The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1890-04-05

BROADBRIMS N. Y. LETTER

stood as the representative OF justice as ne
was also the representative of the King |
Il was not considered beneath the dignity |
of the noblest in the land TO hold the office |
of High Sheriff, and It was only conferred |
as a special mark Of distinction on persons
Of exalted lineage or for distinguished |
public service.
New York has not been fortunate in her |
sheriffs; It is only few years ago since
one became a fugitive from justice for
many crimes, notable among which was
the cracking Of jewellers safe in Maiden
Lane, of which he was put In possession
by the law. Over a hundred thousand
dollars worth of gold, jewels, and watches
we're spirited away, and neither the goods
nor the sheriff has been heard of to this
day. The trial Of Sheriff James A. Flack
and his conviction for conspiracy has
brought TO light such system of lying.
perjury, robbery, and official villainy that
the question is a serious one is not Re
publican Government failure, and IN
using the term Republican / do not wish
TO be understood as giving it in the light
of party definition, but as system OF
government on which we have plumed
ourselves so much-call 1t Republican or
Democratic as you please. While the
Sheriff was under trial it became evident
that some of the Courts, instead of being
we'll springs of pure justice, were fountains
Of corruption, sullled and unelean, and
that the judicial ermine was bedraggled
and foul.
In the course of the Flack trial two state.
ments were sworn to as to the same facts,
each of which is directly the opposite of the
other. Joseph Meeks is church member,
deacon, and trustee of his church, who
frequently passed the contribution box on
Sunday. He was endorsed as a man of eX-
ceptional purity and uprlghtness of charac-
ter by his minister, and number of reput-
able witnesses swore that they really would
believe him under oath. Judge Bookstaver
is Judge of the Court of Oyer and Term
liner, man of very high character too. 1t
Is true that heistands accusedlof doing some
very crooked work in the Flack divorce
case, but he has not been convicted nor
sent to States prison yet, so his testimony
ought TO be given equal weight with that
of Joseph Meeks Yet this fact is as clear
as the noon-day sun, that one Of the two
has perjured himself; perjured himself
wlfully and knowingly for the purpose of
escaping the penalty Of his crimes. Now
which is It ? The pious Joseph Meeks or
the upright Judge BookstaverP l give it
upl
While the trial was going on, incident
ally OF accidentally comes the investigation
of the Fassett Committee of theLegisatuTe
into the official corruptions of New York.
The NEST serious danger that threatens us
now is that the Legislature drag net has
made such haul that presently we shall
find ourselves without city government.
Our young and handsome Mayor is in the
bilboes. He preceded Mr.. Flack as sheriff,
and it must be confessed that his keeping
the accounts of his official plunderings can
not commend itself to the judgment, even
OF his partial friends. While sheriff, he
kept the public funds and his private funds
all in one bank account, and 1t did not
matter whether he was buying horse COL
lar og. satisfying a Court judgment it was
all paid out of the same bag, and marked
pod" and that was the last of it. AS to
how much he made out of his Office or what
he received he had not the slightest idea.
He had a good thing-a very good thing;
he knew that much, and that in fact was
all that he cared about knowing.
Last week spoke of the piratical fees
exacted from the unfortunate sojourners at
Ludlow Street Jail, but on Saturday the
committee opened their eyes so wide that
don't believe they will eyer be able to get
them shut again, when young Napoleon
Ives told them that he personally had been
looted in that pirates den for ten thousand
dollars. When he made complaint about
the ill-usage he received from one of the
official ruftians who are maintained at this
place, the vulgar rascal whom Sheriff Flack
had placed in charge, and whose business
1t seems to have been to rob the unfortun.
ate prisoners, cursed him in the most filthy
language, and ended by telling him If he
did not liRe his treatment he might go up
stairs among the common prisoners. Young
Napoleon is not good at forgetting, and on
Saturday he took his inning. His brutal
keeper is now under indictment, and the
chances are ten to one that Mr.. Ives will
have a chance to see him behind prison
bars at Sing Sing
see that Harry Hill's dive at Harlem
was raided last week, and poor Harry was
driven to the wall. Harry's place in ITS
day was one of the most notorious dives in
New York, and for many years no tourist
from abroad considered his visit complete
till he had seen the hinside of "Arry 'IlTsr
and the "Grand Duke" at the Five Points.
Burglars, pickpockets, gamblers, and
loose characters of all sorts congregaLe
there nightly, and the entertainment
afforded consisted of boxing matches,
wrestling bouts, club swinging, dancing,
and the singing of questionable songs.
Harry himself. though ignorant as a horse,
was considered no small beer by his prize
fighting associates. The aldermen and
other ward magnates held him in high
esteem, for when about election times il
became necessary TO chip into the political
pot, Harry Hill was never backward in
coming forward, and in addition to his
cash he always had a good stout bodyguard
OF healthy voters on hand. who were
mighty convenient things TO have about
the house,-when margins were narrow
and majorities had TO be fixed up. 1t was
Harry's boast that no mans pocket was
ever picked In his place, though 1t swarmed
with thieves For Harry sWore hif they
hinterfered with us frens, that he would
punch their -'eds. And they didn't.
Harry used to give sacred concerts on Sun
day night, where Siddon's Mouse and The
Brummegem Chicken with several other
young pugs, of greater or less degree
furnished most of the sacred entertain.
ment. Now, we have stringent laws
against selling liquor on Sunday, but that
made no difference to Harry, for Harry
had pull with the police, which he paid
fol In good silver shekels. While Other
saloons were closed as tight as a drum, the
thirsty traveller at Harry's could refresh
himself with anything from Whiskey
cocktail TO brandy sour; but, bless youl
soul the police never knew a thing aboul
II, though occasionally a glass of-of-
APPoLLINARIs was handed out to the COP
who stood guard at the door. But as Harry
grew rich he grew proud, and presently ht
grew bigger than the whole Police Depart
ment, and he kicked against the police tax
That was q sorry day for Harry. In les.
Auou ~ uOuis Tue WnOle department
swoOped down on him, and Harry Hill was
q doomed man, The scales suddenly
dropped from the eyes of the police, and
not mug of beer or a glass of gin coulC
cross his bar, but the lynx eyed officers
detected Il. They harried him, they
worried him, they fined him and they i'm
prlsoned him; till at last poor Harry got
tired and threw up the sponge. He moYeC
20 Harlem, and announced that he intended
10 turn over new leaf and open a mission
AIRY station. But the old thing did moi
work, and most Of HarrY's converts fOun(
their NnV ln the paniianLiarV or Giaiel