Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1881-07-20
lanrastfr fntelhgenrer.
EVENING, JULY 20. 1881
The New York Man.Trap.


The New York Man.Trap. ..
The summary power possessed by New
York police justices over the liberty of
the citizen has always aroused in us
good deal of astonishment and even ap-
prehension for sad fortune might be-
tray any citizen of the land in
to the clutches of these men, es-
pecialIy at this season when transit
through New York becomes a ne
cessity to those seeking the cool sea
air along New England's rock-bound
coast, or the cold breezes of her noun
tains and lakes. The New York police
man is rather an object of dread than of
comfort to the stranger within the city
gates, because of his brutal reputation
but his power lasts only for a day and
he can do you no worse injury than to
confine you for night in station cell.
That is bad enough to besure but COM
pared with the extensive power of i'm
prisonment possessed by the police JUS
tice, it is hardly worth complaining
about. We do not know but that the
justice may send you to Jail forever at
any rate he thinks nothing of six
months commitment which is the
measure of punishment one of them has
just conferred upon an Englishman, by
profession :. singer, who came to this
country Il short while ago in search of
employment, having failed in business
in England rs a piano maker. Finding
no employment in New York, because Of
the season of the year, he ran out of
money; and SO donned Il costume in
which he had sung in opera, being that
of an old man, and let his voice float out
on the evening air in Madison Square in
the song Speed On My Bark" His good
voice and execution MADE the entertain
ment 4 success, and the singer was re-
warded with many nivkelS. But Il pO-
liceman pat 4 stop t, the show Is con-
trary to the city regulations, which
was, no doubt, properly done, though
in this less enlightened section We do
not think of stopping street
singer, nor even monkey and hand
organ or hurdygurdy OF any other instru-
ment of torture we never have the
good luck to listen to an operatic singer.
We do not blame the New York police
man for following his instructions, nor
for arresting the singer When he found
that his silvery locks were false; but the
ass of Il justice who put a decent fellow
to Jail for six months for Il technical viola
tion OF law, when the poor Englishman
was really making Il creditable effor: to
get his bread, ought to be cremated.
The lesson taught by this incident to
all unIortunates who are in danger of
running out of money is that they shall
get out of New York before their last
cent is gone. Anywhere else they will
Ike able to escape Jail any way, if they do
nothing dishonest. But in New York
they run :; great risk between
the cruel laws, the savage po-
licemen, the stupid justices, and the
costly lawyers. Justice is very ex.
pensive in New York you can buy any
kind of il that you want if you have
money enough. If you are stranger in
the city you are in more danger than
even among the Apaches of Arizona.
If you have money you stand IN excel
lent chance of leaving it, and your body
beside. If You have none they detain
you, body anyway. 1t will he blessed
day when that Hudson bridge is finished,
and this internal man trap need no longer
he entered hy the traveller 'twixt South
and North.