The evening times., 1897-02-26
BONDS THAT ARE A BOTHER
Oddities of the System in Vogue
i'm the District.
MIR. B0ARDMAN'S DILEMMA
Cannot Regain Possession of His
Stolen Watch Unless He FnI-
nfshes Real Estate Security to
Produce 1t at the Trial-Meaning-
less Personal Bonds.

Mr.. Frank w Boardman, secretary of a
Member OF Congress, who was robbed last
Monday by Night liner Wright of a valu-
/ able gold watch and other articles, is
! anxious TO obtain possession OF the time
/ piece before the prisoner is tried. lie is
aware that the offense charged against the
prisoner viii require investigation by
| the grand jury, and il Wright is indicted
a trial before the criminal court. Then
there i s the possibility or rather probability
! OF a motion for a new trial and other
dilatory motions. This means a long
! time for Mr. Roardman to wait for his
watch, which must, according to law, re-
main in the hands OF the police unless he
can comply with the bond require nentstore-
! gain possession of it.
Mr.. Boardhan had these things in mind
| yesterday afternoon, when he called at
! police headquarters TO see about getting
! the watch. He had heard that several
months might drag along before Wright
would lie brought TO trial, and he wanted
his watch at once. 1t is beautiful time
| piece, which cost him S125. Ii has no
double nor duplicate, for it was made to
order expressly for him, and has original
parts.
Il would like TO get my watch now"
he said TO one OF the detectives.
impossible, sir, unless YOU furnish a
bon! in the sum OF $3.50 To have the watch
here as evidence against the prisoner when
l.aa F.F,.
clad law in force here
But the watch is not wor Ia intrinscally
$3.50. suppose now it would be rated as
worth about S75 although il cost me S125
to havttt made
The value OF the stolen article TO he
uSedas evidence against man under arrest
cuts no figure replied the detective.
The same bond would have TO be fur
nished if the article were on! ! a corkscrcw.
tits the law and there is no getting around
it,"
In his anxiety To regain possession of the
watch. which he regards as a sort OF
pocket partner or companion, Mr.. Board
man offered to leave the $3.50 in cash at
police headquarters as a guarantee that he
would have 1t here at the time OF the
trial.
The detective informed him that even if
he left 81 ,0G0 in cash the watch could not
be surrendered.
The law distinctly says it shall he a
real estate bond
Mr.. Boardman is not a resident of this
city and did not know TO whom he could
apply to act as bondsman. However. he
was confronted by the cold uucompro
missing law, and as the detective said.
There was no getting around it.
This case is given as one illustration Of
the bond system in vogue here. Others IN
different lines can be cited. Aninteresting
one is that connected with the vagrancy
law. In some cases, when the prisoner
is proven TO be a vagrant under one or an
other Of the several provisions OF that
unique law, but there are in the judges
mind circumstances which commend the
prisoner to the mercy Of the court, his per
sonal bonds are accepted. These read ONE
thing like this:
You, John Smith, acknowledge Your
self TO be indebted TO the United States
in the sum OF $50 cor 81 0O) lawful money
OF the United States, to be levied upon
Your goods and chattels, lands and tene-
ments. upon condition, nevertheless, that
you appear in this court from day TO day,
etc -
OF course, John Smith is not the pos
SCISSOR Of any goods and cnattels, lands and
tenements," and probably never did own
any In d great majority Of cases John
Smith has barely clothes enough on his
attcnuated form 10 wad u shotgun, and
those few tattcred, soilcd garments are
his only earthly possessions. Hence the
&c
Next is the regular real estate vaCrancy
bond ranging from $50 to $500. 1t 1e-
quires a bondsman with a house or lot,
unencumbere d, to furnish this sort Of
bail Many such bonds have been furnished
They can be bought with impunity about
the police court, the boDdsmen sometimes
being men who own an old shack in the
suburbs worth anywhere from $500 to
900, according to the value of the
land. But these owners do not hesitate
for a So or SO fee to furnish bail for
persons charged with vagrancy, no matter
how disreputab BILE or unreliablethey may be-
They know full well their property is
safe. The bond holds good for six months
and hundreds upon hundreds of them have
been violated by the person repeating the
offcnse with which they were originally
charged But there is not one record in the
District of violated vagrancy bond ever
having been collected. Hence those who
assume this sort of bail assume no risk
Their property is safe though John Smith
violate every law in the land during the
six months he is supposed to be on his
good behavior and the bondsman can bail
and bal and bail to his heart S content
In the criminal court it is different
Bonds given there must be of durable
character. and can be collected. AS in
the case OF property to be used as evil
dence, the police court bond must be real
estate. No money can be accepted, no
matter il ten times the amour of the bond
is rendered. Several years ago q we'll
to-do foreigner, charged with being a
suspicious character-one Of the provisions
OF the vagrancy law-because he had black
mailed citizen, offered to put up ST. 900
for six months to cover a $500 bond, but
it could not be accepted.
These are but few instances of the
vagaries and inconsistencies of the Dis
trict bond system. Their name is legion.
why Babies Like to Pound.