The Minneapolis journal. [volume] (Minneapolis, Minn.) 1888-1939, 1905-03-17
WANTS TO KNOW
ALL ABOUT HARRY
NEW YORK WOMAN WRITES TO
Ell, MAYOR JONES.
Says It Is Urgent that She Learn
lat Once' Whether the Notorious
Silberberg Was Married and Divorced
- Harry" Meanwhile, Denounces
the American Police System.

Mayor Jones has been asked to write
an essay on the doings Of Harry Sill
berberg, alias j. J. Carlisle, for the
benefit OF a young woman Of New York
city, who declares she must know his
complete history immediately.
IN her letter received today she asks
IT Harry was really bad or the vic
tim OF circumstances. She especially
desires to know whether he was mar
rled when here and if divorce was
ever obtained. She assures the mayor
reply is wanted Sat once ...
The mayor said he would not attempt
to decide as to Silberberg's guilt or in
nocence, but would send copies of the
papers and let her form her own con-
clusions. In closing she asked the
mayor to keep her name secret and the
stationery, handwriting and phraseology
OF the letter would indicate that she be-
longs to the, better class. The letter
maybe "Harry'' has something else
up his sleeve.''
Silberberg Is Angry.
Silberberg, who was recently re-
leased from custody in New York city,
does not like the American police sys-
tenn Of bounding men with bad records.
In a long interview in a New York
paper he asks the question: "Can a
man with a past have fair chance
to reform under the present police sys-
tenn, or is he to be bounded and the
public told of his misdeeds every time
success is near? In a word, is the
man to be prevented from making an
honest living7'
M ,ho+
berberg's past, his recent experiences in
New York when he was arrested
thrown into jail; his picture taken for
the rcgues' gallery, and every large
city in the United States invited to fur
nish charge against him, when in re-
atty there was not thing standing
in the criminal courts of the country
against him, seems to. afford ground
for complaint. He claimed that he was
engaged in New York on a legitimate
undertaking and that his arrest and de-
tention have spoiled Ills prospects.
"The New York system is brutal as
compared with that Of any city in Eu-
rope,' said Silberberg. "In England,
a man who has once been convicted Of
crime and has paid the penalty, is no
longer treated as criminal, and it is
record either in conversation or in the
public press. In France and Germany
it is the same, and altho man may be
Swallowed by a detective and even sa-
luted by his real name by the officer, he
is not molested further unless he has
actually committed some crime.
Different in New York.
elbow different from the ways in
Europe, are the practices Of New York
detectives, which is the system fol-
lowed by most American police forces.
Here a man is arrested, thrown in jail,
held on suspicion, until the officers are
satisfied that he lis all right. They
never think how SERIOUS this may be to
any legitimsts .enterprise'the man may
Silberberg's interview gives; a mega
tive answer to the question he has pro
pounded and seems to indicate that it is
impossible for a man with a Hpast -
to live it down under police suryeil-
lance. He takes up his own, criminal
record, which he explains at length and
tries to make light of it. He claims that
there was nothing criminal in his mas
querading under the name of }. Cole
man Drayton, inasmuch as his signature
Cunningham Drayton and was not a
forgery.
Commenting on Silberberg's state.
ment, Police Commissioner McAdoO OF
New York said:
I have read the article with a good deal
of interest and have no hesitation In say
ing that Silberberg is altogether the most
interesting man Of his kind who has been
under arrest at these headquarters since
came to the office.
I have no doubt that one Of his strong
est cards is his apparent frankness and a
certain tone Of sincerity, and that when
he tells his story in soft and modulated
voice it is well calculated to get sympa-
thy, especially from women.
When a man has wandered far on a
crooked road the only way to retrieve
himself is to go back to the parting of the
ways and begin all over again on a
straight line, no matter how hard and diff
ficult it may be.
Easy times, easy money and easy ways
on Easy street are not the way to re-
forms. A man with faked-up and coun-
terfeit credentials and manufactured evil
dence Of his own responsibility is not en-.
titled to sympathy. The credulity and
weakness Of the large number of victims
Of people Of the Silberberg type make
necessary the vigilance Of the police.
After the newspaper advertising ne has
secured, If he were a woman, he would
go on the stage to help art; possibly, in
this case, it will not get beyond the usual
offers of marriage.
It is considered possible that the
woman who has written to Mayor Jones
is Of the class mentioned in Commits
sioner McAdoo's last remark.
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