New-York tribune., 1895-09-19
CROWDED WITH WORK.
COLONEL FELLOWS SAYS HE HAS NO TINE
TO ATTEND TO THE OLD COMPLAINTS.
HE ADDS THAT MORE COURTS ARE NEEDED. AND
THAT HIS HANDS ARE FULL AT PRESENT
CHANCES FOR BIG REVENUES
IN TIE OLD DAYS.


IN THE OLD DAYS
Colonel Fellows. the Distrlct-Attorney. asked
yesterday about the musty old indictments and
complaints resurrected In the Office of the District.
Attorneys clerk the time such papers were
transferred to the keeping OF the clerk OF the court
| There were fifteen hundred indictments, and
the story of the way In which they had rested In
case in the Dstrict-Auorneys old office, and had
thence been taken in box 10 the office In the new
| Crimna. Courts Building. was told In The Tribune
| recently. These indictments, IL seemed, had been
pigeon -holed" for a purpose the offenders named
therein walking the streets serene.y happy as Il
their names had never been before the Grand Jury
years ago The indictments are still effective, but
1t was said at the time OF their discovery that the
courts and Distrct-Attorneys office were unable
to handle the work OF the present, and could not
possibly attend to these yellow. old indictments
though many Of them were for felonies. The in
dictments bore dates ranging from 1863 to 1888
1t came to public notice yesterday that with
these old indictments more than one thou
sand complaints which had been resurrected. listed
and turned TO the clerk OF the court with the
ancient indictments.
These complaints. dated between 1868 and 1888.
contained accusations OF misdemeanors and fell
ones and are now outla wed. Originally they were
sent to a District-Attorney to be submitted TO the
Grand Jury for action. but never reached that
body. After they reached the District-Attorney
dus;.
Many OF the complaints came from police courts.
and were for all sorts OF crimes from petit larceny
to murder. and from murder to misdemeanors
District-Attorney Fellows said of these old in
dictments and complaints
"I am NOT an archaeolog!st, and couldn't be ex-
p~cted with the work in the office, push these
cases that represent tho accumulations OF past
wears There is SO much work now that all the
cases can't be tried. In making up the trial lists
for each day there are generally more cases on me
lists than can be tried. l have to decide which
use the discretion which my Office permits M -
so try TO get an assortment OF various kinds
OF offences the list each day, ana especially me
graver cases In cases have no option ana
every day there are cases that cannot De, p nu'
with the Grand Jury grinding out more indctmsnts s
than We can handle, the work rams behind. I.ere %
should be more courts. and had tax Win GOV
ernOr Morton yesterday about securing some iihu'-
a Sa,e rehei pi ge.'s m or ow him 10 do So to hold
court to help us out There are now more cases on
calendar than the courts can by any posspiiity
'Now. to come to the old indictments As each
Dstrct-Attorney goes into Office he gets from ms
predecessor a schedule OF pending. Con
sequently have not ordered any searcn 70 De mace
for these old back number cases, ana cannot
raw what their final disposition will be. | cannot
say why the old papers we're laid away. 1ou WI WI
and 1883 about that. We have got our hands tuli
with own cases, and nave NOT the tinle an anu
opportunity to take up these Old cases or my preus
cessors in Office ,,,-.-,.. ,..o...,.s oeico
The chief clerk In the DlStrlct-AttOEUtl ; OHIDt
H. " I-nger said that the reason the old com
plants were not spoken OF az the time h- talked or
the indictments found in the same box vas be
cause ne attached importance 10 them This
saying was seemingly qualihei by Mr. ngers re-
mark that although the pressure OF indictments
was continually so great that there were numbers
undisposed OF. complaints were always presented 20
tho Grand Jury under the present administration
and that this was considered important. Mr.. Unger
gave figures TO show the number Of indictments
ground out by the Grand Jury each year the in
ability OF the courts to handle cases and the large
proportion Of handled In the District Attor-
ney's office.
When asked II he believed that the old indictments
and complaints had been smothere1 In dust for the
purpose OF gratifying those who had pulls and
plenty OF money in days gone by, Mr.. Inger said;
''You can draw your conclusions.
An attache OF the office said that the complaints
were undoubtedly "pigeOn-hoied' for an ulterior
purpose. that the matter much more important
than that OF the forgotten Indictments and showed
clearly that something had been radically wrong In
the former administration of justice. The names In
the complaints not divulged.
story Is current In the Criminal Courts Build
ing that once In the free and easy days OF the mys
terious past IL 1900 10 have complaint pigeon
holed and 500 10 Kill indictment At these fig
ures undoubtedly low. 10000 would have been re-
ceiv-d for the suppression OF the complaints dis
covered and 100000 for the indictments. No partcu
lar District-Attorney is mentioned as having been
the beneficiary under this system.
II was said also. by several attaches that eX-
Assistant Attorney A II. Puriy relates that
when Moses Clark chief clerk 1900 indictments
were taken to his house one night and there de-
c4~ xat