The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-09-26
BoNDSMEN CAUSE TROUBLE.
RECORDER ENTERS a PROTEST
AGAINST PROFESSIONALS.

ridge Directed Desk Sergeants Not
to Accept One of Them-The Order
COuntermanded by the Mayor.
Bonds at One Dollar Each.
There Is a difference between Mayor
Myers and Recorder Hartridge, on account
of the professional bondsmen, who nave
become in measure unofficial attaches of
the Police Court and whose presence and
practices have proven a serious annoyance
to the Recorder. His dissa usfaction with
the state of affairs eliminated yesterday
in vigorous protest.
The protest found partial expression at
the session of the Police Court The Re
corder does not believe that his protest
/ will avail him anything or that
it will result in betterment
of conditions, but he is anxious
that the people should be in possession of
the facts and understand that it is not by
his consent nor with his appreciation that
professional bondsmen thrive and flourish
beneath the arch of the particular temple
of justice over which he presides
The thing has become intolerable,'
said the Recorder, "and it would greatly
| please me if something could be done that
/ would result in the abolition of the prac
tice. 1t has been going on for years, 1
| presume, but it is only of comparatively
late months that its more unpleasant fea-
lures have assumed such striking import
ance. have endeavored to stop 1t myself,
| but my efforts have been rendered futile"
The game is worked in about this man
ner," said the Recorder "A man or wo-
man is arrested for some violation of the
! laws of the city or the state, and is taken
to the station house. Once there
! friends start out on a search for one of
! these professional bondsmen, and the lat
ter for a reasonable consideration, serves
as the friend in need. The consideration
| usually charged is ST. which Is increased
in some cases, by the gravity OF the ofense
or the amount of the bond required of the
prisoner, TO twice or three times that
| amount"
Personally, I don't care who stands
the bonds of the prisoners, If
only the prisoners appear in court
| at the time their cases are
set for trial" the Recorder said. IF
| they do this, it is a matter of Indifference
whether the bond be good or bad or
whether the security on the bond be
! pauper or a millionaire. The trouble is
! that some of the professional bondsmen
! have not penny's worth of property and
| care not penny whether those for whom
| they make themselves responsible turn up
! in court or not. They are quite unable
to respond in money or property to any
| judgment that may be had on their bond,
and hence don't care a rap how many
! judgments are recovered
| lone of the stars among the professional
bondsmen follows his profession and at
! tends to his business with a pertnacity
and determination worthy of a better
! and &c
passes that he is not on a dozen or more
bonds. 1t is hard to tell and harder for
me to remember how many he signs in
the capacity of security. This morning il
was five. Several months ago the failure
of prisoners released on bond to appear
! had become particularly frequent,
and l was weared by the annoy
ance to which l was myself subjected and
OF the extra duty that this course of con-
/ duct on the part of the bondsman and his
| protegees obliged me to impose upon the
members Of the police force. OF course
when the defendants failed to appear. [
! had TO require the officers by whom thew
had been originally arrested and who were
present in court prepared to testify as wit
nesses against them, to arrest the defend
ants again and to appear the following
morning. By this means these officers
were obliged 10 do extra duty and to an
! pear in court when otherwise they might
have devoted this time to needed rest ana
recreation.
ITO protect the court and its officers
against a repetition Of these practices 7
! instructed the desk sergeants not to ac-
cept as bondsman this party l knew that
| he did not return a cents worth of nron
erty for taxation and had nothing upon
| which any judgment recovered on the bond
might be levied. Therefore, l saw il was
| useless to turn the bonds over to the citv
attorney-that they were of rather less
| value than the paper upon which they had
been originally written. The only course
open to me that would serve TO protect
the court was to issue instructions not to
accept bonds from the party again.
| thought that this was strictly within the
right aud province of the presiding Off
Ger Of the Police Court and thought fur
Their than / had solved The problem. Sub
was most mistaken"
Il don't know what happened in the in
terVening time, but a few days later the
superintendent of police received a letter
rom the Mayor, in which he was directed
10 instruct the desk sergeants to accent
as a bondsman the party whom | had di-
rected should not be accepted There was
no conference with me on the subject
my orders were simply and fatty counter
! manded and abroga ted There was moth
| ing more for me to do, other than TO pos
sess my soul in such patience as I was
!
when the Police Court convened TODAY
/ the usual bondsman's name appeared as
security on five bonds. Two of the prin-
| cpals were present in court, but three Of
them were not to be found. II was there
fore necessary for me to repeat the or
ders | have been compelled 10 give so
! often in the pas. instruct the arresting
officers TO rearrest the defendants and to
appear in court against them in the morn
! ing. l apologized to the policemen for the
necessity under which l labored and can
not but think that any system that COM
pels the imposition of extra duty on Of
/ hcers, without cause or reason is wrong
in principle and should be abolished But
| ] am without power TO do 1t myself. as
/ nave had demonstrated to me in the past"
! Another of the professional bondsmen
! is a negro I don't know whether he has
any property or not but l will say that
| those for whom he stands security usually
turn up. l wish also to say that the SUI
! perintendent of police is not responsible
| for the permission OF this objection ~,