New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1904-04-24

!. Office Of Third Deputy Police Commissioner. The
as tt OUble gang" is police parlaEce for The men
who have the llnack or fault or hard luck
whichever one likes-of getting hauled up on
charges. The Third Deputy Commissioner pre-
sldes over the court at which the policemen
--are tried anG punished
After the resignation OF John T. Cowan, a
few Gays ago. there came 20 the gloomy old
.-FIeadquarters building in AIulborry-st a new
trial Judge, sn the person Of Harris Lindsey.
lie is a cIubrnan and q lawyer the best dressed
man al Headquarters. and one Of the youngest
men who ever held this important deputyship.
He Is a soldier, too. having served through The
Spanish war. - the present time holding
a commission IN the state militia The trouble
gang" can't quite size him up and It's mem
hers VIII watch the early sessions Of his court
. with great interest
- "A soldier and a lawyer" exclaimed police
man who manages 10 get himself before the
Headquarters court about twice a month.
wouldn't make you tired? Bein' q lawyer.
he'll hold court like real Judge. Bein' soldier.
he'll be q stickler for discipline. BEN both.
excuses won't CO. Now. wouldn't It make you
z-tired?"
90 They're changing judges altogether too often
ITO suit me-" chilned in another patroirnan. We
no sooner get on TO one depUlys curves IMAM
they spring a new one on US"
E. isn't there some advantage IN the changes?"
f.asked a Tribune reporter, who was looking Tor
csidelights on the workings OF the Headquarters
court. The new judges don't know your past
records. and they are not so suspicious OF the
e. old excuse"
Don't let that worry you," returned one OF
the patrolnaen They look US UP. and by read
ing over old cases they are wise as to excuses"
That IS what Deputy Commissioner Lindsey
has been doing with every spare moment-look-
ing over old cases and studying police law. The
~excuse that passes muster in his court will have
70 sound very much like truth
Il tried sixty cases the first week OF my
deputyship," said NJ. Lindsey the other day.
and they gave ne great insight into police
affairs They called me an easy Judge shall
Try to be Just one. I am inclined TO hold my
hand in the case OF the younger men They
may get into difficulty because they are not
. used to the discipline If man gives me
false EXCURSIONS that IS not borne out In the
evidence shall consider * & most serious Of
fence.
The court must be conducted IN an orderly
way and propose to make II as much like
regular court as possible. Rules Of evidence
Twill be enforced. and 7 VIII permit no comment
an the courtroom my decisions. Will hold
court twice q week once at Headquarters and
on alternate weeks in Richmond and the Bronx"
There were Just two interesting cases in Deg
s,utv Commissioner Lindsey's first batch Both
policemen were charged with entering saloons
one man turned his visit into opportunity TO
bet on the races.
=: Il was getting evidence" was the excuse that
lodid not go through.
20. The other policeman had a new excusei
q Il went into the saloon TO sell tickets 90 q
benefit for the widow OF a policeman killed
his post"
:, The excuse lacked the stamp OF truth. and
life t1reee-ver Ia eypected
1t would be.
The vast majority Of police offences come
under few heads. Being OF ones beat and
failure to patrol beat properly are perhaps
the most numerous. These charges are nearly
always made by roundsmen- Clubbing com
plants are usually made by citizens. and there
saas been G considerable falling off IN their
number IN the last two administrations. In
-toxication IS the cause OF many policemen get
ting into trouble. and for it there is no stock
excuse. The patrolman has nearly always
taken medicine. not whiskey. and the diseases
they seem to think be cured by drugs that
ssmen en6 act like liquor are legion
o. Debt and family trouble are two charges that
frequently come up. A policeman can get credit
almost anywhere, ana some merchants try to
use the Headquarters court collecting
agency Every possible sort OF domestic trouble
has cropped out at the Headquarters court at
on record OF q case which involved both debt
and domestic trouble It explains itself and
reads:
no policeman ought TO keep two families
when he can't afford it II you can't pay rent for
two women. you had ought to pay your wife's
rent first Fined thirty days pay until this rent
As paid"
once IN While policemen get into trouble
Tor strange things. One Shay year OF so ago.
rescued a man from drowning at some risk to
himself As the man was not injured. he did
not think It worth while TO report his own
bravery. The one rescued was grateful, and
wrote to Commissioner Murphy in Shays be-
half. AS q result he was hauled before the
Headquarters court for failure to report. An
other man was fined by an eccentric deputy for
firing. at an escaping thief and failing hit
him.
The police force never had to face a Judge who
knew its vices and virtues as did William s.
aDevery, who IN 1891 presided over the police
trials Deputy Commissioner. Nor did the
aeourt for bluecoats ever have such picturesque
personality the Judgment seat
= Almost the first he tried brought out a
most brszen excuse Cor debt from q patrolman
named whyte.
:, How about this debt. any wsyR" Devery
-nslzed.
~ i've had many fines I couldn't pay IL"
: Asked what kind CT supplies he owed for. he
finally admitted that 1t was Tor drugs and
liquors.
2, Fifteen days pay for hangin' up people for
a-i-Q-u-o-r-s." was the sentence
cowboy Jack" MCGEE q mounted poucernnn
of The Bronx. was GLIB with excuses He was
drought into court by his captain for trying to