The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1894-08-26
IN TEE roUHrH DISTRICT oorEr.
How Pubiio Busisess II TrassaetSs ~ tAs
Bfrtriet Court which Exercises suunrsS'
..,.a..,to, nv.e ehs Mast ThtehIy

Il AAAA' WIN AiAN w - N'A'
arc the Tenth and the Seventeenth, and In
clude the territory between Division street on
the south. Fourteenth street on the north. the
Bowery on the west, and Avenue u on the east.
by the Federal census Of 1890 the population Of
these two wards was given at 1917 ,o66. These
figures understatcd II is well known, the true
population Of New York. the actual population
Of this district being at that time about "OO.OOo.
and now, probably, $4,000. The area OF the
district Is AL acres, which makes 1t the most
densely populated district " New York, II dem
sity made diversified nnd picturesque by the
motley character of the Inhabitants, Irish In the
upper portion, called MaCkcrcivillc;' German
in the middle portion. called "DutchtOwn,"
and Russian and Polish In the lower portion
called " New Jerusalem" The presiding Judge
ofthis district is the former Tammany Hall lead
or In the seventh Assembly district. George +.
ROcsCh. an impulsivc. cxc!tabie, and unJudiclal,
II not inJudirious, american. His pre-
vious service in the Legislature four years in
the Assembly ard four IN the Senate certainly
qualified lin to interpret the statutes regulat-
Ing the business OF this court, II being a statu-
tory tribunal entirely, and having no powers or
jurisdiction except such as Legislatures have
from time TO time conferred and as other Legis-
laturcs may from time to time abrogate or
amend. Judge Roesch IL a native Of New York,
30 years OF age, and u graduate Of tho DE La
Sale Institute. lie studied law at the Columbia
Law School and was admitted to tho bar eigh-
teen years ago. lie Is now In the first few
months of his service as a judicial officer and is
deprived, while so serving, Of an opportunity TO
display his abilities as an orator. which are com
siderable and absolutely exceptional, among
GCrnan-Amcric Democrats in New York.
The number of eases brought in Il year in the
Fourth District Court is 10000, and Of these
about 1000 ure so-callcd Landlord and tenant
cases" wherein recovery of premises Is sought
for nonpay mcnt of rent. More than half the
lltigants who have business in this court speak
German. and many of them speak no other Ian
gungc. Nearly half of them RUSSIAN and Polish
Jews arc very litigious) speak what Is called
"Yiddish jargon,' II corrupt admixturc Of Ger
man and Polish. with some Ncritablc Hebrew
words and some AinssuriC phrases Incorporated.
a SCN representative was In the Fourth District
Court the other day-it Is In Florence Hall. ut
the corner OF First street and Second avenue. in
n building owned by Edwin Elnsicin, the Re-
publican candidate for Mayor in 1899. This Is
what lie saw: When the court opened. promptly
at . o'clock, there were about 800 persons crowd
cd into the cDurt room. II railing dividing the
lawyers from the l!tigants. II mechanical bnr-
rier without which IL would be- difficult u
make the distinction. There were about 200
cases pending, and the Clerk of the court,
julius Hamburger, who has been in active and
Efficient service there twelve years and speaks
various lunsuagcs and understands various din
lecta. began calling what il known ~ the "cul-
cndar," made up chiefly Of jaw-brcakiug names.
This work was continued until nearly 10 O'Clock, !
NJ which time the cases had been set aside In /
catches tllo-s adjourned, thosc ready for trial,
those To be dismissed, and miscellaneous cases
awaiting the appearance uf the Judge. lie ar
rived u few minutes bcfurC 10, very neatly at
tired In n suit Of army blue and wearing in his
left coat lapel n white rose. carry ing ia one hand
u hro"n Nali-e and in the other his brown Derby
lat, wearing russell shoes and presenting u fine
picture Of good health, some share Of the praise
Tor which IL due To Athlete Billy iiutdOOn.
under whose WestChcStcr county care and
direction Judge Rocsch has much Improved In
outward appearance, especially since il" shaved
OF an unlccpninE mGu-tdrlIc and Joined, HS all
eligible single men ought Ia do, The rank 81 lie
b"nudiCtS ia January. On taking his seat on the
bench Judge Roesch. after complirnentinV Clerk
HarburGer for his diligence aud efficiency in
were amy motions for further adiOurnmpnts.
