The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-12

miSsion In III e-and Il IL 10 look after the
.downtrod,s especially those who are known
to be on the right side. He has a nephew
who figures conspicuously around the police
courts, and there are those who have
wondered to what extent the young mans
influence will go with the Magistrates
who bend the knee to the machine. Young
Steinert Ia supposed to have a pull re
has gone behind the bench on more
! one occasion, and there are police court
lawyers and hangers on who nave taken
that to mean that young Steinert IA a valu-
able man TO know. II ne has a pull, hoN-
ever. II is not considered 40 strong as the
Murphy pull. Steinert has never .Deen
accused OF forgetting how he came 10 get
Magistrate whose conduct On the bench
in certain kinds OF cases has caused pubic
comment is Magistrate Crane. He doesn't
Ike cigarette smoke and he is given 70
lectures when persons arrested for speed
ing autos are brought before him. MS
auto seedlings have occupied large mounts
Of space In the newspapers, One he was
quoted as saying to +. W. Woolworth' the
five cent store a
A Belmont, a Vanderbilt. a Carnegie
seems TO think that because Of his wealth he
il above the law when he starts on in his
automobile. Nothing will stop you people
but a barn or a mudbank. You would like
TO go at fifty miles a second. 80 that people
couldn't see you
On March IL last, Crane had before him
DR.. F. G. Kneer Of 2S8 West Fifty-frst
street. He was arrested for driving his
auto on the lawn on Pelham Bay Park
The Magistrate thought it was a case OF
speeding and began to soold at once.
you are another one OF these men that
take the law into his own hands" said the
Magistrate, and disregard the lives OF
others"
Your Honor said the policeman who
made the arrest, this isn't that kind OF a
case
Then the charge was explained, but the
Magistrates anger was up. and he said:
The trouble with you a~utomobillsts Is
! that you don't care what you do. You
have money and you think you are above
the law. Why. last week. what do you think
I saw out of my window? An
on the sidewalk. The man who owned that
automobile thought that he owned the
earth, Ninety-nine per cent. OF
lists violate the law
DR.. Kneer protested tina the only way to
get through. owing to a blocked roadway,
was by going across the lawn. he sald
twenty other auto men were doing what ne
had done. But he had to pay a fine OF $40.
II a cigarette smoker comes before the
Ma g~istrate he must look out. The Magis-
trate says sharply:
Hold up your hands"
The telltale s~tains.are there. Then comes
a lecture on the evils Of cigarette smoking.
An Investigation has been made re-
Gently into the peculiar relations that ex-
list between certain Of the police Magistrates
and professional bondsmen. The inquiry
has been devoted to ascertaining why
certain men get a practical monopoly
of furnishing bones for good behavior
II " asserted that never has n or these
bonds been known to be forfeited. II
il also known that they are a source
of fruitful income to the bondsmen and
others. The investigation has led to the
door Of a certain Magistrate whose ~favorite
bondsman gets $50 usually for his services.
That Magistrate will take no other bonds
man when be can help it.
This bondsman business ia one OF the
most prolific sources Of corruption in the
police courts. Sometimes a Magistrate will
hold from twenty to twenty-five women
of the street and put them under bonds
for six months TO be good. They will be
locked up. Their male hangers on hustle
around to get the women out. All the
bondsmen they produce will be rejected
The Magistrate has discretionary powers.
After the women have been locked up two
or three days word is passed around that
a certain bondsman will be acceptable TO
the Magistrate. That man is hired at
something like $50 each, and the result il
that often 81 900 is divided up.
The investigation into these bond cases
is going on, and there are reasons for
saying that trouble is in store for certain
Of the bondsmen and the Magistrates who
favor them to the exclusion OF all others.