New-York tribune., 1908-06-13
OF Interest "
~ TO eUomer1.
IN n POLICE COURT.
T7co Municipal Leaguers Indignant
at "Battery Dan.

That the prime cause of police Generalization
must be sought on the magistrates bench is tho
conclusion reached by the Womans Municipai
League in its June bulletin, which came out yes
terdav The police arrest the article in question
says "the magistrates discharge and sometimes
even insult and ridicue the officers making the
arrest"
These conclusions are based partly q day
spent in Battery DAN Finn's court Jefferson
MarkeD by two members Of the league, who DO
not give their names.
We came away they say amazed and al
most incredulous in regard to what we had seen
and heard with eyes and ears IL was d
travesty of justice and law and manners The
judge expectorated the floor, drinking water
and throwing it out also, so that when we ieit
there was large area of moisture about him.
II is easy to imagine how he disposes OF expecto-
ration cases if any policeman is witless enough 10
bring them before nIm
THE police court judge" the 1eaguers proceed
'fs the basis OF our entire system of justice ana
controls the operation of law and order while
the police the officials charged with securing
them to the ordinary citizen. Yet this city officer
there. 1outng their efforts. ridiculing ana in
sulting them personally. and dischargng every one
possible, whether against Will established eVldence
or
While we were there excise case came up
and so fagranty mishanded by the justice tna'
1t is be carried TO the District Attorney. Inc
case was of Italian restaurant keeper charseu
with selling liquors without a license-unimportant
himself, but most important as precedent as
there are hundreds like him disobeying the law
which the police are bound to enforce. He was
DISCHARGED although the fact was esta blished ana
admitted that one officer. supported by the eNi-
dence of another, who sat al NEARBY taoler hau
ordered and paid for beefsteak and oottie OIL
beer (the bottle one-halt full. was IN courp. ne
defence was that the young girl waiting on MIN
had thought he was a boarder and that 1t pelonseo
to him. although she had in affidavit mot ao-
nitted as evidence by the judge said she hhe"
she was selling it, and had urged the proprietor
to get license She was the witness against 'lie
proprietor and had also previously discharged
but when the Judge saw that the police were de-
termined TO press the case. he grew angry anu
ordered the captain of the precinct to rearrest the
girl This he had no right to do, and when the
captain asked for instructions. Battery Dan bel
lowed out pounding as loudly with his gaVei as
he could. Get of here. Remove this man. uo
to the Bastle. I don't want any police captain
coming here; they are no more to me than scrap
of paperr The net result of the case was that
the captain who has important precinct 10 look
after and whose time, monetarily, Is or Value TO
the citizens and taxpayers. was kept in court 70
supervise and push this one case. Whlch shouio
have taken twenty minutes, nearly the whole day,
and then coald not conviction IN a case
which because of the principles involved in 1t,
was important To accomplish desired results he
now has TO go the District Attorney, to wait
the laws slow course, besides standing the per-
sona insults
The witnesses were Impressed throughout by
the selfrestrant of the police officers in present
ing their cases under the judges fire and thought
them deserving of the greatest credit They hope
that the citizens and taxpayers will not tolerate
much longer "the spectacle of such man sitting
the representative of Justice and orderlness'