New-York tribune., 1907-08-19
HOT TIME IN COURT
NfGISTR4TE BClLS W En-.
4cting Police Captain Nay Hare to
Face Charges Made by House

There were stirring times up IN the Harlem
.,o,,oa cour+ Yesterday which were not fully IN
s NTH tE,e leening Of the day. IheE COST
> court clerk his place and may make lots OF
,roubIe for an acting police captain me tA-
,yte-nent began when Acting Captain Jo"il
Thompson. Of the East 1o4th street STATION d
,-airned Harry Lavotala, son OF the proprIetoi
o4 \ saloon at No. 80 East 1l3th street. "''iii
TTar,tIton and Joseph Nergodomo. addresses uli-
known before Magistrate House ana cHai ee'
.,,o-,, viii, running policy shop in the rear OF
the saloon belonging TO the elder La '''I''~
zvben the smoke Of conflict had cleared away
++a ttroe prisoners had been discharged by the
.,.e4s+rata and were gleefully on their way out
~ the courtroom. Thompson stood pale from
anger al The rebuke he had received from the
,7aUistrste and John Dyer, the complaint cleFh
attached 10 the court. was busily making hiS
way toward the open air.
Csnra,,, THOMPSON told the magistrate, when
he a-raigned the prisoners. that he suspected
them OF being engaged in the policy business
and had gone into the saloon to find out If his
r.,,,r,o,s were -r7,e He declared that he found
a LOT of, carbon sheets. account books and slips
containing numbers from / to 7S. such as are
rses ,n the policy or lottery game. in the pos
sess,on Of the men. so he arrested them.
..Dta YOU make any effort TO find out any
rstrons of their game IN the neighborhood!
asked the magistrate
~~>vo" said Thompson. Il thought that the find
snp Of the slips ard other paraphernaha was
ezrfac,eut evidence TO hold the men, so let the
matter go at that
zras then that Magistrate House could con-
tam himself no longer and he exclaimed: We'll
-b.v are not sufficient evidence. 1 consider
,be-. IS no evidence before me on which TO
hold them. The stupid work OF the police or
this city IS appalling. am going TO get down
Of OF this bench some day and go out and sho"
sor,a of YOU fellows how TO do police WORK
meyer sa1v such Incompetence SeVenty-nVe
,,e- cen. of the cases in which the police figure
pnpear TO be handled with the avowed intent ana
,,,,-,ose not to get a case. Some Of these days
there is going to be such shake-up IN Ihe f"-
lice DEPARTMENT that you policemen will be
compelled TO SIT up and take notice SIT on
,ha bench dav after day and watch policemen
,-sng cases before ne where crime has been
committed and where the police have failed ut
,arlv 20 get a case against the lawbreaker
c,an+ain Thompson turned white and his eyes
flashed but he did not reply. BY this time
everybody I'm the courtroom was In state of
excitement. listening breathlessly TO what would
rome next Magistrate House continued:
TN thts case YOU as acting captain. come
g,rre snd tell me story that convtnces me that
,ou went out and did the very thing TO prevent
-o,, u-i,1 make a short affidavit setting forth
that Won have no evidence to hold these prison
ers on. and L will discharge them. Then VIII
hs,-a Won brought up on charges downtown.
.,entain Thompson. still pale with anger
turned 10 Clerk Dyer and proceeded to follow
,,,1 tt,e magistrates instructions When he had
rap7pleted he started read the affidavit aloud
aud had about half finished when Magistrate
1Io,,so reached over and snatChed the. paper
from, his hands crunched it into ball and
threw it on the floor
How dare you write such an affdaVf as
ti,at?~ he demanded OF Dyer in loud tones 'Iel
ont II here and don't you dare come back while
! am sitting in this court magistrate
pzar evidently thunderstruck at the turn
affairs had taken. left the courtroom crestfallen
Magistrate House. when seen at his home last
might. said that he would prefer charges against
over n tie Board OF Magistrates and that We
would also send the evidence In the case, &C
COMMANDED by his own personal affidavit. to
Commissioner Bingham. and ask that some
sction be taken against Captain Thompson He
said that the affidavit which prepared by
Over If allowed 10 stand. would have made II
appear that he was in the wrong and would
I,ave ruined his reputation Of thirty years
standing He also said that the first thing he
would do when he reached the court this morn
sng would be TO take more testimony as to what
7sppened in The courtroom and would see that
she matter was sifted to the bottom.