St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-10-01
THE ANNUAL CHESTNUT.
How the Grand Jury Stopped Over In
It's Eagerness to Condemn
The Record That Is Made of Arrests
How Releases Are Secured.

HOW Releases AFRO 6eSuTSQs
Regularly, about once Q year. the grand
jury, composed of elderly gentlemen, meets
and gravely celebrates upon the sinfulness
of that section of the world labeled on the
map as "Hennepin county. Minnesota" 1t is
customary for the jury to listen to all
complaints against the police system of
the city, and the people who have reason to
fear and hate the police unfold their griev-
ances to sympathetic ears. The jur,, when
it finishes its work. always winds mp with 4
lecture, In which it arraigns the city al minis
tration for divers SINS OF omission ar com
mission. Last year it will be remc 5ere
that the truly good Deacon Nettlei "A V 10
foreman Of the jury, and scathing ocnunci-
alton of the Pillsbury police system WIS pro-
mulgated.
THE ANNUAL CHESTNUT,
as the grand jury report is irrevcren' :
alluded to by court and pol ,
officials this year, Is urIsurltv
severe. 1t would be of course unipsc t. -
sinuste that the distinguished &c; lemrn
who compose the jury were unduly il zen cd
ton to the Republican campaign literature,
but that they have been led by the tales OF
agents employed TO give TESTIMONY aga lst
the police, it is but charitable to presu ne.
Otherwise, it must be necessarily conc 'ided
that the lecture was prompted il a
degree by prejudice, and Gesire
to get back at the military iolice
force" A single glance at the iury's report
is sufficient to convince almost any one OF its
unfalrness. For Instance, it is made up of
statements like the following: 1.-The records
of the First precinct station and the test1-
mony of the officers in charge d close u most
reprehensible system Of proct re-. No at
| tempt is made to ascertain the name, resi-
dence or occupation of persons arrested, and
no record of any of these facts is pre-
! served"
ANY one at all familiar with the routine in
cases of arrests at the First station, knows
| that this statement is untrue. When a
| man is arrested the charge against
| him and the officer who made
the arrests are noted in a book. As two
| thirds OF the arrests are made for drunken
! ness, it can readily be seen how useless it
would be to endeavor TO gather facts in rela-
| ton to the history of man VINO is so badly
under the influence OF liquor that it is neces-
| sary to lock him up. In the morning the
following historical data in connection with
| the care of each arrest, is ascertained and
carefully noted-date of arrest, name, Of
| Tense, arrested by whom. nativity, married
! or single, male or female, white or co'oreo
| and age 1t would seem that these inquiries
| constituted an ''etfort" calculated to secure
| all necessary information. The report lays
| AN ESPECIAL STRESS
upon sthe fact that persons are sometimes
| arrested and released upon the order OF the
mayor or Of some subordinate, while fines
are collected at the station by the policemen
| without the Intervention of the court Oh
! without its knowledge or consent" While
the charge is in q measure true il is not alto
| gether so. Releases of persons are confined
to persons arrested for misdemeanorS and d(
| not include criminals" 1t can be added
too, that release is not d common, but {
! rare occurrence. For Instance, man may
be arrested as a matter OF protection to him
| self. He is intoxicated, has money with hin
and is helpless, or is IN bad company
Perhaps friends iutercede for him ant
secure his release upon promise to tax
| him to his home In this case deposit OF
sufficient money to cover any probable I'M
the court may inhict is required. The neces
sty and Justice of occasionally making sucl
releases is known to all familiar with polio
work. A respectable and law abiding citizel
may be inSulted on the street. He is indig
nant and angry. A crowd gathers. A pc
liceman appears, sees two men APPARENT.
fighting, and arrests one or both OF then
to appear upon the charge Of disOrderly con
duct. 1t would be an obvious hardship TO
him to be locked up all night in the foul sink
hole which is called the First station.
1T is ONLY FAIR
that if he can furnish bail that he should bt
allowed to give it for his appearance in tn
morning. If a detective arrests a supposed
| ana aItGTWdFuS Illus tudt uO 10 uO
the person wanted, does it seem REASONABLE
that he should be held in durance vile unit
| court passes on his case in the morning
1t cannot even be said that these releases ar
made without the knowledge and consent o
the court, for the names of persons wh'
have furnished baii for their ap
| pearance and who fail to be o.
hand to respond to their names have bee
called in the municipal court for years past
The court must certainly know that releas
has been made by the police when nam
is so called. The Minneapolis police syster
may not have reached the degree OF perfeC
ton that will permit q favorable comparison
with those in vogue in older and larger cities
still it has been continually improving, AM
never in its history has there been create
care exercised in the disposition OF the case
of persons placed under arrest. A record o
each case is made at the time of arrest, ar
other record is made when the prisoners ar
turned over to the court, where still anothe
record is made. A new feature of the sys
tenn was recently inaugurated by Mayo
Ames, which compelS a careful memorand
to be made of all articles taken from person
arrested. If the members of the grand jury ha
the opportunity of witnessing the practices
working of the police system they might re
verse the order of their sentence that ''rher
| is little to csmmend and much to condemn.
1t might be added in this connection tina
witnesses examined before the grand iur
claim that they gave testimony that woul
render such a denunciation plainly unjust
fable The finding of the jury is also cor
demned by the officials Of the municips
court as palpably unfair.