The St. Louis Republic. [volume] (St. Louis, Mo.) 1888-1919, 1903-02-15
WHEN DISTRICT ATTORNEY
JEROME OCCUPIED A CELL
New York Jurist Tells Of His Arrest
and Detention In a Police Sta
ton Several Years Ago..

New York, Feb. 14.-District Attorney Je-
rome has spent part Of a night in a prison
cell. How the present Prosecuting Attor-
and how he was brow-beaten by a police
man, forms a chapter in his life which
last week he was forced to make public.
Olmstead, in the tax fraud cases, a lawyer
asked q witness:
Have you ever been arrested?"
Il object. l have been arrested myself.
That Is no crime" said District Attorney
Jerome.
After the examination was over Mr.. Je-
rome was piled with questions as to when
he was locked up. He told the following
story:
III was back in the Lexow days, when
and police protection Of criminals here. 1
was then IN enthusiastic bicycle rider. In
fact, l had just been elected a Consul of
the League of American Wheelmen.
I'VE were anxious to see that the law
against riding on sidewalks was enforced.
One night there was to be a dinner party
er. and some people were invited whom l
didn't care to meet.
in the afternoon / started out on my BIZ
cycle and rode up to the old car stables OF
was being laid, and 1t was hard to tell
just where the line of the sidewalk ran.
l calculated as accurately as could, and
then prided myself that as a Consul Of the
League OF American Wheelmen / would
not violate the law. and was riding in the
middle OF the street.
Il had not ridden over half a block be-
fore u policeman yelled out: 'G'wan, get off
the i made some reply, and the
policeman. a big. burly fellow. showed my
bicycle over. l told him l was riding In the
street, and he said:
Young fellow, none of your back talk
or | will put you In the COOP
HURRIED TO
STATIoN-HOusE.
Il did not think I was going to be ar
rested and made some reply. He just
xnn T.. yDa 1nn-n 10 tho ofafinr. hnYfQ0 hi
ccyc,e and all.
"Those were the days before the passage
of the law allowing a bicycle rider to
asked what I had done, and the policeman
kept repeating: Riding on the sidewalk
y made a protest and gave them my
black or white. my age. married or single.
ard If / was born in ireland or America, a
hle doorkeepper put his hand on my Shout
der and said. Come on. here.
Il knew the law and demanded my. rights.
I said if 1 did not get a sheet of paper
and a messenger boy that there would be
of writing paper, and said he would send
the messenger boy TO my cell. They took
me behind the bars and when | looked
around the place l felt pretty bad.
IT did not dare to sit down anywhere.
and it was not long before l found that
! hal cellmates by the hundred who were
walking all over the walls, over the bed.
6irE and floor. ] stood in the middle OF
the cell and yelled for the doorkeeper. He
said The messenger call was out OF OrOer.
but thet he could get somebody to go for
me. l said: This is no IS shake-down.
After a couple Of hours a messenger
boy arrived. ] penned a hurried note to my
mother saying that ! was locked up, and
asking her to send bail"
District Attorney jerome began to laugh
and said: Now. Just think. The diners
were having Il happy time. My mother
glanced at the note and said to herself:
This is another joke of Travers's: He
does not want to come to dinner Mother
put the note in her pockft.
FRIEND GAVE BAIL.
Toward II o'clock my wife began to get
anEious and SURPRISED that ! did not return;
She asked mother about the note, and
tnen It finally ds wned on the whole party
that I WAS locked UP In a cell. One of my
friends ri dinner hurried up to the station
house and gave the bail.
II vas a mighty happy man when re-
leased. } That was the only time I was ever
ia TIE coop charged with crime. and the
next day Judge HOGAN. that dear old man.
said I was not guilty and discharged me
from custody"
Mr. Jerome. during his years Of work as
Assistant Prossru' ing Officer. a Judge and
new District Attorney. has assisted IN
sending TO prison many thousands of GRIM
inais. hut last week was the first time that
he ever acknowledged his stay behind the
bars. y