New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1893-03-08
AGAINST JUSTICE GRADY.
TIE CITY CLUBS COMMUNICATION.

HIS RELEASE OF THE WOMEN BEING CoNsID'
Erred BY THE GRAND JURY.
DIstrictAttorncy Nicoil yesterday made public The
communication Of the City Clubs Committee on Law
core rning the action OF Police Justice Thomas F.
Grady in the case OF eight dsscrte women who had
been committed to the island by Justice Tain,or.
The document Is signed by General Wager Svaync,
chairman OF the subcommittee, and is as follows
Dear Sir: The City Club Of New.York has referred
to It's Committee Law matter which, that committee
having first looked into it themselves as iar as theA
powers extend respectfully ask be further inquired
into by the Grand Jury now in session
November Il, 1892, eight women wc;c committed to
prison months Migrants by Police Justice Ia
tor They inmates OF house OF ill-famc the sup
preston OF which by criminal proceedings had been re-
peaedy attempted. few hou.s later the release oil
these women was procured by Police Justice Grady
This was done by addressing to the Commissioners Of
Charities and Correction In the case OF each OF these
women q request be discharged Such tequcsts
the Commissioners by Police Justice are pro-
by law and made OF the functions Of his
office As such, each is received by the commissioner
official certificate OF most in the application and l.
treated conclusive Some Thousands OF such requests
arc acted upon without question every year.
Upon these requests from Judge Grady thercfoe, the
prisoners were Immediately discharged When the Com
missoners learned what had been done Though them.
steps Immediately taken TO rcarret the prisoner
but none Of them has yet been found
The law restricts such requests as valid basis OF
ocon the police justice by whom
the prisoners were committed. Some OF the justices have
made for discharge but rarely except in cases
prisoners committed by themselves believing the practice
wrong but the law as such has never been observed
The records OF the City Workhousc show that during
1892 1O2 men and ffty.eight women were discharged
upon the requests made by police justices other than
those By prisoners committed The records
of the District Prison show the practice equally
prevalent upon larger scale The existence Of this
vision been known until the urgent need
OF IL this brought It's existence TO light Perhaps
this was because OF It's obscure place among the multi
dnous provisions the Consolidated act BY which this
city is controlled.
The commissioners longer discharge except upon the
was committed The fact remains that when such
request is made they cannot but treat 1t as an Official
certificate OF merit In the application They have moi
time or go behind It.. Tho result Is virtually
unchecked power every police justice 10 discharge ut
will all prisoners he has committed
1t respectfully submitted that the working OF 'his
power invites examination, such herein requested ana
that the history OF these eight discharges. Judiciary
osccrained would prove Instructive in that connection
The communication Is now in the hands OF the
Grand Jury, which will probably base prcsentneh'
on the facts It contains 1t Is not likely that Justice
Grady will be indicted, because he took care 70
vio;e the law only I'm spirit and not In the letter
He used a regular blank but crossed out the worn
direct and wrote above II request. vi course'
bo had no more right to request than hh!Dody cisc'
The commissioners OF Charities saw that the ordinary
blank had been used and did not notice the eiisurc
This will probably protect the justice.