The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1906-10-12
WAYS OF SOME MAGISTRATES,
MOSS, sTEINERT AND CRANE AND
THEIR POLICE COURT WORK.
Moss known as a murphy Man and Not
Unwilling to DO FaVOrs for the Powers
3nat Be-Steinert Another whom Poll
aclans Approve Bond Investigation

;fnat Be-Steinert Another whom POLL
aeIans Approve Bond investigation.
when Magistrate Joseph F. Noes was APP
pointed to the police court bench Two years
ego last May one expression went round
the town. 1t was:
Howe and Hummel!" =.
The new MaRis rate was a graduate OF
the Howe a Hunmel legal school. lie
went there as an Office boy and grew into
n lawyer. 1t was recognized as soon as he
was appointed that he knew the police court
business. He had had long experience IN
the ms and outs. II was asserted that no
one could play tricks on Joe Moss on the
notice bench. Since he has been on the
bench it is agreed by all who are familiar
with the police courts hat Magistrate
Moss has been wise TO the d oings there.
When Moss was appointed another COM
mani went the rounds. II was: "Murphy's
mani" =,
That meant that whenever Moss could
do a ~political favor for the Murphy clan 1t
would be done. The general opinion -
that he has not neglected to show that he
was grateful for the appointment. de
showed il recently when he led a division IN
the mi parade at the Buffalo con-
vention. He has displayed his devotion TO
Murphy by his constant at the
Anawanda Club.
Moss showed his Willingness to obige
Murphy one night about a year ago when ne
refused to see an angry man whom Jonn D.
Murphy had assaulted in the doorway OF
the Anawandi Club. The angry man
wanted a warrant for Murphy. He didn't
Get II.
The assaulted man was a prosperous
A. ~ C,AA vuhA had hnNnD0n
aAbIiated with the Citizens Union move
ment in Murphy's district. He went to
the Anawanda Club one night to see Magis-
trate Moss about bailing out a man who
had been arrested for blocking the street
with trucks. Murphy met the Citizens
Union man at the door. An alteration
followed because the man wanted to see
Magistrate Moss. Blows were struck. The
assaulted man went to the Twenty-second
street station house to complain that Muir
phy had assaulted him. Capt. Hussey
laughed at him and told him TO get a war
rant. The assault was committed In the
presence of Patrolman Kennedy. Moss's
probation officer. The assaulted man got
no satisfaction in court.
Moss sat in the Harlem police court on
primary election day. The Nagle-Cowan
Tammany fight was marked by lively
hehts. in one of which Maggie was knocked
ont with a blackjack in an encounter with
John Lennon, a Cowan worker and sa-
loon keeper. Maggie swore that Lennon
pulled a revolver on him and that Lemons
bartender, John Garry. welded the black
lack. Lennon and Garry were taken to
court while they we're bringing Nagle to
IN the polling place. When Nagle reached
court Lennon had been discharged. Nagle
was thunderstruck. Addressing the Magis-
rate, he said:
aSav. Joe-pardon me; l mean Judge-am
l to understand that o discharged Len
non2 He made a murderous assault on
me-"
There was no complainant against
him." said the Magistrate.
How could l complain when l was I'M
cousoious?' asked Maggie. Il want a war
rant"
well" replied Moss, "IIl get him for
YOU. " and be telephoned and Lennon came
into court in a few minutes. Maggie charges
that Moss and enn had a private talk
and the upshot Of it was that Moss and
Lennon agreed that the best thing to do
was to have Lennon prefer a counter charge
against Nagle. This was done and then
Moss said:
III parole you OoUn.
Nagie objected and then Moss held both
In 81 900 bail.
Another interesting primary election
case was that Of John Leonard OF TAP Second
avenue, a special deputy sheriff attached
TO the Twenty-ninth election district oi
the Thirtieth Assembly district. lie waf
locked up for holding his band over the
ballot box when a man tried TO vote
Leonard had no right to touch the ballot
box. but he gave as An excuse for his act
that he thought the man was going 70 drop
in two ballots and he wanted TO stop election
Frauds, Leonard eventually was dis
A record that has been compiled Of the
work Of the Magistrates for six weeks last
spring shows that Moss has required proof
Of the strongest character 20 hold men
charged with violating excise and gambling
On April % last Philip Donohue wa
arrested for taking a handbook bet In front
of PISS Broadway. Patrolman fancy pet
was marked. He got a piece Of paper
marked Sixth Race, 81 to win on Merrick.
The odds were to be the prevailing ones
Clancy was corroborated by PatrolmaT
Baxter. The marked money and piece oil
paper were insufficient TO satisfy Magistrate
Noes that o crime had been committed, anc
the man was discharged.
A sample excise case occurred on unday
ADTA - LdSJ' Whoh OsO OtN 80
for selling liquor as a bartender at 10
Amsterdam avenue. Three men were drink
ing at the bar. The policeman who made
the arrest tasted the liquor. The door to
the place was open. Moss was not salts;
fed that any crime had been committed
and Ford went free. Moss succeeded
Magistrate Zeller, who once said In court
that he would not hold men in excise arrests
Zeller was counsel for the Liquor Dealers
Association.
Anoted excisecase hat came before Moss
followed the arrest by RoundsmAn Murray
of seventeen men in the Manhattan Casino,
near Macomb's Dam Bridge Just before the
recent primary election. Murray fillec
up the Thirty-third precinct station HOUSE
cells. The men we're arrested for selling
after hours and the town had a laugh at ar
ov~erzealous policeman. The intimation wal
that he was not right himself. Moss dis.
charged all the cases. Murray says thai
Police Commissioner Bingham called hin
down TO headquarters about the matter
and the result was. according TO Murray
that Gen. Bingham commended him fol
doing his plain duty and further told hin
that il any one tried to make trouble To-
Murray, Gen. Bingham would stand by