The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1907-08-03
NIGHT COURT NOT so BUSY
HALF THE NCMBER or PRIS-
ONERS or THE FIRST NIGHT.

Police shsw Better judgment In the Class
Of Gases Taken 90 tise Court MsEis-
Irstes House and Barlow. Both Present.
say Success OF the Court Ia Assured
The night police court had less than half
AZ many cases to dispose OF up to midnight
last night as were taken there the first night.
Both Magistrate Barlow. who presided, and
Magistrate House, president Of tho Board
OF City Magistrates. who was on hand TO
watch he proceedings. said that all doubt
OF the success Of the court had been removed.
The police seemed to have a clearer under
standing Of the kind OF cases to take to the
court. They had only ninety-two prisoners
in court up to II o'clock. compared with
about two hundred the first night.
An unexpected feature was the absence
Of street walkers. At a late hour only three
had been arraigned. One policeman, Golden
Of East Twenty-second street. had two.
whom he arrested at Twenty-third street
and Lexington avenue. Magistrate Barlow
said he thought the policeman had been
~overgealous in arresting the women. He
discharged one and turned the other over
TO the probation officer.
Magistrate Barlow disposed Of seventy
cases in the first two hours, and although
they we're handled quickly the Court in
quired into each thoroughly. There were
many cases Of men who had been arrested
in the afternoon for intoxication and who
had sobered up in time for ~arraignment.
In these and in cases Of disorderly conduct
the fine was as a rule 81.
Deputy Police Commissioners Hanson
went to the court az midnight n sat with
Magistrate Barlow for a time. The Mssis-
trate told him he was delighted with the way
the policemen had presented their case
They had their evidence we'll in hand and
aided the Magistrate in expediting business.
Commenting on the absence of women
prisoners from the police stations in the
upper and lower Tenderloin, n police
official who was at the court last night
said that il the same conditions continued
IL would be clear that women had been
arrested in the past for graft.
The court room was crowded with per-
sons there in the interest OF prisoners or
TO watch proceedings. The squad Of law
yers was almost as big as on the opening
night.
The work OF the Police Department
is going 20 be hampered seriously unless
the Magistrates agree TO hear only INSIDE
neanor cases at night" said Commissioner
Bingham Yesterday. The night court In a
experiment. and l feel sure that it will
accomplish good results IL the law 10 changed
- Ah.s .ka vswhf y.vHpou 1Npff havNa tn
take up fes ~ cases. When Judge Whit
man conceived the idea of this court he
aimed a blow at the professional bonds
men, and il was his intention TO prevent
the women Of the street from giving up
to these bondsmen. That was the main
idea he had in mind when he drafted the
bill.
IF every prisoner taken between 4 o'clock
in the afternoon and 2:3o o'cloc In the
morning has to he arraigned in the court
the police are going TO be up against il
pretty hard. A policeman OF the Charles
street station. the nearest precinct TO the
court, took a prisoner there o Thursday
night and IL was an hour and a half before
he returned. 1t can be seen what effect
il will have on the precincts in The Bronx
and other stations far from the court.
Many OF the precincts were crippled SER
iously last night.
Il think the court will meet with great
success IL the Magistrates decide to handle
misdemeanors. Misdemeanor cases that
may require lengthy examinations should
also go to the day court"
Commiss Toner Bingham said that II the
Magistrates decide on this course he will
have Deputy Commissioner Hanson avail
able at night to pass on police station cases.
There was a falling of in business in most
Of the police courts yesterday. It was
attributed TO the night court. In most OF
the courts it was estimated that the de-
crease was abou onesixth Of h usual
number of cases. In the yorkvilie court
there was about the usual number Of pris-
oners. In the Jefferson Market court there
were no women charged with soliciting. and
there was no grist for the professional
bondSmen.