The Washburn times. [volume] (Washburn, Wis.) 1896-1976, 1911-03-02

suit against the city. It's really a
test case that should interest every
citizen; a protest against the high
handed actions of the police"
| The banker elevated his eyebrows.
Indeed" he exclaimed. What
have the police been doing now?"
The lawyer looked at his client in
surprise.
why, my dear sir, you must have
seen by the papers what's been going
on in our city of late. The papers
have been full of it. Police brutality,
| illegal arrests, assaults in station
| houses, star-chamber methods that
would disgrace the middle ages. A
state of affairs exists to-day in the
city of New York which is inconceiv-
able. Here we are living in a civil
lied country, every mans liberty is
guaranteed by the constitution, yet
citizens, as they walk our streets, are
in greater peril than the inhabitants
of terror-stricken Russia. Take a po-
lice official of Capt. Clinton's type.
His only notion of the law is brute
force and the night stick. A bully by
nature, man of the coarsest instincts
and enormous physical strength. he
loves to play the tyrant. In his pre-
cinct he poses as a kind of car and
fondly imagines he has the power to
administer the law itself. By his
brow-beating tactics, intolerable un-
der Anglo-Saxon government, he is
turning our police force into gang
of ruffians who have the city terror
stricken. in order to further his polit-
ical ambitions he stops at nothing.
He lets the guilty escape when infiu-
ence he can't resist is brought to
bear, but in order to keep UP his rec
ord with the department he makes ar
rests without the slightest justifica-
ton. To secure convictions he manu-
features, with the aid of his detec-
tives, all kinds of perjured evidence.
To paraphrase a well-known saying,
his motto is: Convict-honestly, if
you can-but convict"
ct is outrageous" said Mr.. JEFF
fries. mo one can approve such
methods. Of course, in dealing with
the criminal population of a great
city, they cannot wear kid gloves, but
Capt. Clinton certainly goes zoo far.
What is the specific complaint on
which the suit is based?"
Capt Clinton replied the Judge,
made the mistake of prosecuting a
young woman who happened to be the
daughter of wealthy client of mine.
One of his detectives arrested her on
charge of shoplifting The girl,
mind you, is of excellent family and
irreproachable character. My client
and his lawyer tried to show Capt
Clinton that he had made a serious
blunder, but he brazened it out, claim
ing on the stand that the girl was an
old offender. OF course, he was
forced at last to admit his mistake
and the girl went free, but think of
the humiliation and mental anguish
she underwent! 1t was simply a
repetition of his old tactics. A convic-
ton, no matter at what cost
What do you hope to bring about
by this suit?"
Arouse public indignation, and
if possible get Capt. Clinton dismissed
from the force. His record is none too
savory. Charges of graft have been
made against him time and time
again, but SO far nothing has been
proved. To-day he is man of wealth
on comparatively small salary. Do
you suppose his money could have
come to him honestly?"
In another corner of the salon
stood DR.. Bernstein, the celebrated
psychologist, the center of an excited
crowd of enthusiastic admirers
Alicia approached a group of chat
tering women. Each was more elab-
orately dressed than her neighbor,
and loaded down with rare gems.
They at once stopped talking as their
hostess came up.
1T was so good OF you to comel"
said Alicia effusively to fat woman
with impossible blonde hair arc s.
rouged face II want to introduce DIR.
Bernstein to you"
"Oh, / shall be delighted" smiled
the blonde. Gushingly she added: