Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1890-03-18

A Peculiar Institution.

they have q venerable institution -
NV York City, called the Ludlow street
~, which partakes Of the character OF
jail and . hotel--wlth considerably
A1fe Of hotel than jail--when the real
onts have money to pay for hotel ac-
y mmodations. 1t Ii then, too, hotel
oonducted both on the European and
d american plan, and the resident may
&hoose whether he will board at the
Z hotel table, be served with his meals in
ThlD nom, or 60 out to restaurant or to
nm private residence for his meals.
There is an investigation now being
held by Senate committee upon the
I : ,nduct Of this Institution and the
Dvelations seem to excite the astonish-
i 4Jnent Of the authorities of tho law,
4 (hough we see nothing In them that is
novcl. It has been understood by all
Don that the denizens Of this debtors'
4 pfiuon were served according to their
means to pay for their service. They
are people who are detained there on
Ec3vll wrlts, some being those who can-
not pay their debts, and others being
unable to command or unwilling to give
the large amount Of bail required
for their appearance to answer suits
Tor big sums Of money. They are not
supposed to be criminals, but simply un-
>ortunate or unlucky--if there IL any
dlstinction between misfortune and i'll
luck. II is TO be confessed that il IL
eusmswhat incongruous to find that these
funhappy people are often possessed of
plenty Of money aud able TO pay for
4 INJURIOUS meals.
rood reason why they should not get
them, If they can, nor why their keepers
should be hauled up by the law for be-
. ing more accommodating to simple mis-
( toTtune than the law itself IL.
lt is a glaring folly to put
man to Jail because he cannot pay his
debts or to hold him to answer civil
unit. In enlightened communities i'm
i sprisonment for debt Is abolished and
oreditors are required to be content with
the seizure Of all that man owns, omit
ling his body. We arc therefore disposed
! - sympathlze with the deputy sherifls
<9ho are now under accusation In New
Xork for accompanying their prisoners
ut Of the Ludlow street Institution to
4 estend to their business and get their
s1linnea.
n It was o profitable business to the
pputies, and 80 long as they kept their
rtsoners safe it IL not clear that II was
s4nyone's business but their own, as their
<hAsges were only put into their care for
olekeeping and not for punishment.
\ nat agile young man, Ives, who earned
3he name Of Napoleon in finance, had
kudlow as his Elba for two years,
until the other day his creditors
\ became tired and agreed to take
ave cents on the dollar for their
sclaims. He lived well during those
two years and If the creditors had the
money he spent In the Jail their divi-
1oepds would be considerably larger Mr..
Charles ]. Francklyn was laid by the
4 heels In Ludlow while he awaited the
enbsidence Of the wrath Of his friend, SIR
+ 8ache Cunard, over the manner In which
- had dissipated funds entrusted to bis
xiii for investment. He was In Jail
lays aud paid $3.50 TO the deputy shorifis,
oeside feeding them while he was out on
the streets Of New York about his bust.
ness. The arrangement was made with
- deputy sheriff by his lawyers and
~ y was violation Of law the distin-
9uished coansellors are clearly as guilty
~ the sheriff..
The fact, OF course, Is that great
Wrong is done when people held by the
3Aw are treated differently according to
their wealth; but the wrong ia done
when the lack of wealth Is made the
only ground for the imprisonment. II
fhe law Is not sharp enough to tell the
zsally poor from those who dissemble
poverty, II should not seek to help its
stupidity by punishing the former for
the sins of the latter.