The Washington times., 1913-03-25
HORSE OWNERS WILL
FIGHT HUMANE CASES
Attack on Police Court by So
ciety Causes Condemnation
Of Recompense Plan.

Stirred by an attack on the Police
Court OF the District made in the year
book OF the Washington Humane So
ciety. local horse owners are planning
organization with the purpose of going
to Congress and condemning as vicious
the law which gives the humane body
the fines imposed as the result OF its
prosecution In cruelty to animals cases.
Attorneys James r. O'Shea and Rob-
ert /. Miller have been retained by a
corterfe OF horse owners and will call
q meeting Of all horsemen in the city
who wish to participate in the fight
AGAINST the Humane Society some time
next week.
Prosecution for money is vicious, /"
will be the slogan OF the horse owners,
who purpose to impress Congress that
the law which gives fines imposed to the
prosecutors in humane cases is Just as
bad as the Zee system in the courts.
The horse owners were considering the
plan to band themselves together to
protest against the system of prosecut.
ing cases OF cruelty to animals several
: months ago when officers of the HUI
name Society caused an investigation
Of the Police Court by agents Of the De-
partment of Justice
First Charges Fell Flat.
The plan was abandoned when reports
from the Department Of Justice de-
clared that the charges brought by the
Humane Society had fallen fat in every
instance. Feeling against the organiza-
ton has been again revived by the
veiled insinuations made concerning the
conduction OF business by the Judge in
the lower branch Of the court, where
humane cases are tried. The year book
Of the organization declares that no
political hack" should be appointed to
a Police Court 1udgeship and concludes,
after telling OF other improvements that
should be made in police courts in gen.
eraI, that the Washington court should
be given attention first.
Stories of the antipathy of humane
society officials have against Judge
Pugh. who is sitting in the District
brapch Of the Police Court. have been
going the rounds ever since the court,
after listening to the testimony OF
President Walter Hutchins and other
officers OF the organization in a cruelty
to animals case several months ago. dis
missed the defendant.
Clash of Evidence.
Charges in the case in question were
that the driver of a team employed at
the Arlington Hotel excavation had
cruelty worked his horses. President
Hutchins and several other officers of
The Iumane organization testified that
the wagon drawn by the horses was
empty, out tnat tne excavation was In
such a condition on the day in question
that the horses should not have been
worked.
The contractors in charge of the work
declared In. court that they had prac-
tically turned their work over to the
charge OF officers of the humane 60
ciety. Several of the society's agents
mad given them permission TO work on
the day in question. they said. while
others. supposedly inferior agents, of
the society had forbidden them to work
horses in the excavation
Considerable feeling marked the trial.
ana when Judge PuSh dismissed the
case against the contractor the humane
Socfety officials called meeting, pro-
tested against the courts action and
Tassed resolutions TO ask the Depart
ment or Justice to investigate the court