became familiar With the statute governing such mat
tiers he had always refused thc applications unless
twenty one had never beer IN 10 rcntSnllary ana
that there was proof coaefspn II their being dls.
Tepu~.h..,e o. did not cvncc aesirc . reform
=. OUTSIDE NfEacKssluN
- ~accas YsHve Eilbroth resumed hss scat ana
a. e,..,,os = H. foe, end sad that IN hu earlier
experience a. mal s-ixaiG he u-r !. zen Toaoisa ~
outsiders beggng him q q AskA ~ fyfys,yt,.. /
thai bad bscn brought before Ln, ~ recehtis y
that annoyance bad ceased, - he gave sucn .osn.
couragcmcnti he thought Inv making tbe inteFier-
ence 6f Others than counsel n cases 81 thai charac
Ter a msdcmeanor rather too sweeping
Mr.. Campbell then questioned tho Judge as 20 his
manner o. dong business, tho hours ho was ~ court
dsposing of tho police rcturns and the timo
occupied by ham IN examinations; also wheu he and
his colleagues ~ thc Court of special SESSIONS
lrates had not time 10 satisfactorily perform their
duties. In 10 the question what reasons
Special Sessions alone the witness thought MOI
necessary, the present police magistrates could pr.
form the work. and tho appointment " others would
Mr. NJ NJ Danscr, 81 No so West Eleventh street
then examined. lie testified es 20 tho robbery ~
&1O3, 900 IN bonds from his house la, summer and
shat through lawyer ho had got back between
$50 go Of them how the negotiations made
be was not aware Of never tried 10 Ret hs property
back through the police, a. he bad but ite laiih IN
such attempts.
Mr. Henry G. Allen vas called and testified that ho
told Coroner kcssler thai ne could
before verdicts found by Jurcs; there no \
authority that be could and that such 70
bhese oflcals
owners or archts pf dsreputablo house, were cxan-
lned and given notcetha the inmates VI auch must
DO obliged to quit them Adjourned