Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1878-12-04
NO. 259a CLEARFIEID Pa WEDNESDAY DECEMBER 1878

seen or been told, and all the while say
nothng-that man is man of genius.
We remember once going to Memo
mite funeral in the country and listen
ing TO an Grafton over the body by the
preacher. lie went at it early in the
morning and suspended early enough
in the afternoon TO let the guests be
served with the funeral meats hut 1t
was long talk, that never Tagged and
in which the preacher never hesitated
for lack of word II came from him
as easily as a sausage from the stufler
il flowed "a calmly as the current OF
the neighboring rivulet. We have n
preacher t the like wonderful quality
in our town. These men have always
seemed tG MS TO be great men. The
New York reporter reminds us OF them.
They ought to be New York reporters
We fear they are unapprecialed in
their present spheres.
Aud what an "amoozin cuss" sis that
policeman His unique performances
relieve even the sober solemnity Of this
Stewart body snatching. It must be
very interesting, one would think, to
the New York citizen to estimate the
value of u police force under whose
eyes a corrupting human body could
be unearthed in the glare of hali-a-doz-
en- gaslights in the heart of the city,
and under whose noses IL could be
borne away. II is no especial concern
OF ours, but even we can he Interested
in thinking how little service, in this
Democratic country, the people are
willing to get from their officers for
their money. The police officer Of New
York is perhaps too awful u creature
to criticise. He is entirely above the
laws; nominally the laws eonservator,
it cannot escape those who observe his
doings that he is u persistent law
breaker. lie handles his club rs
though it was the instrument Of bis
private vengeance, and never seems Ia
think that he need look anywhere, but
to his own good will and pleasure, for
authority TO make an arrest
This latter peculiarity is one that
especially strikes the euutsde harbarians
OF the United States, who have been
wont to consider that policeman has
no authority but that which Il warrant
gives him, unless hc acts in the imme
date presence OF the crime. The New
York police officer freely arrests whom
soever he wants to arrest, puts HIM in
to cell, and keeps him there over on'
night at least, aud often over several
before he condesccnds to present biz
captive TO the justice aud then th'
latter is so accommodating rs to re
mand him to Jail at the officers simpl'
request however loudly he may pro
clam his innocence and demand trial
A Captain Byrnes appears IN Tn
| Stewart case to illustrate this peculiar
lny OF New York Justice. Some jai
bird meets him on the street and tell
him he suspects one Burke OF the Stew
art body theft The captain arrest
aud imprisons Burke, and says that h
succeeded in inducing him TO conieS
that he was partner in the crime. ii
implicates one Whalen, whom the cal
tain also arrests. And then he admit
be calmly offered these men some S3C
600 in money and TO let them escape
they would return him the body Judg
Hilton, he assures them. only wante
the body and did not care to have any
one punished. 1t did not APPARENT
occur TO this police captain that th
State which punished this crime ha
anything to do with the criminal.
was in his Judgment u matter for judy
Hilton, the paymaster, only to IA
what he should get for his mouel
This well illustrates the New Yor
policemans habit Of thought, and b
way OF doing business. 1t is no pal
OF his function to prevent or to pnnis
crime his office is to promote IL b
making the business OF the crimlnl
safe and profitable.
And the police captain with ihes
: strange ideas Of his duty, started OF
with the prisoners for Il midnight scare
, IN the woods of New Jersey, and mad
water haul. The prisoners, notwill
standing their natural anxiety to "a
cept tho captains kind proposition
, pocket $50 600 aud get away, coul
not do il for the very good reason thl
! they did not know where the bod
! was. II they had known no donl
they wond have told, and taken Il
f booty. And the captain then got oro
and took them before Il police justi'
aud had them committed; though !
cant show them TO be guilty, aud
fact has himself very clearly demo
strated their innocence, Lancaster /
te,iigeHcer.