New-York tribune., 1905-02-27
COURT STENCIL DEADLY.
Disease and Death in atmosphere Of
EsSer Market Home of Justice.

Magistrate Ommen told a Tribune reporter
yesterday that he believed the intolerabIe con-
dition Of the Essex Market Court was respons-
ible not only for the contraction of pneumonia
by Magistrate Flammer, the collapse of a court
interpreter, and the long confinement to his
home of q court clerk suffering from rheuma-
tism, and the illness of many other clerks, but
also for two recent deaths, one Of a patrolman
and the other OF newspaper man. He added
that the courthouse rotten through and
through, and the sooner it was razed and mod
ern building substituted the better for all con
cerned. He suggested the holding of an East
Side mass meeting to this end
DR.. David Blaustein. Of the Educational AL
lance, heartily Endorsed Magistrate Ornmen's
views.
Only few days ago the death was announced
Of Patrolman Thomas ]. Newman. who had been
suffering from an liberated tooth. Death, it was
said, was due to pneumonia, contracted from
draughts in the courtroom. This was followed
by the collapse Of Jesse Bernard, the court in
terpreter, who sank down on the bridge" anG
had to be carried to the magistrates private
room.
THE court is a menace to human life" said
Magistrate Ommen. Il believe the policeman
met his death standing near the door. The
stencil in the courtroom is simply awful, and
have felt it myself. It seems strange that the
great East Side cannot get a decent courtroom.
The Board of Aldermen unhesitatingly votes
100000 for stable in which to keep Commits
sioner WOodbury's horses, but it balks at giving
the people Of the East Side an adequate room
in which to seek justice. 1t seems to me that
the men and women who come here are entitled
to as much consideration as horses or any other
kind Of animals.
'The prison pen is the worst place I ever Wis
tied. From what I have read I don't believe
there is anything in Russia or Siberia to com
pare with it. There is no pretence at ve1tua-
tion. At times the stencil on the bench here is
dreadful after prisoners have been kept for hours
in the pen below
Small wonder that policemen fail dead here
and clerks are stricken IN the performance of
their duties. No wonder that Magistrate Flam-
mer contracted pneumonia in this place No
wonder that of the clerks was laid up for
months with rheumatism contracted in this
courtroom 1 know of newspaper man at
tached to this court who died. many of US be-
leve from a disease contracted from the atmos-
phere of the place. Another newspaper man
was laid up for several weeks recently from be-
ing in the place too much.
1.-THE building should be torn down as a public
nuisance. 1t would not cost more than $4,000
TO build courthouse. could pay
$150OO0 and share the expense with a municipal
court or have say, a bra lch of the Street Clean
ing Department here. To-day many reputable
lawyers refuse to practise In this court, and
the result prisoners and others unable, in
many instances to obtain the best legal repre-
sentation any terms. The East Side ought to
hold a mass meeting for q new building. J
would gladly attend. if called to do so"
LAS a resident OF the East Side and one who
has its welfare at heart" said DR.. BlauStein,
81 am of course greatly interested in this ques-
tion. / am quite in agreement with what you
tell me are Magistrate Ommens views. The
pity of it is that vast number of immigrants
obtain their first and perhaps their only glimpse
OF American justice from the Essex Market
Court and they get bad and very false i'm
preston. Provided l received due notice. l
would gladly attend such mass meeting as is
Pr il true that I suffered from pleuro-pneu-
r,onia two or three years ago. Magistrate
FIamner who is chairman Of the Board OF city
Magistrates, told the reporter. Il fell Off the
chair 1 was sitting in one DAY IN court. am
heartily I'm favor Of some action being taken, but
nothing should he done hurriedly. / would rec
onmend that the Board of Magistrates, the
Board of Education, we'll as the Police, Fire
and Health departments, get together ana uIs-
cuss the question thoroughly.
The city has gone to great expense in ar
ranging q Children's Court so that children
SHAH not ne contaminated by the Police Court
atmosphere yet here a public school is prac-
tIraIIy next door and the influence on the chl-
dren is not calculated to make for good. Inc
court building is rotten, as you say, and the
mems ought not to be beneath the court Further,
there ought to be a Police Court on the East
side between the Essex Market and 5Ith-st.
courts To-day there is not. The question OF the
Essex Market Court has been mentioned IN
posal to give a courthouse at Madison and
Nfont tpoT1ery SITS"