New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1895-09-08
HOW CRIMINALS ESCAPED.
A BATCH OF OVER 100 FORGOTTEN IN
DICTMENTS DISCOVERED.

THEY WE'RE FOUND DISTRICT ATrofs-
NEYs OFFICE RECENrLY-sOME OF THEM
DATE BACK BEFORE THE WAR. AND
WILL PROBABLY NEVER BE PUSHED.
over fifteen hundred old forgotten and untried
indictments have been discovered in the District
Attorneys office and will probably be turned over
to the Clerk OF the Court of General Sessions to-
morrow. They are for all sorts Of wrongdoings'
from felonies to m!sdemeanors. including homi-
eide cases and the most Of them are for serious
crimes. They are not "outlawed." but In force,
and are against many people who are probably
walking the streets to-day and feeling safe In the
suppostion that the Indictments against them
had been pigeonholed beyond resurrection. II the
namec OF these people were printed. the publicity
would probably cause CONSERVATION in many
quarters.
Many Of the witnesses in these cases are dead,
however, and so. probably. are some Of the Of
tenders Moreover. the District-Attorney's office
and the courts. already swamped with work, could
hardly handle these old, forgotten cases.
Although the officials in the District-Attorney' 8
office were unwilling to talk about the discovery,
enough was learned by Tribune reporter yester-
day to warrant the assumption that with money.
influence and other pulls" of bygone days many
pass that the charges against them were hidden
away in limbo 81 forgotten indictments in the
old District-Attorney office.
ANTE-REFORM METHODS.
Before the first Of this year II had been the Gus
tom Of the Distrct-Attorney to take charge of all
indictments, although, legally they should have
been In charge Of the clerk OF the court. During
these years IT often the custom Of the District
Attorney to dispose Of indictments with some
what summary "nolle" Under the new order Of
things. early this year an order was made in con-
sequence Of public agitation Of the subject. that
the Distrct-Attorney should turn over all indict-
ments 10 the clerk of the Court Of General ses,
sions Consequently Chief Clerk Cnger gathered
these indictments together had copies or records
made of them and gave the originals 70 the chief
clerk saving that he had turned all Of them over.
Several weeks ago an old box full Of cobwebbed.
yellow and dusty indictments was found IN the
office The box had been taken to the office in the
new Criminal Courts Building from the old Cen
eral Sessions Building in the City Hall Park. the
discovery Of its contents was accidental COlOnel
Fellows was informed. but otherwise the discov-
cry was kept secret. Mr.. Unger put number 81
men at work sorting and making records Of the
PAPERS and recently most Of the clerks have been
busy at the labor, as they were yesterday after
noon.
The age Of the indictments average about
fifteen years Some bear date OF ante-bellum
DAYS and the newest Of the lot is not OF less
than ten years standing. during that uiie
Messrs. McKeOn, Olney. Rollins. Phelps ana
Garvin were Observation-Disclosures, and some we'll
known men were chief clerks. Just why the in
dictments were pgeonholed is hard 10 say.
pulls" and loose methods may in some sort ac-
count for the condition Of things.
HOW THE INDICTMENTS WERE TREATED.
As an example Of the way the indictments were
treated an instance is given Of one against
the proprietor Of disorderly house. The de-
hal cd of no
was released without bail on the statement, in
dorsed on TIE Indictment, that Captain Byrnes
would be responsible for the persons appear
ance for trial. That apparently was the end
Of the case. Some OF the papers indicate that
the accused had never been arrested. Although
Il Is not likely that many Of the indictments
will be pushed. a publication OF names and ac-
cusations would probably be an interesting reve-