New-York tribune., 1902-05-22
MARSHALS UNDER CHARGES.
LEGAL AID SOCIETY MOVES AGAINST FOUR OF THEl-
ATTEMPT TO STEAL EVIDENCE FAILS.
MARSHALS' TRIALS JUNE ,
SUCCESSFUL ISSUE OF THE TRIBUNE'S
INSTALMENT CAMPAIGN

Charges were preferred yesterday against City
Marshals Commskey. Lee. Ahrahamson and
Angerman by the Legal Aid Society. John G.
Clark announced that the Mayor had decided 10
hold hearings on marshal cases on June and
3. In Mr.. Clarks hands also charges
against a number of other city marshals. Most
of these charges have been sent in since The
Tribune hegan It's agitation against the mar
shals
The agitation conducted by The Tribune aud
the Legal Aid Society against the instalment
business il is at present conducted. and
against the apparent alliance between, certain
of the city marshsis and the most depraved and
desperate of the instslment sharks. is at last
bearing fruit. At the outset it announced
that charges would be preferred against certain
OF the city marshas, This done yesterday.
But almost as important has been the i'm
provement that has come i'm the situation In
Ludlow Street Jail When The Tribune started
its crusade it pointed out that Ludlow
Street Jail was the collecting house Of the in
stalnent dealers. Scenes of daily occurrence
calling forth the protest of the warden and his
assistants, actual cases OF terrorizing and black
mail we're described Al that time the number
of cases brought by the instalment dealers and
marshals to the Jail averaged nearly one hun
dred and fifty month. Sometimes the daily list
would be as high as eight. Since the attack
began the number has dropped TO maximum
of three four week. There have not been
twenty cases since about four weeks ago. when
The Tribune recounted the conditions existing
in the Jail. Fve-sixths of the illegal. the out
rageous and the inhuman attempts at terror
izing the poor and ignorant through the fear
of prison have been checked. Last week there
was not q single case at the Jail.
THE ARREST OF ISAAC sTROMBERG.
Still another important step the bringing
about Of the arrest of Isaac Stromberg, prom
inent instament dealer. He and his brother
Samuel at present under bail, charged with
extortion The case originally placed In
the hands of District Attorney Jerome, and
now being prosecuted by Assistant District At
torney Elder. of Kings. The adjourned
last week, to permit the defence to submit "A
statement. 1t viii come up again on Friday.
But a more sweeping and important step has
been taken this week by the Legal Aid So
ciety. which placed in District Attorney Je-
rome's hands samples OF the iewelry which is
sold widely by the East Side dealers This
jewelry is marked IA carat. while. in fact. the
specimens submitted to the assayers have
proved 20 be only six eight carat, and cor
respondingly less in value This. of course. rep
resents a fraud. but 1t represents fraud
common that the officers of the Legal Aid So
ciety believe they can strike a staggering blow
to the entire business.
Attacks on the instalment dealers have been
frequent At the outset of The Tribunes cru
sade the dealers defiant: they
terrified. Arrest and prosecution stare many Of
them in the face The publicity The Tribune
haS/given to their manner OF conducting bust
mess has put an end to the wholesale Kidnapping
of men, the breaking and entering OF houses
and the saulting and beating of their victims.
The n.arshals too. who assisted them earlier.
nov refuse 10 handle their cases. officers of the
Legal Aid Society daily entreated to cease
their attack
INSTALMENT DEALER ASHAMED
II am ashamed now to tell people how make
NV living" said a prominent instalment dealer
10 Miss Loew. of the Legal Aid Society, only
Yesterday. Il intend TO get out of it
as possible. The instalment dealers have lost
thousands OF dollars i'm the fight"
Il expect to be dismissed, said one of the
marshals lately.
Rut perhaps the greatest achievement has been
the effect of the attack upon the people who have
subnnftted so long to the outrages At first they
we're unwilling TO speak They had grown used
na1ad 10 n cell-like room. where they were
Hned for hours without food. They SC-
-cus,on,ed 10 seeing the officers Of the law ar
ravad y against them. and they remained silent.
n C-radualIv however. the extent of The Tribunes
evnoeures stirred them, and they began to tell
-, tbav had suffered Men who had been in
,ha sr,riov Of the dealers and had refused 10 do
csc and enabled The Tribune to put forward
~ 6rct authentic statement based on the
60, a,r,,ariauces Of a collector.