Thercupon every one Of the lawyers in court
some Gcaticuiating iuaily, and all insisting TINT
they must have further time before trial. II
the cases, which continued FOR one hour. and the
real business OF the court began.
\ forlOrn specimen Of free raw material in hui
mnuity, - wan Russian %litigan,, C!airacd Sl2.dO
and services Oh buttOuiolvs-srye thousand at
eighteen cents per hundred. The dcfenccw was that
thc rate or payment Tor huttOnh0lrS was not
eighteen. CENTS i hundred. but eight cents n hun
dred, and that he had been engaged with tho rate
OF pay llrilt HNcu NJ mat iglrc. ihc defendants ]
there were two ~ them offered s1.dO in settle
msnt; only one or them appeared and submit
tea rrn q H,Ii: ,En 81 mpp"rsriiy showed that eight
IN; hill especially FOR this cas-, didn't, yout'
sad JUDI. Roesch, Yes, sir" said the defend
plantations. and congratulations the real facts 81
he cas-. we're disclosed. The Judge reserved
only wherein to determine a case, but the out
come of it was sufficiently fureshniowed.
Fourth District Court. invnlvingg Usually ON on ONE ,m"
side or the other "A SurG!daess amounting almost
10 brutality and an apparent willingness On lie
pnrt OF many litlgants 'aud witnesses To perjmrc
themselves in the moot deliberate manner, aud
vices, such as inducing a plaintiff TO leave the
court under representation that his case /. adj
tonrnGd aud then having il dismissed, or Undue
ing IA defendant Ia 20 away under the same pre-
test amt then recovering judgment against lin.
me landlord and tenant cases there are about
course, he hardest "a try, because of the hard
ships which the decision Of such eases imposes.
turn out any resident ofa dwelling lease from
annthcr on duplication Of the landlord, except
suI'l IN eviction. means positive MISERY to the
or his family, bat the Judge j. with
sumo under II lax view OF the law. In his treat
nlent 81 dispossess eases Judge ltOesrh shows
himself Ia he u humane and sympathetic Iuan,
inclined 10 moderate the rigOrs Of some OF the
lrnElnlonN % Law, and Ia give the poorer and
weaker defendants every reasonable advantage.
He l. AN earnest listener Ia all cases. th0ughtful.
p1lite, and fair, though lacking In patience and
ins W herman thathftcrlstics or giving
great attention 10 iln!mpOriunt trittCs to the neg
o. disregard or mOrr essential particulars.
some noticeable things about transactions of
the day. business In the Fourth District Court
are these: The word Judge is universally Dnn-
nounCed by Gcrmans and Jews "Genrge." All
female defendants proceeded against for non
payment Of rent bring habies tUr. rather, one
baby ",chl 70 the court room; About one-ihird
nT those ailsW Eases Tor Law yrrs appear 10
De minors, and some Arguments we're made To
the court by boy az fourteen or fifteen years OF
nge, This Is unusual In other tribunals, and is
due IN part Ia thr fact that Jewish boys are gem
hralS precoctons. The most excited litigation
In this court seems To be over sums Of money
very small in amount, whereas cases involving
lnrgrr amounts seem 10 he heard and tried in a
and judicial manner.
Under the rules of the District Courts all
- handled not BY the Judge. but 10y the
llrrh. lie J., in fact, the treasurer Of The cont.
The total sum passing through his hands in
car amounts Ia between $4,000 and $50 600.
some idea OF the powers of a civil Judge may
be lind from the, fact that, while the average