The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-27
CARUSO'S APPEAL GRANTED.
HIS CASE VILE BE PASSED UPON
IN GENERAL SESSIONS.
Refused to Pay Fine, but Gave BOND for
sl00-Mathot Says Tha Many Prom
inent Men, Including q bishop. Rave
Been Arrested for same Onence.


~sl00-Mathot Says That Many From"
inent Men, Including q Bishop. Rave
been Arrested for Same offence.
Third Deputy Police Commissioners
Mathot declared yesterday that many
men prominent in professional or business
life have been arrested in Central Park for
offences similar to the one OF which Enrico
Caruso, the Metropolitan Opera House
tenor. was found guilty. The Deputy
Police Commissioners asserted that a Bishop.
several ~clergymen, lawyers, business men.
actors, managers and others have their
names IN the police records as defendants
in cases of that sort, but the news OF their
arrests had been suppressed: The Deputy
COMMISSIONS said further that he had re-
ceived letters threatening his life on &C.
count of his activity in the prosecution Of
the Caruso case.
Mr.. Mathot's state ments, together with
the granting by Judge O'Sullivsn in Tire
Court of General Sessions of an order Of
appeal from Magistrate Bakers decision in
the Caruso case. were the most notable de-
thN yNrATI'iiN AN NhV q NAV
has grown ont of tire arrest Of the tenor fer
annoying women in the Central Park zoe.
Deputy Commissioner Mathot made his
statements before a group OF newspaper
men at Police Headquarters.
THE people Of New York city, said he,
have no conception of the extent Of such
offences as are charged against CarHso.
We have records to show that n Bishop.
several ~Clergymen, lawyers. musicians,
actors, managers and others have been
guilty of committing the same or similar
offences in the parks of th.s city. Only
two days before Caruso was arrested &
musician from tho Metropolitan Opera
House was taken into custody FOR the same
offence. The Court pronounced him guilty
and fined him $40"
But why have the records of these arrests
been suppressed" asked one of the re-
porters.
Because, said the Deputy Commissioner,
sit has been the experience Of the Police
Department that women will not appear
in court az compliments in cases OF this
sort except in very rare instances. Ex-
p~erienoe has shown that it is better to keep
these cases quiet and hold over the heads
OF the offenders the possibility OF their
infamy being made public in the event OF
their being hauled up a second tins on
the offence"
The Deputy Commissioner went on to
say that in the case Of Caruso he was an
old offender, although he had never been
arrested before. One woman whom he had
insulted, he said, went TO the station house
and preferred a complaint against him and
promised TO appear in court as a witness
against him. Then the affair got into the
newspapers and there was a big hubbub.
Except for the prominence OF the man
EiId the attempt that vas made to fix q
charge OF blacEmail upon the police, the
CarusO case, the Deputy Commissioner said,
was no different from the large lumber
Of other cases of the same sort which occur
in the city's parks regularly.
Mr.. Mathot didn't have anything 70 say
about how the court proceedings in these
cases had been hushed. The Deputy Com
missioner declared that IL it was shown that
the police were not handling these cases in
the best way by keeping the facts pliet,
why, he would be in favor then of having
publicity to the fullest extent.
One OF the letters which the Third Deputy
COMMISSIONS received read:
Produce Mrs. Graham or you will bs
among the missing
This letter was written on tissue paper.
and was decorated with the usual skull
and crosshones. The most OF the letters
which have come to the Deputy Commits
sioner in support Of Csruso have been from
Frenchmen and Italians. Nearly all OF
these letters condemn the Deputy Com
missioner. as he puts it himself, as thor.
oughly qualified for the United Order
of Jackasses." Mr.. Mathot has, on the
other hand, received a large number OF
letters from citizens Of this State compile
menting him on the stand which he took.
The Deputy COMMISSIONS ia inclined to
take the threats on his life as jokes, going
on the assumption that n barking dog never
bites. MIR. Mathot declared yesterday that
II the police ever caught Caruso again they
would try to send him to State prison. He
denied that any special attempt was being
made by the Department TO watch the
tenor's movements.
Judge O'Sullivan's decision granting an
order OF appeal was based largely on an
affidavit which was signed by Caruso. This
affidavit gave a brief history of the case
and declared it 10 be Carlso's belief that
the charge originally entered against him
on the blotter OF the Arsenal police station
was that of indecent conduct toward a
Mrs. Hannah Graham" and did not have
appended to it the words ~and other women.
The deponent denies that he is guilty of any
of the things charged. He holds that the
decision of Magistrate Baker is entirely
against the weight Of evidence and that the
Magistrate made a number OF
rulings in the admission and rejection
OF evidence. The afidavit sets forth thas
Magistrate Baker before rendering his d..
cision visited the monkey house in the
Central Park Zoo in the absence OF the
defendant or his ounsel and that the Magiss
trate was Influenced In rendering his deci.
sion by this visit. The deponent says
further that he IL advised that there is no
u offence known TO the law as set forth
in the affidavit OF Policeman Cain as
disorderly conduct.
Judge O'sulivan. in granting the appeal.
20 accept 500 bail and stay all
proceedings on the judgment. The 800
was put up in cash with the City Chamber.
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