The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1915-01-31
THE MAN WHO HAS POINTED
$4,000 PERSONS TO JAIL
Charles A. Perkins, the
NcwDistrict Attorney,
Has Prepared That
Number of Indict-
mcnts for Grand Juries
During His Thirteen
~ Is ConnectionWith
the County Prosecu-
tors Office.

y
W. r. p.A. that. straight and mind
what you're about
PEI. sure vU s-t yop. II YOU don't
-t'.h Gus
r. ~yrr YOU feel yourself morhidly
upc.lcd to rub your thumb across
L Ic edge OF tho headsman's axe call
900 ,uc new District Attorney.
CO.. cs Albert Perkins. lie has sharp
ersd tho onic al blade 5000 times and
la 5000 heads on the Grand Jury
bios. for docapitation during the last
thirteen years. Not all OF the 5000
we're brhcadcd Of course, but 1t wasn't
because the official axe sharpener didn't
want them to he. lie had worked too
hard getting the axe ready
Scier, very gloomy night as | did.
to enter the Criminal Courts Building
tower. where the county axe is Kept
ami the grinder sits You get the thumb
scross-thc-cdgc feeling better at or
: orio.k ST With tho shadow OF the
Nearby Tomhs falling across your .houl-
dor vih the business buzz Of me day
oil -tIIod and the doors slammed tight
on us, you two. Then look across tine
table at the man VINO can have you
locked mp quicker and tighter than any
body else "a the city. You begin TO
fee She edge OF the axe
And after YOU begin to talk with Mr..
Perkins you find the hcadsman's axe
smile strengthened. This came to me-
after I had asked him whether or M;
there had been attempts made by any
Of tho $1,000 Indicted to revenge them
selves upon him. The District Attor-
ney smilcd-you might call it smD.
gu gcncris. for | doubt IL it has its
counterpart he answered:
"NO--no attempts. You see seldom
saw the man or woman accused Of law
breaking. | was the fellow who pre-
pared ~ ammunition and pointed the
qua 10 the preliminary assault. o.
yes tho follow who sharpened the axe.
was out of sight. They didn't know
what | looked like at all. The District
Attorney himself or his assistant who
pushed the trial in open court might
come in for attacks by the revengeful.
but not |, sitting back here at my little
desk and preparing the facts for the
Grand Jury"
Tho same sort of atmosphere sur
rounded the medieval headsman, with
| h!' silence worse than a threat and his
| mask that made him the unrecogniZable
J executive Of the law. ] tried to apply
/ the simlle further, hut you couldn't look
Al Mr.. Perkins and do it. Besides. ne
r no longer the grinder of indictment
axes hut the man who orders the chop
ping done.
Don't put me in the attitude OF eX-
plotting or playing up the indictments
have prepared" the new District At
\ torrey said when tried to pin a hard
A work medal on him. You know
ddn.t personally put together those
5000 Indictments. II would be physi-
ca.ly impossible for q man to do II.
When / first took charge Of the indct-
ment department used to feel wor-
red II / did not read every .ndictmer;
through. / found myself using mp most
OF the tweuty-four hours doing that and
falling behind with other matters nee
eSa-y to the working of the depart
msnt was also dup .lcating the work
~ careful associates"
But were YOU not responsible for
the correct preparation of every one of
The tndictments?"
Most assuredly was responsible and
iu'dv held so by the District Attorney
worked under. But" ana again cam
~" smile that it would not he far out
N the way to call a sphinx wrinkle IL
facial contour. lin this life there a
perpetual passing Of the buck"
Passing Of the buck, How in the
word could you pass the buck when
NftrI AL ia.
every one OF the indictmeEts?'
Why by the application of the time
honored rule, to wit: You say to your
issistant-in fact you don't have [ say
u-that you expect him to be able to
handle everything he does not pick out
as needing your personal attention
Now 4 he brings you anything that you
think he should have been we'll able to
handle himself, why, you frown and
demand to know Why he has bothered
you. on the other hand, IL he goes
shead and It develops that he hasn't
the matter we'll in hand and should
have consulted you-well, you frown
again and demand to know why he
hasA consulted you, See?"
Well, all the time you were at tho
mead Of the indictment department
during the thirteen years you had the
.dont bother me- buck passed to you
by the District Attorneys and you
passed it on were you not looked to
o. the originator and held RESPONSE
10 - the proper preparation Of the
10000 indctments?"
No doubt Of ii. But there's the
muck replied MIR. Perkins, and the
solemn axe room echoed the hearty
laughter OF the one time grinder.
You know" Went on Mr., Perkins,
lHeTcs nothing original about an in
\ deimenu There is no room for innovs-
Ton AS indictments are drawn now,
70 nave they been drawn for years. So
IN The task Of preparing thousands of
lAen, If there's any praise due. it must
No praise for emitting nothing-you
know the things we have left undone
u ~'tal we should have done, rather than
me things We have done that We should
nave lett undone. The repetition Must
~ "''cnt omission, or some little chinE
~ crack will permi, Of a squirminG
/ within FIVE years in New York Their.