New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1894-11-14
A LAZY DISTRICT-ATTORNEY
ANOTHER EXAMPLE OF FELLOWS'S
NEGLECT OF DUTY.
HIS sHIFTLEss METHODS ILLUSTRATED IN THE
CASE OF W. H. sCHooLEY. A LAWYER,
WHO WAS ALLOWED TO PRACTISE
IN THE COURTS. ALTHOUGH 20
lie WAS A FCGITINE b.
FROM JtSTKE'


District-A ttorney John r. Fellows declared yes
.erday that he not to be blamed because WI
am H. Schooey a lawyer who had been indicted
tor alleged forgery and theft and had forfeited MS
oail. had been allowed to continue the practice oi
aw In this city unmo,ested.
1T was all the fault of the police" the Coio0ei
said
Schooey Was arrested year ago To- Offering 10
Sell railroad bonds which had been stolen from Mrs
Ellen Gay OF Washington, in 1890 ii was asco'-
tanned that the numbers OF he bends had been a.
tered to facilitate their sale. and 10 TIE CRIME o.
theft the crime Of forgery had been aHie,L inc
Grand Jury found two Indictments aga!ns; Sch)o.eY
,ne for grand larceny and the oher 10: forgery ana
the case against him seemed to be - c.e'r as TO
warran; sending him - prison In short order IL
was held s. coo bali for trial bu; the amount Wa
reduced later 20 $500 ana Mrs. Eva NJ. Pap? OF
Eas; ehundrel-anl- thlrty-s.Eth-st.. gave o2nls
Tor Schooley.
In February when Schoolev's case vas called Ter
trial he failed to appear, and MS bnii WAS a.
.lared forfeited by Judge Fitzgerald, who a.so -
sued a warrant for his arrest. Then IL was iDtnu
- that Mrs. Raop had sold The property Wh'ch she
had owned a. tie time sAc gave bonds 10" me DI1'
and the julgnea: against her had 10 be r"tufh'"
IN. tisfcd. Schcoey had Office at NO "l9 Gieen-
wich-st.. and he continued to vs.t his Once ai'ei
the warrant for his rearrest issued but ne
was not rnoles,ed. He lived at No. 41l Yves; In'
ty-s.xth-st until about four months ago. when ne
moved TO No 30i West Thrtieth-si There were
REPORTS that n ever had been seen a; the ONCE OF
the District-Attorney. yet the bench warrant when
osd been issued by Judge Fitzgerald remained IN
served.
The case against Schooiey had been in me hanaa
~ Assistant D.s,rict-Attorn"y Davis at first. Du'
Assistant District-Attornoy Osborne HAD prepared
the case for trial. lie well known by slght 10
both officials. on Monday afternoon Mr. DAVIS was
Informed that Schooley had appeared in Part Of
Of 4 m q a motion
had not been molested in the active practice OF
law although he was a fugitive from justice Inc
amazing information caused a stir In the Dlsrlct-
Attorneys Office and detectives were sent to look
for Schooev. but he not to be found either at
his Office in Greenwich-st, or at his home IN ihr-
tieth-st-, and he not arrested.
Ds;rct-Attorney Fellows said yesterday that the
warrant for the arrest of Schooey had been in the
hands Of the police. and the police ought to have
found the 1t not the business OF the
District-Atorney. he said. to go about looking FOR
such fugtives. 1t his business to try criminals
when they were caught As to the forfeiture Of
Schooley's bail. he said that anybody could give
bail for a prisoner and then dispose of property
with impunity The law should be changed 50 hs
bondsman he said.
Assistant DistrictIAttorney Davis said that
with no influence and no means and II was absurd
ney's office would want TO protect him. Mr.. Davis avis
also declared that 1t was the fault OF the police mat
the city
Detective sergeants Reilly and Won Gerichten.
who are under the immediate orders of the District
Attorney. said that the warrant FOR the arrest Of
Schooley had been taken to the Central Office. and
that other detectives supposed 10 be searching
for the
Colonel Fellows has always been fluent in making
excuses while he has constantly neglected his duty
lie has immense staff of assistants, clerks. de-
tec:ves and messengers and il is the most eXpen-
sve staff controlled by any dstrct-attorney IN the
whole world Yet District-Attorney Fellows has
been taken task repeatedly for the shftless and
inefficient manner In which the affairs of his Office
are conducted. He Is the most lazy. ndoent and
inefficient DstrctAttOrncy ever known in this city.
and II he does not resign he should be dismissed
from office 1t Is his duty to initiate proceedings
for the indictment of guilty persons in cases where
he has of knowing that crimes have been
committed. but that is something he has failed 10
do preferring wait until some citizen has made
a complaint. 1t is the business OF the Dstrct-At-
torney 10 that indicted persons are held safely
for trial. and If OF them forfeits bail all the
resources Of the Observation-Disclosures office should
be brought into play to have the guilty person re-
arrested and punished The Of Schooley Is
only another illustration of the lazy, shiftless and
the business of the Dstrct-Attorney' office. An
active. vigilant and efficient DstrciAttorney. upon
being informed that a indicted charges OF
forgery and grand larceny had forfeited his bail.
would have used all possible means to recapture
the fugitive from justice. He would have reminded
the police of their duty search for the and
would have had members Of his staff give all pos
sible aid in the search. Colonel Fellows simply did
nothing