Cameron County press. [volume] (Emporium, Cameron County, Pa.) 1866-1922, 1900-04-05
New YOrk's Police Have No
Regard for Either.
A STARTLING STATEMENT
Grand Jury Arraigns Gotham's
Officials in Strong Terms.
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY.
ale Is Especially nentioned as Abet<
ting the Reign Of Vice In the Netr0p-
ohs-Ae Asks Gov. Roosevelt 10 Or
der am Investigation.


der am Investigation.
New York, March 31.-The March
grand jury concluded its labor Friday
by handing up to Recorder Goff a pre-
| sentiment which arraigns in severest
terms the police department. and the
city government, the Third Avenue
| WreckerS, the district attorney and
the newspapers. George Putnam,
foreman of the jury, explained that
the grand jury had not dropped the
lhrd avenue investigation. The an
nouncement by the district attorneys
once to that effect was untrue, he
said. Neither had Assistant District
Attorney unger asked the grand jury
TO authorize the abandonment of the
inquiry.
The preSentment says that the
grand jury undertook to inquire into
and secure knowledge as far as pos
sible concerning the work ana the
methods of the police department in
its relation to violations of the law on
the part of the managers of immoral
resorts. They report further that in
such endeavor they failed to receive
from tine district attorney any help or
effective cooperation. The grand Jury
We're in duty bound to find indict-
ments as so advised by the district at
torney against a comparatively incOn-
spicuous official. But they were of
the opinion and they so stated to the
district attorney that if this official
was guilty Of criminal negligence in
permitting open violation of law to
flourish in his precinct his superiors
were criminally responsible, even to n
greater degree, for the existence of
such conditions. The district attor-
ney in reply to our specific written
questions stated in his written answer
that no complaints have been made,
nor did he know of amy violation of
law and that he had no evidence to
present on this question of the respon-
sibility of higher official"
The grand jury expresses the opin-
ion that with capable and earnest
district attorney the police depart
ment would find it both difficult and
dangerous to permit or to tolerate
certain conditions in our city wh:ah
are almost fragrant in their defiance
of law and order"
The preSentment handed up by the
= =
the hearing of the City clubs charges
against District Attorney Gardiner.
When the hearing convened Mr.. I'M
termeyer, counsel for Col. Gardner,
arose and called attention to the pre-
sentiment and stated that Col. Gardi-
ner had prepared a telegram to be-
sent to the governor asking for inves-
tigation. Mr.. Untermeyer then read
the dispatch, as follows:
'.Hon. Theodore Roosevelt: ma
jority of the grand jury of this county
has to-day made a presentment
against me, concerning the conduct OF
the office of district attorney of this
county, which is monstrously unjust
and is unsupported by 50 much as d
of evidence. | am con-
vinced that the present action is due
to the active advice of one whose per-
sonal hostility to me has been Il mat
ter of public notofiety and the sub
ject of newspaper comments from the
time | assumed office. Contrary to the
usage of grand iures, it's
communications with me have been
almost exclusively in the form of cor
although am assistant
and deputy assistant were regularly
oH tutI "Gth tltlll ana present every
day, and although on several occasions
personally attended before them.
This unusual course | have assumed
to have been resorted to in the hope
Of procuring in that way a foundation
for a presentment | am most anxious
that the correspondence and all he
between the grand .ury
and myself and my office shall be the
subiect OF your immediate investiga-
tion.
Il therefore respectfully request
you TO refer this presentment and
ccntaind in it to the COM
missioner appointed by you who is
now taking testimony upon the
charges preferred against me.
For the purpose of eNpediting this
course, hereby consent to any mode
pf procedure thMt the attorney gener-
ii may deem legal for that purpose"