The San Francisco call., 1897-11-24
How the Fraudulent Business
Thrives in the Police
Courts.
BONDS MYSTERIOUSLY DISAPPEAR.
Attorney Jones Tells of Many of the
Methods by Which Justice Is
Defeated.

A case is now pending in the Superior
Court OF this county in which the defend
ant, one D. S.ernseher, is charged with
the crime of perjury. The disposition of
tnis case, which is set for trial before
Judge Carroll Cook on next Tuesday, will
be of more than passing interest TO those
classes of people known as straw and pro-
iessional bondsmen.
Sternseher was indicted by the Grand
Jury, which charged him with having
periured himself in qualifying on the bail
bond of Alma Osborn, a notorious panel
game operator. The Osborn woman was
arrested last August for grand larceny and
was held TO answer on the charge by Po-
lice Judge Low, who placed her 7nds at
$4,000 The woman sent to Los Angeles
ana procured $500 cash, which she offered
as security for her appearance in court.
Judge Low refused the cash bail. There
alter Sternseher and Ed Lewis appeared
before Judge Campbell and qualified on
Alma Osporn's bond.
The day following Lewis applied for and
obtained a bench warrant for the rearrest
OF the woman, but she could not be found,
and is still at large. Sternseher swore
when examined by Judge Campbell as to
his qualification as bondsman that he
was a freeholder in this State and owned
nine lots in AlmOra, San Luis Obispo
County, which were recorded IN his name,
free of incum brance and OF the value of
$25O0.
The inve estigations of the Grand Jury
which led TO ernseher's arrest showed
that he owned no property in San Luis
Obispo County VII ttever and was not
Ireeholder In any part of the State.
Lewis was but little better security than
Sternseher. He swore to the ownership
of section OF land in Indian Valley, Lake
County worth $15, coo and mortgaged for
$1,000. c. E. Newman, tond clerk of the
Board OF Supervisors, learned by inquiry
OF a SCISSOR Russell OF Lake County that
Lewis $40 acres were assessed for $500
From another equally reliable source IL
was learned that Lewis had not vet paid
the State the full purchase price of the
property.
In spite of the ev dent guilt of Stern
seher, Chief Deputy District Attorney
Hosner, who will prose cute the case, ad-
mits that it will oe difficult to secure q
conviction on the charge. The present
law governing the acceptance and reguIa-
tion Of bail bonds Is Inadequate, and the
perjury cases make convictions difficult
and Oftenlimes i'm possible to secure.
Largely on account OF these facts
tht ugh from other Causes as well, the bail
bond system in the Police courts of San
Francisco has become VIGOROUSLY pad.
Straw oondsmen gather in nun bers
around the police tribunal. and profes-
sional bondsmen are much more nu-
merOus. Men and women charged with
one crime and another obtain their re-
lease from custody on a bond which, when
forfeited by their non-appearance, is
found to be absolutely worthless.
The law firm OF Jones & O'DonnelI have
been for years the authorized agents of
the city for the collection of forfeited
bonds. Years ago the then Board of Su-
perVlsors passed resolution requiring the
clerks of the Police courts to report all
forfeitures OF bonds TO Jones & O'Don-
nell. In regard to this question Mr.
Jones said yesterday:
For time these reports were made,
but OF late years some of the clerks have
been very dereict in their duty in this
respect. 1t often happens that the only
information we get about the forfeiture OF
a bond comes to Us through the medium
Of the daily press. On account OF the care
less manner and methods in the accept
ance and custody Of the boAds it very
often hal pens that the bond is missing
when dec."red forfeited. In such an in
stance no suit can be brought, because the
names of tile bondsmen cannot be ascer.
tanned. no record of The same being kept
in the Police courts. The fact OF the mat
ter Is, ne never get hold CT a bond unless
it is a straw bond. The good bonds, if
tor cited. disappear.
'The Boards OF Supervisors have fre-
quentIy turned their attention to The de-
plorab'e condition that exists in regard to
'he release OF criminals on worthless
bonds, as have The grand iuries. The
POI c. courts, however, are re ulated bY
a'e law, and hence the power OF the
Supelv.s RS 10 recify tAe evi of the ben
system are limited. 1t is true the board
has The appoln ment of clerks in the Po-
lice courts and the power 10 remove them
tor any failure n the performance of their
duty. But probably the board has not
been very seV4le on some OF these clerks
by reason of the act thai the whole sur
rouudlngs OF the Police courts are so cor
Tupt and degraded.
When professional bondsmen become
obnoxious to the Police judges and clerks
ana are rejected AS sureties, they initiate
others into the mysteries OF the bail bond
business, in which many men have made
small fortunes in the Police courts of San
Francisco. There are men who 20 on
Police Court bonds time and again who
are worth the amount of the bond, and
yet continually escape paying ANYTHING
wnen the bonds are forfeited. They either
make themselves execution proof and
conceal their properly, or manage,
through ways only known to themselves.
10 have the forfeited bonds mislaid or
ost.
Bonds have frequently come into nv
possession 1or collection in which the
form OF the bond is bad and not in COM
pliance with the requirements OF the
statute. For instance the obligation to
paw contains the word not inserted in
such way as 10 make the bond read, We
will not pay such an amount. In ether
bonds the suretles swear in the iustifica-
tion that they are worth the amount OF
the bond over and above their property
exempt from taxation instead of execu-
ton. In Still others the condition of the
bond requires the bondsmen to surrender
the pr soner at any and all times and pay
the amount OF the penalty, thus rendering