New-York tribune., 1916-01-18
Crooks Brush Elbows with
Rich at RouSing Car
negie Hall Meeting.
MEETING PLEDGES
TO SUPPORT WARDEN
teliN Adler Says Prisoners Re
SpOnSc Has Shown Faith
Well Founded.

Thomas Mott Osborne. alias Tom
Brown. known friend of crooks and
himself under indictment and an in
hsoitsnt Of prisons, played absent hero
last night at meeting remarkable in
the history OF New York.
Only few hours alter tho man with
tho alias had appeared at the bar Of
justice TO plead not guilty 10 serious
offences charged against him. as many
Of his admirers as the great audi
torium would hold. gathered in Car
ncgic Hall TO assert their belief in his
innocence.
ON the platform sat members Of the
citizens committee by which the meet
ing had been called. They were no or
binary set Of propagandists, but rather
the same sort of company which might
assemble to honor visiting Mogul
doctors. lawyers. cIergymon. bankers.
brokers. retired capitalists and active
philAnthropists.
Those who spoke included = high
labor official. two eminent barristers
and a Judge, while out in front an
oddly mixed assembly listened snd
yelled their confidence in the man in
whose behalf they all had come to
gcther
Underworld in Throng.
In the throng of $500 tina, famed
out under the platform and filled the
boxes and galleries. pickpockets rubbed
elbows with women Of another stratum,
a-gllttc~ with diamonds. and burglars
were sleeve 10 sleeve with burghcrs
whose possessions a. another time
might have been of cngrossing profcs-
s!oual interest TO them.
Joseph II. Choate. formerly Ambas-
Sad0r 10 Great Britain. was 10 have
presided At the meeting. but an lndis-
position kept him away. and his gave
was welded. al his own request. By
Isaac y. Seigman. Pressing business
OF their respective csllings kept away
also George W. Wickersham. eX-Attor-
ney General Of the United States. and
Bishop David II. Greer But. like Nr.
Choste. they did not neglect to send
communications setting forth their
faith in Tom Brown" and the prison
reform fer which he has stood.
Whatever may become of the case
now pending against the man Of the
alias 30 ran the prediction of Dr. Fe-
liy Adler. leader of the Ethical Culture
Society and the first speaker-the soul
OF Tom Brown" viii 90 marching on
with that Of John Brown.
DR.. Adler's psraphrasing of the ia
nous old song, concluding his talk
brought a storm OF applause.
81 have come here tonight" he had
said "to say do not believe one word
of these accusations against Mr.. Os-
borne and to honor the man and ex-
press the interest | feel in his grea.
cause.
"Mr. Osborne Is Of our scientific school,
for there is q whole sihool of Us who
believe in the same reforms IN which
he believes He has done the thing
while we have been thinking OF II. lie
went into Auburn and immured himself
for a week that he might know the evil
system, that ne might feel as those
who were obliged 20 be there feel. A
man of refinement and culture. he went
into those dark punishment cells. that
he might know the terror OF the press
ing darkness and the parching thirst
Faith Not Visionary.
ole came out. rot 20 write sensS-
tional article and coin his experience,
hut TO do something admire much
more than his week in prison 70 enter
unon another and more lasting imprls-