Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-01-03
HOOD PLANS SUMMER COURT
TO RELIEVE THE CONGESTION
Prosecutor Believes Judges Will Aid Hn-county Supervisor
Congratulated Auto He Hasn't Cot-Warden Bailey
Tells How Twins Made Him Think He Was Loco"
BY DUKE wELLINGToN

BY DUKE WELLINGTON
There is what eonfronts me at the
beginning of the New Year" remark
ed Prosecutor Louis Hood today, as
he pointed to a dozen or more sheets
of legal cap paper. closely written.
lying in his desk.
The list was one of persons await
ing trial in the criminal courts, and
numbered almost 200 names-1s6 TO
be exact, all of whom are in Jail OF
out on bail awaiting disposition by
the courts of the charges against
them.
How are YOU going to get rid of
the cases2' Mr.. Hood was asked
There is only one way to do it,"
replied the prosecutor. +and that is
by good hard work If I can get the
aid of the judges. will hold court
all summer long. IL necessary. TO clear
| up the criminal calendar.
I'VE have 200 cases TO start WITH"
/ continued Mr. Hood. Each grand
| jury returns approximately go indict-
ments during its term of office. OF
this number. probably fifty are wild
cat indictments, or indictments that
will not be brought to trial. Before
/ the end of the regular court season
| In June we will. therefore. have about
400 indictments, in addition to the 200
now on hand.
with 500 cases TO dispose of, 1t
means that there will have to be some
| hustling to get rid Of them, but ]
| intend TO do all ] can, and as know
the judges feel much the same as I
do, We will probably be able to make
great inroads on that list before
July l."
Prosecutor Hood is at a loss for n
explanation as to why the court
calendars are in such a congested
condition at the present time, and
/ does not know whether to blame
laxity in the handling of cases OF the
great growth of the county for the
condition.
BY making a hard and earnest
effort to catch up with the work he
| feels that a short time will tell
whether the county has grown to
such an extent that a third Judge is
necessary or not. The fact that a
third judge is to sit in this county
for the next two or three months
will aid Mr.. Hood materially in de-
termning whether third Court of
Common Pleas is needed permanent
ly or not
IF it Develops that one is needed,
relief should be granted by the Ligis-
lature at the earliest possible mo-
ment," saws Mr.. Hood. land the
people of the county should be per-
fectly willing to pay for having jus
tice properly and quickly admins
tered.
s9rt. t<zo., -. - .7s...- = -.
nal cases is to have the trial month
or six weeks after the commission of
the offense. when the memory of
what took place is fresh In the minds
of all connected with it. Every per-
son is prone to forget. unwiIiingly
some times and willingly at others,
testimony of vital Importance when
| cases are brought to trial two, three
and even six months after a crime
has been committed.
Tt is the belief of the writer that
Prosecutor Hood will find that the
growth of the county Is responsible
for the congestion in the criminal
calendars The county judges. will
lam P. Martin and Harry v Osborne,
devote all their time to the hearing
of matters in Common Pleas Court.
So much time do they devote to ac-
tual hearings from the bench that
they are compelled to work over
time and on Saturdays to write opin-
ions in cases that have been before
them for trial.
The congestion is not due to any
delay on the part of the court or
prosecutors office Tt is due entire
ly to the growth of the county. As
a matter of fact it is the opinion of
persons closely connected with
criminal affairs in Essex county that
crime is less rampant now than 1t
was several years ago. This does not
mean, they explain. that there Is less
crime now. for in total cases the num-
Der is greater; but compared with the
increase in population in the county,
and particularly in the city of New
ark. the proportion of crimes per
capita is considerably less IN a single
year than it was five years ago.
Warden Benjamin r. Bailey, of the
Essex County Hospital at Overlook,
tells this story on himself. 1t hap
pened Just after Mr.. Bailey took
hold as warden of the institution a
year ago. For many years there has
been confined in the institution twin
sisters, whose resemblance is so great
that even the nurses having them d.
rectly in charge have a hard time tell
ing them apart. Both have a habit
of pulling their hair out when they
become disturbed. and for this reason
their heads are kept closely cropped.
Likewise both have the delusion that
every man they see is going 10 marry
them.
Warden Bailey. on tour of inspec-
ton one day, met one of the twins and
received the usual greeting, Are you
going to marry me now?" The war
den was not so used to the vagaries
of patients then as he is now, and
promptly got away from the woman
and continued his inspection tour.
After going through a number of
wards and corridors Bailey was sud
denly startled to have someone rush
up to him with outstretched arms and
the salutation, Are you going 10
marry me now?"
1t was the other twin confined in a
ward probably half a mile distant
from her sister, but Bailey did not
know that at that time.
Right there I forgot I was war
den," says Bailey in telling the story.
81 certainly did think for few min
utes that I had gone loco myself and
was a patient. ] knew the first wom-
an I had seen could not get from the
ward where she was confined, and yet
to all appearances there she stood in