The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-07-03
Reckless and Malicious Arrests.

When q man DeileNes thae hc h"7
been arrested without cause, he may
apply to the law for satisfaction lie
may also, with perfect confidence, bet
ten to one that he will never get it.
False arrest is a kind of assault and
battery upon the feelings, which is
much worse than..assailing the body
with ordinary weapons. In the heat
of passion, even a fairly good man
may strike another with a club, but
he who uses the warrant as the
weapon OF his malice is always a mean
and contemplate rascal
i One of the worst cases of false ar
rest that we ever heard of vas that of
jefferson Hunt, Of this city, who in
October. 1889, was charged with steal
ing a check from his employers, the
Dodge & Bliss Box Company. The
check in question was for $3.50, and
had been received by Mr.. Hunt from
a Mr.. Rogers, of No. 20 Vesey street,
New York. Shortly afterwards Mr..
Hunt met Mr.. Bliss, manager OF the
box company, and said that he had
received the check but had left It at
his home. He was about to go out OF
town. but. il Mr.. Bliss desired, he
would Immediately go home and get
the check. Otherwise he would wait
until bis return
sAll right, any time" replied Mr..
Bliss: and then he offered Mr.. Hunt
an increase Of salary to remain with
the company but the proposal was de-
cllned. Mr.. Hunt was absent from
the city q week, and upon his return
was arrested.
AS Mr.. Hunt had been in the m
ploy of the company for nineteen
years, and during that time had never
given evidence Of dishonest y. it is
hard to see why the procedure which
resulted in his arrest was not simple
malice. He had made no effort to
use the check, and it vas easily IN
the power Of the box company to pre-
vent his doing so by securing its cam
collation.. This, indeed, would have
been an extreme measure. for we do
not learn that Mr.. Hunt had ever
been asked to produce the check, or
that reasonable time had been given
him to do so on his own account.
Arrest meant publicit v and other an
noyance, and the conclusion that this
was what was desired can hardly be
avoided.
At any rate, Mr.. Hunt was bailed
and was put to the expense of prepar-
ing for trial. His attorneys tried to
get the case before the court but
could not. Finally District Attorney
Nicoll of New York decided that no
crime had been committed. 1t should
not have taken him very long to ar
rive at that conclusion. The ~justifi-
cation which such a termination OF
the case afforded. could hardly be
satisfactory TO the accused. He began
proceedings to secure redress, and the
case has just been settled by the pay
ment of $500 by the box company.
We are stongly of the opinion that
this was small pay.
The primary fault in cases of false
arrest lies with the person who makes
the accusation. but the officers OF the
law who allow themselves to be made
the tools of petty revenge are equally
guilty. No person possessed OF sense
OF justice and decency a watch the
mills OF the lower courts grind their
daily grist, without being convinced
that two-thirds of what is brought to
them is chaff. II the error ended in
useless expenditure of time, and moth
ing more, the harm would not be seri-
GUS, but it doesnot. Arresting a person
is not calculated to work for his moral
advancement, and this is especially
true of the poorer people who are
most exposed to the danger and least
able to secure redress. 1t is an injury
to self respect; a stimulant to that
basest of all passions, the desire for
ven Arrest for a poor man or
woman means a night in a cell, amid
Surroundings necessarily contaminat-
ing: and in far too many cases this
punishment, which is always useless,
is too great for the offense. ever If the
accused is guilty. II he is acquitted.
he perceives that he has already suf-
fered though innocent. and how can
be respect the law afterwards
The chickering's of neighbors, the
small discussions of the household
have no place in court. Arrest in
these cases is almost always an injus-
tice and an evidence of official stu
pidity. A little while ago a man con
siderably bigger than John L. SuIIi-
van succeeded in getting his mother
arrested for assaulting him. OF course
he was rebuked in court and there was
an end TO it, apparently. Another
rushed to the law for protection be-
cause a listle water had been thrown
upon him; and a dozen others secured
warrants based on a few angry words.