The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-11-13
OFFICER OR OFFICE BOYY
DAYS WORK or MAGISTRATE
WAHLE'S MAN BARBER.
Called On TO Do Nothing More Arduo Than
Answer the Telephone. Open windows.
nun for a Pen. Ply a Brush and CCn-
NerSe-NOt a hit NJ Ills Business.

Answer the Telephone. Open windows.
nun for n Pen. Ply a Brush and Con-
Nerse-Not a MT NJ His Business.
Of Magistrates in October objection wal
made by several Of The Magistrates to the
public criticism of the small amount of
work done by some of the police probation
officers. 1t had been pointed out that they
were practically Wallets for the Magistrates,
and that except for three or four of the
thirteen they really did little or no pro-
baton work.
Magistrate Cornell told how much work
his probation officer, Roundsman Van
Keuren, had done, commented on the good
work hat might be done and then said
that from bis observations he was certain
that better work could be done all around
il the Magistrates would enforce the pro-
baton law.
There was some resentment Of Magistrate
Cornsll's remarks, but all agreed that more
attention should be paid to probation work
and that the probation officers should be
something more than city Wallets. No ac-
ton was taken to bring about a change.
the general decision seeming to be that
hereafter there would be a braceup in that
49, fObSS
" weeks have passed since then. An
investigation was made yesterday in the
five busiest police courts of the city, Essex
Market, the Tombs, jefferson Market, the,
West Side and the Yorkville courts, to learn
exactly how much the various probation
officers on duty did on a specific day, the
busiest day Of the week in these courts.
Magistrate Wahle. the president Of the
board was sitting in the Essex Market
court. His probation officer is jeremiah W.
Barber, h has been a policeman since
October II, 1901. Barber appeared in court
yesterday at s21 A. NJ, five minutes after
Magistrate Wahle arrived. The court is
supposed to open at 0 o'clock.
Barbour remained in court the entire
day and was called OF to do nothing that in
any way related to probation work. Here
are some OF the things he did:
At 9:37 he answered the telephone. Three
minutes later he snapped his fingers to call
a prisoner up before the desk. Three
minutes later he took a candy bag from the
Magistrates drawer, brushed the drawer,
put the bag back, arranged three blotters
on the desk and placed the Penal Code lying
on the desk back on a shelf. Two minute
later he answered a telephone. Then he
watched the prisoners go out to the prisons
/ Then he opened two rear windows A
minute later he watched a prisoner pay n
fine. He twirled his mustache to keep his
hands busy when they were out Of his
pockets and at 9:51 he answered the tele-
phone again. In three minutes he had
reported to the Magistrate and had sent Il
reply INC then he looked over the telephone
book. 1t was not interesting reading and
he walked about.
At lOii he answered the telephone again
there is always a lot of telephoning in
any court where Magistrate Wahle sits
and then he walked about, stretching his
hands for a change behind his back. At
1929 he got a penholder for the Magistrate
and chatted with one of the clerks. At
lO:36 he was telephoning again. Two
minutes later he was trying TO fix the door
OF the cupboard. which persisted in remain
ing open. Then he watched a clerk draw
a complaint, gave a policeman a pen and
talked with a woman who wanted to get her
husband out Of jail.
At lOiO it was the telephone again that
occupied Barbour. Nine minutes later
he put a pen on the Magistrates desk and
a minute later he lighted the gas. Two
minutes afterward he told a man where the
West Side court is ard then for ten minutes
he talked with the woman probation officer.
From then on to ll27 o'clock he watched
the prisoners being brought in and at 1870
washed his hands preparatory to ending
the arduous morning session. our MN
utes later he put a woman with a crying
baby out Of court and then he went outside
to look at the weather. At ~ court adj
journed for the morning and he arranged
the pa pers on the Magistrates desk and
went away until 2 O'Clock.
The afternoon session was simply a reIe-
tition of the mornings doings. At 200
p. NJ. he raped with his knuckles on the
Magistrates desk for order and then ar
ranges some papers in the Magistrates
drawer. At 2j7 he was picking his teeth
and two minutes later he was at the tele-
phone again. Another message within
three minutes called him to the telephone
once more, and when he came back at2 ~
he obtained a blank summons for a police
man, but did not fill il out. Three minutes
later it was the telephone again. Then he
had a. conversation with a police court
lawyer by the gate. At 2:44 he was re-
duced for reading matter to a list Of the
latest police transfers. His name was not
on the list. At 2:i8 he handed a paper to
the Magistrate, asked a clerk about a com
plant, showed a man how to fill out a sub
pOena and put n paper on the clerks desk.
At 2.5O he was at the telephone again.
Then he resumed the reading of the trans
fers.
] ITOlDltTOtiiV bukIfNCaAN ObNO hHOlN
Then he went about the court conversing
with this and that clerk and policeman.
At the end of each trip about the place he
came back to the st~enographer's desk
and watched him. Az 3l7 he was at the
telephone. Back he came 10 the stenog-
rapher. Twelve minutes later another
ting-a-ling occupied him for two minutes.
He took a message TO the Magistrate, who
went of the bench for II minutes. Then
he took q piece of candy out of the bag
in the Ma istrate's dra wer and ate il He
shook hands with a policeman and had a
chat with Joe Levy, the Duke Of Essex
street. Then he answered the telephone
again after which he stood around chItting
until 4:O1 p. NJ. when court adjourned.
That il the way Magistrate Wahle, presi-
dent Of the Board Of Magistrates. kept his
probation officer, who gets a salary Of 81. $50
a year, busy on one day. 1t is a fair sample
Of what some OF the probation officers
have TO do.
Magistrate Moss sat in the Tombs court.
His probation officer, Johns. Kennedy.
spent most of the day in the Magistrates