Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1884-04-02
INCOMPETENT JUDGES,
And Dishonest LAYERS Caused the
Cincinnati Riots.
HOW CRIMINALS ARE TRIED THERE.
A System Which is a Disgrace and Rehec.
ton Upon Any City-Quiet Now
Restored and the Troops
Slowly Withdrawing.
C0r1espondence of Tie REGISTER.

Correspondence Of tie Register.
NLw ALBANY, ND, March Sl.-Baing
somewhat acqusinted with the situation in
Cincinnati you will pardon me a few re-
Elections. The court house and Jail ecu.
| py whole square bounded by Main, Syc-
amtre, North and South Court streets.
The lower floor was occupied by the Sheriff,
Coroner and some minor officials. On the
second were the principal county Off oials,
the Criminal and Probate Courts and
| Clerks Office. On the third floor were the
other court looms and -ibFaFy.-+-AsRe
been in most Of the law libraries OF the
country and pronounce that of Cincinnati
| as the most complete and commodious to
be met with anywhere. The bar Of Gin
cinnati to certain extent lacks dignity,
and has many peculiarities that would be
discfeditabe to a backwoods town. Wnile
the court is in session it is nothing IN.
usual 10 see numbers OF lawyers sitting
back with their heels stuck up on the
tables and indulging in incessant conyer-
the voices of the parties litigant. There
are perhaps
Six Hundred Lawyers In The city
and the result is an unseemly scramble
or business. 1t may be laid down as a
truth that all those who follow the law as
calling are not skilled in it, and that in
large cities there is u division into civil
and criminal lawyers. In Cincinnati tLere
is a rotation of Judges, and he who hnds
himself sitting in the criminal room may
lave 10 experience in such matters ana
the result is erroneous rulings and re-
versal hv the appellate court. Further
more, they have the worst system - be
fOunu anywhere in trying capital canes.
In The first place, the room which is known
as No. )" is dark, dlngy hole, circular
in fOIm. never intended for court room,
but eventually enclosed and devoted 10 all
dirty work, the trying OF criminals anu d.
yorce and bastardy cases.
Tie rule is for the court to sit five hours
day, from 10 A. NJ to 1880 p. Nj, and from
80 +. NJ. to 5 T. VI, but they seldom exceed
tour hours work every day. The Jury
even in capital cases, a.e allowed to sepsr
tte and 60 TO their respective homes, or
wherever they WISH giving those inter
-sted ample opportunity to tamper with
them. AS the case drags its slow Length
along, the defendants counsel changes his
position from day TO day, summonlng
clouds OF witnesses whose only purpose Ire
qdently is TO draw pay from the county.
In this manner the case that should have
been tried in two or three days, takes so
many weeks, and the jury that should Oe
guarded and kept together, are allowed 10
rCsm at large, any one OF whom may I'M
% de his fellow jurors. The administration
of criminal law IN Cincinnati lacks charac-
Ter and dignity, and the result has fo.-
lowed.
History shows
Corruption I'm tIa administration oil
Justice
n many an sge and country. Pericles con-
yerted the whole OF the plebian population
OF Athens into professional jurors. Tue
CCult Of Hellas had ten divisions each sit
tirg with panel Of 500 jurors-with l,UO
rales, Jurors reserve to MI up as Uccasloned
tQuired-declding by a majority vote.
Finding the business easy and lucrative
they enacted a law compelling their allied
colonies to resort 10 Athens lor decision
of their law suits. where they had TO remain
till their patience and money were exhaust
ed or they had recourse to br hes. Plato grave
ly discussing the question of reducing the
number OF Jurors, thinks il there were fewer
in each court il would be much easier 10
bTibe them and cause them 10 decide with
less show OF Justice. In Rome while the
). Date had judicial power, yet nv law
they constituted themselves the panel from
which the jUdices should be drawn, aud
history records that there never was
Roman Juror. who did not have bribe II
he could get it. Cicero in his exordium in
the prosecution of Nerres inveighs
apsinst this system and dev0tes one
OF bis oratiCns in that case 10 the sale and
abuse OF Justice by Nerres, while Pr" or OF
Rome and Sicily. In Frsnce, before the
revolution, Judges purchased their othces,
which they openly and VIGOROUSLY tHrded
10 profit, and "JC men rae SOIct' mOp yHgr
became a common and curious phrase. The
Lives Of the Chief Justices OF Eng.and, oy
Lord CamI BELL show that peculation was
rife among many of the English common
law Judges, while the lives OF the Chan
cellors show Bacon and Macelestield were,
for bribe taking and the sale OF judicial
Offices, hurled frow the woolsack 10 the
T.gpr. For further consideration o.
which we will reier the reader TO IIekwick,
al TO Bleak House to learn II in the trials
aid tribulations Of poor Grid!ey and the
WAIds in Jarndice. The impeachment IN
1872 in New York of Barnard, MeCune and
Cordeza show the extent to whieA judicial
corruption had been, carried in this co lu-
;ry. Rave known OF instances where par.
nunent arrangements we're eB'rTed in!o
between.
Police Jnstice and -Shystes i."wJ ers
to discharge crimi4als on a division OF
pTu.its. while in larger cities ii IS not un-
cnmmsn for criminal lawyers 10 be the
aCcUnp ices of thieves and burg glars. Inc
Cr at asst crimiasls are not SLOW 10 learn
v. o .l.sds the court by the nose aud
such fpuiatjsn is more potent in the
seulisition of business than legal learning:
v ',h strikers and undersusppers IN ward
3, a person becomes cacE OF the Walk
T,sre is no place better calcul at d to de
ION a vicious system in Grimm Il matters
{ oan Cincinnati with It's daily session oi
our or five hours, instead of tft'ea or SIX
zen during the progress Of capital case
NJ, d the 30 psration of the jury during the
loTg 2 Intervals OF the trial the constant
4 lspge OF position which the defense CAP
make and the consequent necessity oi
clouds ofEitnesses to support them. wit
resses ever ready SIS they are paid by the
county. Such a course as that pursuet in
the Ct ~ Of Cincinnati IN criminal matters
must necessarily end in di' satisfacIonr
and ksnce the catastrophe.