New-York tribune., 1911-11-16
Watson Assigns an Assistant.

WotooH TNoci3No o''
At the request Of Magistrate McAdoo
CORPORATION Counsel Watson has as
signed his assistant, Cornelius F. Col
lins. 10 defend Mr.. Creelman. Mr.. Wat
son explained that when city employe
was charged with a crime In connection
with the performance Of his official
duties II became the province or the Cor
poration Counsers office TO defend the
accused man.
The charge against Creelrnan is that
VIXEN. on September 16, Ida Letwinsky,
who had been fined 81 by Magistrate
harlow for a violation OF the Sanitary
Code. offered eight quarters in payment
of the fine he refused to accept the
money and demanded bills instead OF the
small change. The woman, according to
the charge. was ordered back to the pen
by Creelman until she produced the bills.
The complaint is supported by afidavits
from the woman, her husband and the
officer who had her in charge
Magistrate CCrrigan, after describing
the charge against Creelman, said last
night: There is no allegation of dis
honesty on Creelman's part. The charge
/; one of oppression. | am thoroughly
convinced Of Mr.. Creelman's honesty,
but when the complaint was laid before
me I had no option except to issue the
warrant.
THE application was made by the rep
resentative Of the District Attorney,
who is the prosecuting officer Of the
county. 1t was perfectly regular and
the complaint stated facts that were
clear violation OF the law. II | had re-
fused to issue the warrant the District
Attorney could have gone to any JUS
tice Of the Supreme Court for man.
damus compelling me to issue It, They
are welcome to go TO the Appellate Di-
vision for an investigation OF me. From
whom am | TO take my instructions on
when to issue warrants-Judge McAdoo,
Mayor Gaynor, the appellate Division or
the law?
This talk OF my issuing the warrant
Gaynor is bosh Assistant District At
torney Medaie came 10 me last week
when / was sitting in Jefferson Market
court and said he had case Of oppres-
sion against the clerk Of one OF the
courts. He did not even tell me the
clerks name, but laid the case before
me and asked my advice, as he had
right TO do, on whether the case constl-
tuted oppression. He told me that he
intended to take 1t before the grand
jury
After the warrant was issued l told
Mr.. Creelman that l would parole him
t. his own custody and set the day for
the trial to suit his convenience. He
said Friday. Ny term in Essex Market
will be up on Tuesday and if he had
thought there was any animus on my
part he could have asked for some day
after that. ] told him | thought he
ought to take more time to prepare his
case, and then he chose Monday. | set
the case down for Monday, and gave
hi~ tie choice Of morning or afternoon.
He chose the afternoon.
The case is perfectly plain. | could
do nothing else than what I did"
When District Attorney Whitman was
told that James Creclman had said that
this was a good time TO have Governor
Dix investigate the District Attorneys
office he said:
II quite agree with Mr.. Creelman. |
have instructed my Assistant District
Attorneys i'm the police courts TO cause
the arrest of any clerk who refuses to
accept payment of fines in nickels, quar-
ters or whatever denomination OF
money is offered | have had numerous
from the Essex Market and
other police courts. and this was the
reason for issuing the Instructions
Albert Creclman said last night that
his arrest on a charge Of refusing 10
take small change in payment of a fine
was made because nothing else could be
found against him and there was
attempt 10 get him out OF
Essex Market court by lawyers and
runners with whose business of holding
up prospective clients he had interfered
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