, 1875-08-23
Travels OF a Reporter In Search OF tho
Offenders.
Instances Of tho Way In Which Debtors
aro Squeezed.


of tho poace hero src undoubtedly In tho main
loneHt and upright, and dssroua of acting lair-
u, hut fow seenl to allow their love TOT tbs hl-
mighty dollar to awcryo their judgment and rea-
son.
The point toward which special attention in
directed in the presou& asttolo IL 10 tho
issuance OF BLANK BuMAoNa
by a Justice of the poAce, signed merely with hin
nntne, but loft blank u to uamos, dates, and
amount.
Tho Roviaod statutes, Chap. ~. seo. II, p.
GO, Of Eind's Hoviaiou give tho form Of sum-
nous, aud then ray:
tain place, day. and hour for t,a tfIsl not lesa than
i've 1,ur u,ors than nfleun lys fro4 tls date Of nn
summons At which tie anI pace the defend ant IL 10
APPEAR.
Bee. 1873 OF tho aanlo chaptor cnacta that a
Judge e1alt keep book In whlcl, rhhll be re-
cor,icd whenever suit Is commenced boforc
hin,
tho Names nf tho pastIes tho amount and nature Of
the debt anc for, tho date and lcscr tim Of ie pro-
ces. aud t1lo nac Of tho olhccr to whom such process
shall bo delivered. etc.
Every summons. therefore, should show on it's
face when II leaves tile Juhtcs'd pflco all tho
particulars nccoaHary to bo known by any party
interested. and ~. duplicated ao il uoro III the
Justices docket. Now.
THE PRACTICE mas nEE1
to greater or tcss e1tont, aInong tho Justices.
10 give summons 10 lawyers eighod 1noroIJ with
tho Justices name. aud to allow tho lawyer to
Gil 1t up A. his le1snto with the nama OF tho
party he wished tp suo. Demand would then 10
mAda Ipr the amount OF tho claim md II the
debtor declined to pay, a CONVENIENT Constable
wonld drop in ard Immediately aorve him with
procosB, and tll1n re-uru the s1mmo1a to the
Justice who would then for tho tiInt t,mo enter
= record Of tho suit On hts book. Thus
would not perhnps work great damage 1t tho
Justice wero careful to give the blanks only to
reputable lnwyess. but tho trouble is tho rcputa-
bc LAWYERS do not chrsy on business 10 that way,
aud the den,and for such b1anks con,es only frnm
interruptions !awyots or still moro unacrupulouB
collection ageucos.
III nscoltaiu
now MANr JUSTICES
Wero in tho habit Of tElbsyyesslng tho law In
lawyer aud took tho rounds OF tho JnHticcs'
Offices. Tho aEbt visit was to Justice
Meech. but that Rentlomau refused abRolntely
to allow nny summons to teavo hia oltlse un!eBs
liiIHd I'm AMI properly recorded on El,a duc4et.
Not ovou al acquaintance, ho said, could hayo 4
bank.
JUSTICE nA1SEs'
Office WAS nearest, nnd siIs Justice being out, np-
plca,ion was made to ono Of his clerks. Tho
young N All said thoy issuod them to certain rns-
but tho clerk seemed to have some
scruples or suspicion that oil Nd,
not right, and said llo could only
elsS them to kno'n @ NJ parsons. y, ' Ihen ho eousId-
J. Y. Williams WAS Ills uan,o for tho monant,
but It eecmingfy Vas not sufficiently enphono-
ons 10 roassure tho closk, and l,o remarked
That "thoy" we're not gong to give any moro
blank autnnnoDs. In Ills further presentations,
however, tue reporter frequently hearsi Of Jns-
tice Ifatues' blknk summons. One gentleman
tald that that Justice issusd them by Tho
dozen; another said ,thoy could bo found
,nludca Justico raid they could be gotten by lilo
bnshcl. Fraz.ers Mercantile AGouoY il said to
bs tho most bountiIul recipient Of this paper,
but Of this agency further montlop will 10 made
Justice Wallace was directly opposite uaines
and req'nss was next mnde OF lin. He seou,-
cd at nrat to waset between doBlro to make
70" dol ars and with 10 do tight, but ilually
said he never gave any blanks e1dept to persons
whom ho know vell. Tho practices, ho said. was
20 lisble 70 abuso that it ought not to be
ladulged in aud the 6outh-Sido Justices,
at A1f. slooctls ralnoat, had PROMISED not 10 H.
Bllo any moro without being filled out. Tho
gonial Joe Pollak was next vlsitel, but he do
ciined to favor Tho reporter, bocayae 4'Das VIA
against do law as unhorsthand It," Similar re-
quests from Jutt'co DaHu!f woro happily uu-
sncccHslus, though both Juat'ces have lleroto-
foro been In the habit ut giving tjlsm until tnoy
HcIe adyisel of the abuses.
THE N0ATH-slpR 5CHTIcEs
came ne1t. ard here "a nteQuvocal case Of mall
practice was found III tue casa OF Juaticc II.
paulsen. Tho reporter asked Ma clerk for thyoe
LINK wss anded to tho 1ustos 's liz, ',s"u au".Io
in liz trial Of 4 oaxe. wl,o rf1na, x ~
bnn,iod Il over vithout a wor,i T'i,a o1art. %rs
hnnled tbam nynr. oniy sstine tho n,,,a ~ IL
nertnn wjshIor tcm rdring frnn, IL. n t',o
l.snlsnn'a busIioss n,,,st he Jac,adi, n,.,s sn1
bts tfockot abaolnte]Y unro,,nntn A. rocn.5 ny ~
liz husincas Thn ensv n.nnsr ~ hts ,tnsS ~ ~
Shows tiat tbis prsctIno In ysry commom.1 ,hst
oliro The iocl,menta f1ns indscr,m,nataIr e
riyan nut sro an foiona. viii, thu s1rsnt,nn -
tho rut ri hliudml ,inst;cc in ia cnrnar ~
rwv u.nn,y -, W., .r.-- ~ ,,,'.
statn Of iiilnoJt VI '1-Aao's'
....,,,,..,,.,,, County. 49,
To any Constable Of saii 'Oounty-arsetinR:
sppeas before me, :. my o.co IN III ssi county,
Oh .as asy q .::: 4, lSt'.. st O'clock
IL nv nv ret.,n as," nnt ~ I0F iaaurs
rtd 1oa1s. md heraof aHa ana retrn j. 1 H. nm IN,
directs, "~ 'ssN'@ ~~ 'D' -"
0lvcn under my band and sea!. thIa d,y Of
...... 4. u. la1.. ii. PAuIskN, Il. s.l
Justice Of shs Pesco.