The Jersey City news. (Jersey City [N.J.]) 1889-1906, 1891-12-01
MORE M'PHILLIPS' WORK
Babbitt & Lawrence Had a
Rather Narrow
Margin.
JUDGE KNAPP SET THEM RIGHT.
Sending Home A Drunken Constable
Better Than Recapturing His
Escaped Jailbirds.
JUDGE KNAPP SET THEM RIGHT.

Sheriff McPhillips appears to be deter.
mined to let the people of this county know
howlittle he regards their interests and his
duty. The JERSEY CITY NEWS recently
made public some of his sacts. OF careless
ness and disregard of duty with hope
that he would remedy some of the many
evils in his ONCE. but the exposures have
apparently failed to do any good. The
same carelessness prevails, the same COM
plants of neglect in serving papers are
heard, and the same disregard for his
oath Of Office is manifested by McPhillips.
Every one knows the cowardIy part he
took in the riots at the Clark Thread
Mills in Kearny, early last spring. how
he refused to go among the strikers, and
sought shelter and safety within the
gates of the factory, when he should have
been at the head of his strong posse COM
1tatus, striving to protect property and
lives. Everyone knows these facts VINO
is familiar wi h the history of tnat strike
| and therefore, no one i surprised at this
ure to make any attempt to ctpture two
pickpockets who escaped from James
Earle. North Hudson constable and one
| OF McPhillips's suoordinates.
| As The NEWS stated last Saturday,
| James Earle had two prisoners committed
| TO the County Jail. When directly op-
| posite the jail, instead of taking the pick
| pockets there, he went with them into
Carl Ruempler's liquor store and per-
| mitted the thieves to get him drunk and
tnen pick his pockets of a large sum OF
money and the key OF the handouts, with
the aid of which key the thieves un-
| locked the handcuffs and deliberately
| walked out of tue saloon and dis
appeared.
WHAT McPHrLLrPs DID.
| Sheriff John j. McPnillips was made
aware of the escape of the two prisoners
Immediately. What did he dor Did he
| at once direct his strong force of con-
stable to scatter In all directions In search
OF the fugitives? Did he telephone to tue
| police to Id him in securing the pris-
oners who had escaDedi
| Not much. Sheriff McPhillps Is not
that sort of an Official. He simply has
| tened TO Constable Earle, and when he
| found him hopelessly drunk called an
/ other constable to his aid and together
! they placed the dtunken constable on q
car and put him in cal OF the conductor
| with careful instructions to take him
home. Then. but not till then, the police
were informed of the escape of the pick
pockets, aud the labors of McPhiilips to
capture them ended. A Sheriff in COM
mand of as many men as McPhilips has
under him, should have recaptured these
tn ewes inside of an hour.
4 Two weeks ago The News related how
Sheriff McPbilliips was gwen a writ of
attachment to serve for the law firm of
Babbitt & Lawrence. These lawyers had
been employed by big law firm in New
YORK to sttend to this case. There is not
firm in New Jersey whose standing as
of Babbitt .& Lawrence, and
yet this man McPhiliips sue
ceeded in placing the firm In a very
bad light before their professional
brethren. McPhillips lost the import-
ant writ and at the expiration of six
! Babbitt & Lawrence inquiriDg about the
condition of the case. Babbitt g. Law
renee, not having heard from Sheriff Nc
Phillips. supposed that he had executed
the writ and that settlement of the
case had been made with the New York
firm.
AN INJURED FIRM.
Surprised 10 learn this suppoSition was
untrue. the firm made inquiries at the
Sheriff's Office and was told there that
the writ had never been given the Sheriff
to serve This bold untruth was exposed
by Messrs. Babbitt & Lawrence. who
| produced receipt for the fees that had
been paid McPhillips to serve the paper:
| The Sheriff then admitted the truth and
said the paper had been lost.
Since then the New York firm wrote to
Judge Knapp, of the Sup eme Court, and
told him about what they supposed was
the neglect or even worse of Messrs. Bah
BIZ & Lawrence, and requested judge
Knapp to recommend reputable and re-
liable firm of lawyers In the place of Bah
bitt & Lawrence. Judge Knapp knowing
personally the eminent respectability OF
| Messrs. Babbitt g. Lawrence at once con-
cluded an error had been made by some one
and he communicated with he firm, who
OF course explained how the Sheriff had
failed to do his duty. and put the blame
where it belonged. on Sheriff McPhlllips.
Thus il is that this man McPhiIlips, by
his neglect, nearly Injured the business
| SfQnHiuU