The morning journal-courier., 1908-04-24
Judge Mathewson Would House City Courts There When New Structure
 is Up.
POLICE HEADQUART TOO
Fire Department Might he Put in Old Police Building--City Court Judge Discusses the
 Plans.

uppermost In the minds of some of the legal profession about the city. and 1t Is certain that the interest will spread to wider circles at once. in- cluding great many of the city's de- partments, among, them the fire. pos lice. judicial and educational. In all the planning for the future court house which 1t is now said will be built on the Sargent and Edwards property at Church and Elm streets. the future use of the old court house adjoining city hall seems to have been entirely overlooked.
 In this connection Judge A. YcC. Mathewson of the city court had some suggestions to make yesterday. They depended upon the acquiring of old county court house by the city. but that seems to be thing to be expected, the city being obligated to take 1t. The judge would move the two city courts, civil and criminal sides, to the court house and quarter them where the superior court now holds forth. He would bring the po- | lice department over from Court street. as well and quarter it in the rooms now occupied by the court of common pleas on the ground floor with a lookup in the northerly wing beneath the larger court room, where much more sanitary quarters could be had than the present dis graceful ones on Court street This would leave the present police build Ing empty. save for the board of health. That department he would put In city hall in the present fire de- partment headquarters, and turn the present police building over to the fire department after necessary fire proofng had been put into IT, such as the fire department is calling for
 in new building. This would be necessary In order to safeguard the delicate alarm apparatus from fire since the least blaze near IL would finally, the judge said his plans would cal for the housing of every munclpa department under a nut nicipally owned roof. He would bring the board of education over from its rooms on Orange street to one of the three buildings as well as any other department now outlying and paying rent unnecessarily.
 Judge Mathewson came over to the criminal superior court room during the middle of the afternoon yester- day while the jury in the Peckham case was out of the room and at that time made known some of his sug- gestions to a number of the lawyers and to the Journal-Courier reporter while they were standing about the court corridors waiting for the jury, which had already been out over two hours, to return.
 1 Moye City Court.
 . You fellows around the superior court began the judge. may think this court room is poorly ventilated, : and all that. It may be, but I can tell . you 1t is not to be compared with : the room we have to use over in the [ police building, where we have every nationality to smell, just as we , have every nationality of prisoner, 1Jnt l IIll1h we Nlll bt tN'i ii'iN ''' : this room before so very long i, The fudge was asked 10 explain what , he meant by his last remark He said he based his prophecy upon the fact , that the county Is soon to build a new , courthouse He said he did not for 1 moment think that the county would , definitely proceed upon the erection Of new building until 1t had come tc some agreement with the city whereby the latter should acquire the old court house
 In that case we could put the city . crimnal court in here where the crm' inal superior scourt is now" he said "And the ventilation advantages | wouldn't be the only ones by long , shot. Think of the beautiful gallery up stairs where the regulars could comt every day and watch the prisoners pu ' through their paces,'
 . The judge went on to explain how , the city civil side could be placed IT , the present civil superior courtroom,
 and the city court clerk in the room! now used by the superior court clerks r The sheriffs, the two common plea! s courts, the county commissioners th { states attorneys offices, the law II e brary, and the additional superior cour
 on the top floor of the present building - would naturally all go over to the nev
 county building and leave all tha /, space for use by the city
 All the room can he put to good ad :, vantage said the judge. AS I un
 derstand it, there Is scarcely a city de
 partment that Is not crampcd in 1t
 present quarters, Just let me give yo,
 a suggestion as to how the additiona
 space can be put to good use.'
 Bring Over the Police.
 The judge said he first would brinj
 the police department over from f.
 present location on Court street an
 of the old court building. The common
 pleas courtroom would make an excel
 lent locker room for the force Th
 police desk could he in the presen
 county commissioners room. On tn
 other side of the hallway where tn
 common pleas clerks office now Is
 Chief Cowles and his assistants coul
 find acceptable quarters. while in tn IS north wing in the sheriff's quarters tn
 Continued on Third Page.)