Evening star., 1894-01-01

Pennsylvania railroads through the city in
manner that would do away with grade
crossings.
A large number of other bills, including
the several right of way bills for street
railways and one bridge bill. were left upon
the calendar at the close OF the session
having failed in final passage.
The Fffty-third Congress assembled in ex-
traordinary session at the call of the Pres
ident August z. A reorganization of the
District committees was the first matter
OF local Importance Mr. Heard of Ohio
became chairman of the House District
committee and several new members We're
added. The Senate District committee had
practically reorganiZed at the special ses-
sion OF the Senate called to consider pres
idential nomin. tions Immediately after the
accession of President Cleveland March l.
Senator Harris of Tennessee succeeded TO
the Craftsmanship of this committee and its
personnel was otherwise changed
As before stated, practically nothing Of
District interest was accomplished during
the extra session A large number of bills
were introduced and several received action
in committee, ready to be taken up at the
regular session, and this was the situation
when the extra session adjourned.
Only one measure of local significance
has received presidential sanction at the
present session of Congress namely the res
olution extending the leaves of absence of
victims of the Ford's Theater disaster.
I'm the Courts.
| The most important event of the year in
the judicial system Of the District was the
establishment of the Court of Appeals
The bill establishing the court became
law in February. On the I4th of April
President Clevland nominated Chief Jus
tice Richard Alvey of the Maryland court
| of appeals to be the chief justice, and
Martin F. Morris of this city and Seth
Shepard of Texas TO be associate justices
of the court. and on the LIST of May the
court was formally inaugurated by Chief
Justice Fuller of the United States Su-
preme Court. For the establishment Of the
new court members of the District bar had
/ worked for years. and while IL met some
! opposition, IL being contended by some that
an increase of the members of the District
supreme Court, and not the establish
ment of a new appellate tribunal. was the
| most desirable way TO perfect the judiciary
system of the District, the ability of the
members of the court and the progress ii has
made in clearing the appellate docket Of
| the District has. ii is thought, fully JUS
/ titled the wisdom Of those who advocated
il and who so long fought for it. Many
! important decisions have been already rem
dered by the court, among them being
those in which the validity of the act of
March 3, 1883. regulating the sale OF liz
quor within the District was sustained: :
| the Patterson case, in which the validity
| of the act regulating the conduct of insur-
ance business was also sustained. and the
Ford's Theater disast crease, i'm which the
demurrer OF Messrs. Ainsworth, Dant. Cow
ert and Sasse to the indictments charging
them with mansiaughter was sustained.
During the past year a new judge ap-
peared upon the bench of the Supreme
Court of tte District in the person of Chas
| G. Cole, who was transferred from the
| position Of district attorney TO that OF a
member of the District judiciary. vice
Judge James. who had resigned because
of failing health. Judge Cole qualified on
| the 1lth of February. on which day MIR.
| Arthur A. Birney qualified as his successor
! In the Office of district attorney. Perhaps
/ "a 10 10
Court made such gratifying progress in the
work OF disposing of cases on its dockets
After the formation of the Court Of APP
peals two branches of the Criminal Cir
cult and Equity courts were formed. and
4 these, together with the Orphans Court,
have disposed of an unusually large num-
| Der of causes Many of the cases tried
have been of more than usual Importance
notably the final disposition of the Schnei-
der murder case, and also of the Arnold.
Howard. McKeon, Hardy and Norris muir
der cases; the Olmstead. Rupert Horton
and other will cases; the Pulaski civil ser
vice case, in which Judge Bradley sus-
| tained the civil service laws; the Metropol-
| it2n railroad case, in which the same Judge
decided against the government in it's ef-
| fort to forfeit the roads charter; the Pal
metto trade mark case, in which Juoge
Bradley declared that the state of South
Carolina had a right to its trade mark; the
affirmance by Judge Cole of the conviction
of John Shea for violating the new liquor
law, and the aftirmance by Judge Nc
a
lice Court offender The heaviest iudg-
ment recovered during the year was that
of Mrs Ragland against Messrs. Woodward
& Lothrop of the Boston House for false
arrest, although in several of the wills
broken the amounts at issue were much
larger.
In the matter of the suits filed and in
dictments found during the year the rec
| ord is about that of the past recent years
The suit filed during the year which arous-
ed decidedly the most interest. not only
here, but also throughout the country was
:hat of Miss Madeline V Pollard. instituted
August last against Representative Breck-
inridge of Kentucky, claiming $4,000 dam
ages for an alleged seduction and breach
OF promise. The suit, IL is thought will
hardly reach trial within twelve or eigh-
| teen months time. On the criminal side
OF the court the case of widest interest
here and throughout the land was that of
Messrs. Ainsworth. Dant Covert and Sasse
indicted for manslaughter in connection
with the Ford's Theater disaster of the 9th
OF June last: During the very last days of
the year the Indictment of Bookrnaker
Marvin and his three assistants and Pres
fdent George H Engeman of the Ivy City
Jockey Club resulted from the efforts of
District Attorney Birney to prevent win
| ter racing and its attendant evils.
Police and Crime.
The good order for which the city is well
known was perhaps more noticeable in ls93
than ever before. The records of the police
department show a decrease of about . zoo
arrests, as compared with the preceding
year. During the year 1892 the arrests ag-
gregated about 2S.0O0, while the last year
the figures show only about $3.50. In no.
lice circles matters We're unusually quiet
during the year. There were no changes
among the higher officials of the force
While many small robberies were reported
most OF them were cleared up by the Of
ficers, and the offenders were brought 10
justice. With but few exceptions there
were no evidences of the work of profess
sional burglars. The visits of the u1yster-
ious person known as Jack the Slasher'
caused much trouble In police circles as
Wen as anxiety among housekeepers He
was one OF the few criminals to escape ar
rest and punishment A large decrease in
violent assaults and homicides is shown
there being but fourteen homicides against
thlrty-flve during the preceding year. While
the homcides decreased, the suicides large
ly increased, and they, of course had 10 he
looked after by the officers During the
year recklessness on the part OF officers
with their pistols was called to puhlic az.
tention several times, and one officer dan
gerously wounded an inoffensiye colorad
man whom he met on the street at a late
hour at night Sergt. Kenny distjnguisbeS
himself in killing a negro burglar therebv
saving the life of his brother officer ana
Tor the killing he was exonerated by a cor
oners jury. Through the efforts of the o.
heers during the past year a plan was de-
vlseo by which the alleged bogus commits
sion merchants were prevented FROM prey
| Inc