The sun., 1910-05-16
BARK BACK KATCTTY WATCHDOG
COaiinusd from First Page.

tho rule Of his ONCE is that whenever men,
bsrs OF the once force use a telephone
for personal business the cost IL charged
no 20 tho individual and deducted from
the telephone bills charged to the county.
He thought Comptroller Prendergast
would appreciate that neither telephone
referred 70 was installed either for the
personal convenience or the financial ad-
vantage Of himself or Mr.. Hamill. who 10
attached to the homicide bureau Of the
District Attorneys ONCE,
The duties Of District Attorney. says
Judge Whitman. are not confined 20 GER
tain hours He and his assistants are
kept on the jump weekdays. Sundays and
holidays. He has been busy early and
late. without regard to regular hours.
in order to keep in touch with the large
and increasing amount Of criminal busi-
ness devolving on his Office.
i have deemed IL advisable wrote
the District Attorney. to keep az my
residence q complete list Of my stan. in
Guiding their telephone numbers. in order
that the members thereof maybe promptly
summoned during the night. Sundays or
holidays. a. occasion demands. A. Die
trict Attorney Of this county it is clearly
within my power to contract for said telo-
phone service or TO do that which in my
Judgment is necessary for the perform
ance OF my public duties a a county
OfhceF or in the proper conduct Of this
ofice. and I have no doubt that after a
will concur with the decisions Of the courts
as 20 the discretionary power conferred
on the District Attorney in all matters
pertaining 20 the management OF said
Office
Mr.. Whitman. having looked up the law
and precedents. refers the Comptroller
70 them mentioning the Grout-Jerome
case and Gardiner W Supervisors. ISI
N.Y.
so far a. am personally concerned. .
the District Attorney continued. I live
in an apartment hotel and have the tels-
phone service IN my apartment. which
I much prefer for my own use The
private wire which has becn installed
in my apartment by the city is for the usC
of tho Polics Department the Coroner's
once. my own assistants. especially
the homicide bureau. and for Osicihl
business only
A home phone il particularly rccessary
for HAmili. hc informs the Comptroller
because Hamill. as an attach" ~ tho
Homicide Bureau ia always Informed
by tho police when a murder has been
committed. night Or day or WHEN a rerson
has died or ~ likely 90 DO under suspiciOus
circumstances II - HamIlls business
70 get the history Of the Cas" over tho
phone. give the police the necessary in
structiOns concerning the separation -
defendant and witnesses. &c. ard com
muni0ate with tho Deputy Assistant
District Attorney ON duty at that par
ticular time he gives a history Of ~"
case 10 the Deputy Assistant over the
phone and arranges by phone 70 meet
the Deputy Assistant either a. the place
the crime was committed or o. the station
housc IN the precinct from which the
call was lssIel
The number Of cases reported over
telephone 31p0 MelrOsc tMr Hamillsl
average. the District Attorney writes.
about four a night all The year round
A. an Ins,arce Of the work accomplished
on sunday April 10, 1910 the homicide
bureau u thus once covered fye eases
o. homicide. being continuously en gagged
from a. VI OF sunday until 8A NJ on
Monday. April II. II should 10 here
noted that while ths Deputy Assistant
and Mr. Ham u were engaged ~ this WORK
telephone calls were received a. Mr.
Hamill's residence from Police Head
quarters notifying him of the new cases
a. they were reported. and thia lnfOrma-
ton IN turn was sent hy some person
IA Mr Hamllls residence IA Mr. Hamill
AZ whichever police station he then hap
penei 20 he.
The final result Of this work is that
th" people rtercats arr beng taken care
% IN a manner rehectinE great credit
upon the county ~ New York. IN that
all this work of the homicide bureau IL
performed without rTtra cost To the
county. with tho exception Of the small
expense incurred for telephone service %
The District Attorney ended his letter
90 Mr Prend"rgast by saying he believed
the retention II The telephones Was a mat
ter Of wise economy and that he believed
the comptroller would agree aud recon-
~ snI fkss f,avfnssnt ~ thu elaima