The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1905-07-18
A Judge and a Society" Paper

JOSEPH NJ. DEUEL. is one Of the six
Judges OF the Court Of Special Sessions,
to which he was appointed by Mayor
Low after having been appointed by
Mayor STRONG a City Magistrate. Of
the six Special Sessions Judges his term
is the longest, extending to July /, 1918.
Unless his judicial career shall now be
interrupted, therefore, we shall have
him with us Judge Of Special Sessions
for eight years more.
JOSEPH NJ. DEUEL., Judge Of the Spe-
cial Sessions of the city and county OF
New York, is also one of the principal
owners of notorious society paper"
of this town. and probably derives from
it and its subsidiary publications large
addition to his judicial income Of 5000
a year. Judge DEUEL's function as
concerns that paper is editorial. AS he
himself has explained, this function is
to 60 over the proofs Of the stuff printed
for that paper with view to excluding
any whose publication would be fla
GRAVITY criminal and actionable, So
prominent is he in the concern, of which
he is one of the directors, that during the
absence of the chief manager, man
named MANN, he is left practically in
charge OF the paper, His editorial
duties piled on his judicial duties must
make him busy man, for the task Of
keeping the stuff printed in that paper
Just outside Of the criminal law must
be difficult and involve much labor.
Judge DEUEL. now asserts that his
editorial supervision is only over 'po-
litical paragraphs. Il never read social
paragraphs, he says. But how can it
be necessary for him to oversee the "po-
litical paragraphs Of that paper? They
are relatively few and insignificant, and
judicial eye cannot be required to keep
them proof against the criminal law. 1t
is the social paragraphs which need
such expert supervision.
How essential is the legal-editorial
supervision of Judge DEUEL. is indicated
by this incident. as related by himself:
Ell was in the once Of Col. MANN when man
came In and said he understood that Torn Topics
was going TO print something about him the next
day Col. MANN asked the stranger his name
and he gave II. Col. MANN did not recall that
there was to be anything printed about this par
tlcular man. but to make he sent for the dummy
sheet. II was discovered that a small paragraph
about the visitor was to be printed, When he saw
/, he said that 1t was worth 5000 to him to have 1t
kept out. He gave his reasons He said he would
be damaged to the extent Of Ss.ooolfthe paragraph
No, - to 10
would keep the article out. What did Col MANN
do, He had presses stopped took that page out
and had 1t changed so that the paragraph did not
appear.
An Col. MANN charged him was the actual
expense Incurred for making the change in the
paper-soo."
The man got off relatively cheap, but
how, it may occur to some people to ask,
did he come to know that the objec-
tionable paragraph was to be printed
"the next day? However, it must have
been convenient for the manager to
have Judge at hand to advise him in
the matter.
Judge. DEUEL., in the absence of this
manager, is evidently one Of the most
important Of the persons to be examined
by the District Attorney in the case of
man who has been arrested for alleged
blackmail in attempting to extort money
from Stock Exchange broker on the
threat that If he did not pay the money
in the form Of a $500 subscription to a
book that paper would print scandal