The San Francisco call., 1895-11-02

Messrs. Denis Donohoe Jr. and James
W. Keys write to THE CALL in reference
to the case of G. P. Johnson, their client.
Their communication is as follows:
To the Editor Of the San Francisco Cdll-SIR: In
answer to certain statements and comments
made by Judge Low of the Police Court in an
interview in to-aay's CALL, relating to the case
of our client, G. F. Johnston, the man who was
arrested three times on the same charge, we
beg to say:
First-The statement of Judge Low that we at
any time concurred in his outrageous demand
that Johnston should pay $500 as the price of
his acquittal or in any way or at all, to Cen
era1 McComb or to the society, or to any other
person, is absolutely false.
The Judge IN his interview, with an obvious
view toward dIverting attention from the real
subject matter of our complaint states that
the money, the payment OF which he de-
manded, was intended for the .fcare and COM
fort OF Johnson's children" and with an obvi-
Gus view of impressing upon the more emo
tional portion of the public mind wnat good
kind little man Judge Low is, he has much to
say in his interview concerning "little inno-
cents, poor children" ETC. Now, as matter
of fact, we distinctly pointed out to Judge
Low-and he well knows it, because it is the
Comb personally, would be his personal prop
erty, and any such sum paid to the society
would be donation to its funds and would
not 1nure to the benefit of Johnstons children
at all. who, by the way, were in the custody of
another institution altogether.
Second-As to the Judges kindly remark in
MS lnIerVleW-LnaJ 1t looked 10 MIN as II we
wished to keep the case in q turmoil in
order to collect large fee-we appeal to the
record of the case itself We did not swear to
two faulty complaints; we did not arrest
Johnston three times on the same charge; we
did not refuse to obey the law of the land and
do our sworn duty and dismiss the third COM
plalnt, charging misdemeanor, when two
former complaints for the same offense had
been dismissed; we did not, after the first
complaint was dismissed, cause Johnston to be
locked up for two days III the County Jail on
detective COM plant and then only release him
on 5000 bail, with two real estate owners as
sureties, most difficult thing for working
man to obtain; we did not ruin Johnston's
business, deprive him of his livelihood, break
his name and deprive him of his children
This is the turmoil to which Judge Low
alludes, and this turmoil was occas ioned by
his own indefensible acts and his own ont
rageous and Illegal conduct in endeavoring to
force this man by threat OF six months i'm
prisonment, the maximum penalty to pay
General McComb $500.
Thlrd-Judge Low artfully conceals the fact
in his statement that we made two npplica-
tions for a change OF venue, the first iInme-
diately after the first complaint was dismissed,
on the ground OF prejudice and bias He
denied this application. 1t was the second
application made the other day which he so
GLADLY" granted.
The whole sum and substance of this matter
is this: Judge Low, either to curry favor with
the agents of this society or Tor some other
ulterior purpose of his own, abused his powers
as Judge and endeavored by such abuse of
said powers and by threats of imprisonment to
compel the defendant charged with this mis-
demeanor to pay $500, not as fine but as a
donation or git. In so doing he violated his
oath OF Office, the law of this State the dictates
of natural justice and principles of manly
honor. When he finds that his attempt on
Johnstons purse cannot succeed he asperses
the motives of the persons who rescued John
Ston from his clutches. Yours faithfully,
DENIS DoNoHoE JR.,
JAMES w. KEYS.