New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1912-08-04
CARRYING GUNS BRINGS
LONG JAIL TERMS
Judge MuIqueen imposes Heavy
Sentences on Many in
General Sessions. III
TWO GET SEVEN YEARS
Gunner Are Frightened Into
confessing Guilt by His Strict
Enforcement of the
Sullivan Law. /,

Judge Mulqueen. firm believer in tn,
| eHcacy OF the Sullivan concealed weap-
ons law. has been applying II 10 gunner
4 ana blackjack wielders In Part Of Ger
/ eral Sessions the last month with great
success. Duding the July term OF court,
which ended this week forty-four men
! have been convicted In that court of car.
rying concealed weapons.
/ Soon after Judge Mulqueen took tbs
! bench in Part | IL was evident that the
gunner were going to suffer The word
went out that the best any one who
! pleaded guilty could hope for was q peni-
| Tertiary sentence of eleven months and
! twenty-nine days and fine OF 500. one
! day TO be served for each dollar unpaid
Ordinarily that would have had the effect
OF decreasing the number OF pleas.
But Judge Mulqueen held the Sullivan
| law over their heads Ike q club Under
that law n man may be convicted OF car
rying revolver either as a felon or
| misdemeanant. srhosc who pleaded guilty
were sent to the penirentiary and fined
but those who went 10 trial and were con
victed we're treated as felons, and 20,
sentences which made gsngdom sit up
! and take notice.
Term CT Seven Years.
Two men, Julius Johnson and Walter
Taylor. both OF whom had police records
! got the full punishment under the law
seven years in state prison. Three more
Albert Guerriro. Joseph Hawkins and
! willie" Hubbard1who had not been con-
| victed before and were subject 70 the in
determinate sentence law. got not less
than three years and six months nor NOR.
| than seven years each.
I The effect was startling. The word
went around the East Side. and through
| the Tombs that Judge Mu,queen was
handing out stih ones" and that he vas
| IN dead earnest about Il. Aftor that
there were far more prisoners willing 70
| plead guilty than go TO trial. The con
! trast between a Judge WHO would give
| gun totsr'' seven years straight end one
who fined or sent him ID the city Prison
Tor thirty days was striking and painful
Judge Mulaueens theory he not new
! ono with him, but never before has lie
! had chance 90 try il out so thoroughly
as last month. An unusually large num-
Der OF men were srraigne6 before him
charged with carrying pistols.
The Sullivan law" said JUICE M
queen yesterday put powerful weapon
! in the hands Of the police ana the courts
! If used wisely tho gunman can DC driven
from the city
However much the abstract principles
OF law and Justice may be argued. the
theory on which the criminal courts are
conducted IS one of barter. Time ard
expense are saved by pleas Of guilt. 4
guilty man who would escspe if he Went
70 trial may be persuaded 20 plead guilty
II Inducements are offered. Form riy the
only iuducement was a fine instead OF a
prison sentence. The consequence wss
that the real gangmeu didn't care mucr
whether he was arrested for having
revolver or not-he could plead guilty aid
pay a fine. Now the distinction is he
tween a short term in the penitentIsry
and q long term in state prison
Good Behavior Insured.
Moreover, the 800 hno which Judge
MuIqueon adds 10 the penitertiary san
tence in a way puts the prisoner on pa
role even while he Is in Jail. At the ex-
pirauon OF his prison sentence he ap-
plies TO have the fine remitted. Tha
warden Of the penitentiary forwards .
report of the mans conduct % Judge
Mulqueen. The judge looks into the case.
Sometimes O. mans conduct IS reported
not good when his only offences have
been iufractions of minor rules. In case
10 serious misconduc. has occurred Judg
Mulaueen generally RENTS the me. n
the offence Is at all serious the prisoner
has $50 days more 10 serve.
Not all OF those convicted have oesn
sentenced yet. The cases Of all o. than
are looked into very carefully. 20 msks
sure that no one who was carrying re-
volver innocently is sent 10 prison. 80
far only two sentences have bean sus-
pended. One was on boy who had re
volver In his pocket on the Fourth u
July. The other was upon tokst ageIt
in the subway who kept . blackjack IN
his booth for self-protection.
A half dozen or more are awaiting sea-
tence IN tho Tombs. one OF them
Monk" Friedman, gansman, VINO ma
promised startling disclosures. tie says
that nc could prove intimacy betweeH
"DoiIar John" whose real name. ne says
IL Harry Iangdon, and police captain
Once. no says, he saw money pass BE-
tween them. So far all the men whom
ha named as those who could corroborata
his story have refused TO do so. ne VIII
ba scntenced after the court is satishca
that he can give no assistance IN tas
graft hunt
Another whose case is still being 10
vestigated Is that OF a BOY who stole
revolver from a policeman. He was ~
| rested on the street with the revolver Va
his pocket on the Fourth of July. J'idgs
Muiaueen is trying to find out whether
the theft was the result OF misatr~cts'
patriotism or whether the boy Il re-ilY
vicious.