The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1913-10-14
Bad Name Given
STAFFORD Resented
TownspeopIe Do Not Relish
Sobriquet "Wickedest Town
In The State
State Police Blamed For Record
Ard Trial Justice Policy De-
cIines To Allow Inspection of
His Warrants
Especial to the Farmer. J


| Stratford, Oct. 14.-The report of
the State Police department for the
past year which shows that Stratfofrd
had more visits from the state po-
| lice than any other town in the state
and has thereby acquired the title OF
| the wick town in the state,' has
caused indignation here.
| For many years Charles H. Peck has
the trial justice of the town. When
Rowe Wheeler was appointed to the
state police he aspired to step into
the shoes of Deputy Sheriff Charles
E. Stagg who was quietly withdraw
| ing from active work on account of
ill health. Wheeler appeared as the
acting police officer in large pro-
| portion of the petty Justice cases
| which come up in every small town.
! Nine-tenths of these are the result of
| arguments over the back yard fence
or neighborhood quarreIs which would
wear themselves out in a few days
were they allowed to rest. The num-
Der of cases Immediately increased
when Wheeler took hold. Many were
so trivial that they caused scarcely
any comment. NoI1es, discharges and
suspended sentences increased many
fold. In such cases the costs were
taved on the town. The officers, while
they got their fat fees just the same,
complained because they could not OBJ
tain convictions and they were advised
to let up on the arrests and send the
complainants to a grand juror for
warrant before they acted.
Last fall Louis Policy, the local bar
Der appeared on the Republican tick
ct for justice of the peace. No one
supposed that he would become the
trial Justice of the town, but he did
It is said that in a majority of the
cases warrants were issued after the
arrests were made.
The fees of a state policeman are
supposed to be turned into. the chief
of his department. When convic-
lions are secured half of the fines
go to the State police department. The
functions of the town constable were
absorbed by the state policemen who
assumed to be the whole police force
of the town. Petty cases which or
dtnarfly would never have appeared in
even justice court multiplied amaz-
iDgly. The record Of the year shows
three times as many petty cases as any
OF its predecessors. They were re-
corded for the state police and report
ed to headquarters where they count
ed against the town of Stratford which |
thereby obtained from this record the |
reputation of being the worst town
in the state
There is a feeling here that Rowe |
Wheeler has attempted to obtain a |
reputation for activity at the expense |
of the good name of his town and |
that in doing SO, he has obtained for |
taxed which would otherwise have |
gone to. the town and helped to equal |
ize the many cases where the costs |
were taxed on the town through
nol1es entered on account of warrant /
ed arrests
Attempt was made to obtain the |
exact number of cases in which the
state police figured in the town and /
their nature. Judge Peck tried 22
cases in which the arrests were made |
by the state police. OF these eight !
were for minor offenses, twelve were |
for offenses against automobile law
and two others for offenses which nat
urally come within the field of the |
state police. Two of the minor cases |
were no1led. In all the automobile |
cases the whole fine went to the state |
and the fees to the state police, the |
town receiving nothing. In the 9TH |
er cases half the fines went to the I
state and all the fees to the state po-
lice, the town receiving only half of
the fine.
Justice Pelley was indignant when
asked to show his records After
considerable argument he showed a
simple record of cases which. did not
contain the Information sought. He
refused absolutely to show his war
rants. Tt is well known that 90 per
cent of the arrests are made without !
q warrant and it is charged that when |
such a document was deemed abso-
luIely necessary Rowe Wheeler as |
sumed the Office of grand juror tenn
porarfly An inspection of the war
rants will show signatures which may
be those of grand Juror Ivan More
house to a blind man but to no one
else. Keys to the local lookup have |
been refused the democratic deputy
sheriff of the town, while State Po-
iceman Rowe Wheeler carries a kew.
In every part of the town there is
of poor roads and high
taxes and the question is what be-
comes of the money? ''