The evening world., 1894-09-15
LOOKS LIKE
AN OUTRAGE.

tConHrusd from FYrR paoe.)
ing the past year or two the L road shops
have been running on half time.
Until Wednesday of last week he re-
manned in the house, but as his rheuma-
tism got no better, he decided, II posi-
BILE, to get into hospital for & couple OF
weeks. He had two-fold object I'm this.
first that ne might receive proper treat
| ment and rest. and second. that he
could avoid running up n board bin.
lie had never asked sucI n favor be-
fore FROM any one, and did not know
| how 10 go about 1t, getting into some in
stitution. He thought, however that Poe
lice Justice Burke, who then presided
| over the Harlem Police Court, would
have Influence" enough to get him In
| some where.
Accordingly Kelly dressed himself in
MS blue SUIT. the Grand Army button
| being conspicuous on his coat. He was
perfectly clean and ncnt In appearance,
having nothing resembling the ,vagrant
about him. Then he hobbled down to
| the Harlem Police Court.
| According to his story he asked JUS
tice Burke this simple request:
can you give me few lines, Judge.
to some hospital where ! may stay for
week or SO and get rid Of this rheu-
| atism?'
Justice Burke. he says, asked him n
he had any home. Kelly thought the
was keeping house.
"Of course I told him I ala not have
a house" said Kelly, in detailing his
boarding at present, If that is what you
mean
Committed ms n VaErant.
He declares that Justice Burke did
not ask him another question. Instead,
he made out some paper and motioned
TO an officer. The next moment, as
Keely tells IT, he was a prisoner
Why, it. was n, TIE biggest surprise i!,e, !
Evening World" reporter. II simply
asked him TO do me favor which even
the corner grocer could have done for
me. | did not want TO be committed.
been taken care of by the Sisters who
look after our Post II | wanted any
thing like that. But there I was.
hand on my shoulder I protested, but
! was pushed from the courtroom
down to the prison. There ! was locked
plank bed alongside of the worst specl
mems OF humanity l eve. saw In my
IT did not know what the outcome of
and mortified that did not send any
word to my friends thought perhaps
that ] might be sent to n hospital after
all. was In terrible agony and did
not sleep a wink that night. The food
l got there was something awful
Next day." he continued, II was
put into the van, with half a. dozen
others. one man had the jaundice and
was even worse off than I. Well, they
drove all over the city, first to the
Horkville Court, and then to Essex
the Tombs. where the paper Justice
over"
Keely's story Of life in the Tombs would
MI volume. Being III, he was probably
allowed little more privilege than the
others. He was told he was vagrant,
and had TO sleep Mt night in the chair
which he sat In during the day.
II was hoping even then" said Keely,
that some doctor would examine me,
ana have me sent to the hospital, but
during all the time was there ! never
got particle of medical treatment al
though l was in torture"
Rescued by Missionary stephens.
Kelly was in such ptiable condition,
ana looked so out of place in the prison,
with his Grand Army button and blue
suit that he attracted the attention of
Mr. Stephens the missionary. The latter.
who attends the Tombs almost daily.
heard his story. and became interested.
and resolved If possible to get him out.
He began search of the records, but
could find nothing showing that the
man had actually been committed as a
vagrant
Learning the name and number of the
Post to which the man belonged, Mr..
stephens visited Adit Thompson The
latltT was tnunderStruCk,
why" said the Adjutant to the re-
reporter yesterday, "Comrade Kelly was
one OF the best men In the Post. and is
a past officer Of 1t. He is "A steadygolng
man, ana has an excellent record. The
fact that he had been put in prison as
vagrant nearly took my breath away
when | heard IT,"
Mr.. Stephens kept at work on the case
perslstently, hut he did not seem able to
get hecly out The latter, in the mean
Hme, had written to his daughter on
staten Island, and she came up to New
York to demand an explanation from the
man who had sent her father to prison
as vagrant, when even IL he had no
money, she had a comfortable home for
him. She saw Justice Burke, and was
amazed when the latter said:
committed hlmselfr
.. Anyhow; he gave her an order for her
day last. and Kelly, who had then been
In jail full week, was released.
When the reporter called at 81 West
One Hundled and FOrty-ifth street yes
terday Kelly was at first not inclined
to tell his story.
Il know what these fellows are" he
said. and II they found out | was talk
ing about my case they might try and
nave me put out of my position, and |
expect to go back to work again Mon
DAY morning; You can't tell what kind
of charge they might make against me
But II is an outrage 10 say that |
asked to be committed. ! am ready to
swear that all | asked Justice Burke for
was a few lines to some hospital
4 nave Go' a. want of the law but
1t does slrlke me that II wtS 4 funny
way to treat MIN whD ris<Al his life
Tor his country. when Naif the fellows
who are now running things were hiding
at home"
Justice Burke was not at the Harlem
Police Court yesterday. but Chief Clerk
John MCCahc. who Is also Secretary TO
the Board of Police Justices was When
the story OF keely's trials was explained
said:
II cannot believe that Justice Burke
would hold any man unless he actually
asked to be committed. or had been ar
rested" "
Then he went over the records and
found under date OF Sept. G, the follow
ing entry:
Name. Address Charrc DIs,,,
Patrick Kelly, su West 18th. yag C6ariti '
That entry shows" con STtIn vSrdi''t NIr
McCahe. that krrly must have com,
United himself and told the Justice
that he had no home. Furthermore. he
must have been perfectly sober al the
| time That Is not what We call commit
ment In the latter case a man is sent
| up 10 the island for six months or So
In kcoly's case he was simply rc-
ferred to the Commissioners OF Charities