New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-04-02
LONG ISLAND CRY Ar ITS BEST

The loud timbrcl was triumphantly sounded
in Long Island City on Thursday afternoon,
and still more triumphantIy on Thursday night,
To celebrate the dcliycrance of Patrick GleaSon
out Of the hands of the PhiliStincS. jury of
his peers had acquitted him of the odouS
charge Of using unnecessary violence while en-
gagged in diSlocatlng the shoulder of Alfred
Nelson on "A beautiful June day Of 1891 1t
was a delicate question 10 determine. and the
verdict was awaited with deep solictudc. On
the one side Mr. Nelson contcndcd that his
shoulder might have been dislocated in a far
more ,uave and fclicitouS manner; while on
the other side Mayor Gleason protested that
it was a dcft and elegant performance, and
altogether beyond the reach of reasonable crit
ic>m. The issue was closely drawn and It
was felt that everything depended upon the
discrimination of the jury. To the credit OF
the human intellect, the SophiStricS Of the
prosecution did not prevail. The jury found
that Mr. Nelson was hypercrtical and censori-
Gus. that Mayor Gleason applied Just exactly
enough force To the execution OF his task to
accomplish IL with ncatncss and dispatch, and
that instead of blame for bungng he deserved
praise and admiration for his deXtcrty and his
precise adaptation of the means To the end.
Not only the jury but also the populace took
this view of the case and plans were AT once
formed for cNpr >>ing public appreciation in an
effective and becoming manner. The multi
tudc DIS .ilod in the court room burst into tn
,nutuous ,a,.s; the city boSSomed with
nags: the public schools were closed a pro-
cc-,ion found itself in spontaneous motion the
dice were instructed that everything short of
murder would be condoned for the rest of the
day and the Coroner WAS ready Ia pronounce
ever, violent death suicide. And 80 with
.r.> of loy and flowers and banners and
,annun and bells and the merry crash of glass
and dear little children toddlng in his wake.
the Mayor was borne along in triumph 10 his
Office. while the carpinS Nelson faded out of
recollection.
The only melancholy reflection which the
acouitta of Mayor Gleason suggests is this
that if he had been >kiiulIy defended year
or two ago he would never have been con
victcd and sent to jail 1t might easily have
been proved in that case that when he graSpcd
a refractory reporter and wiped up the floor
with him he did so not only with the hnppicst
combination of grace and facility but Likewise
in "A singularly mild and unctuouS manner
Ordinarily when "A jury inSpectS a physical
wreck it is inclined to reason that a consider
able amount Of force must have been required
to produce the given result. But hereafter no
such suspicion will attach To the achievements
of MAYOR Gleason. 1t has been aSccrtancd
that he has disease of the heart and that
the slightest Oycr-cAertOn would instantane-
ously kill him. SO long, therefore, rs he is
obviously alive no charge Of violence will hold.
When arraigncd for assault and battery-or
mansaughtcr, in case his adversary is weak
ling-he will merely arise in court and say, "
still live" and the indictment will be dismissed