New Britain herald., 1917-11-21
PQainVille News
GRAND Juror TELLS
HIS Side OF CASE
Dresser Admits He Refused to
Prosecute on Sunday
NEW JAIL TOWNS NEED

NEW JAIL TOWNS NEED
Unsantary and Other Conditions At
the Lookup Are Criticised
/ ton Made That the Health officer
Pay Visit to Town Hall.
| The following communication has
been received at the Herald office from
! Grand Juror A. H. Dresser who takes
exception to an article which appeared
in Mondays issue of the Herald and
which voiced comment of the action
taken by the grand juror relative to
! his refusal to prosecute a court case
| Sunday:
| To the Editor of the Herald:
It see by the statement in last
nights (Monday's) Herald that Officer
Marine had to keep Patrick Dolan
| (I1erney) in the lookup over Sunday
! and this morning he was still there
due to the fact that the efforts of Off
| Ger Marino to locate a grand juror
who would prosecute the case were Of
no avail.
Officer Marine called on me yester-
day afternoon to ask me if I would
prosecute a case this afternoon.
told him that I would not prosecute
case on Sunday but I would prose-
cute any day in the week except on
sunday. I was ready to prosecute the
| case this morning if he had called on
me.
officer Marino could have seen me
last evening or this morning as I live
in his neighborhood.
II have held the office of Justice Of
peace and also the office of grand
juror for several years before I was
elected grand juror last October and
this was the first time that I was
asked to prosecute on Sunday.
There has been no justice court
held on Sunday within the last two
years in this town. And court is not
held on Sunday in Hartford, New Brit
ain, New Haven or other cities and
towns in the state.
IF the conditions of the lookup are
such that it is not fit to keep pris-
oner in over Sunday it is time that
the town officials should see that the
lookup is put in condition so that
they can be kept over Sunday without
holding court on that day.
Respectfully yours,
"Grand Juror"
Patrick Dolan, whose name was
later discovered to be Tierney, was
taken into custody Saturday evening
by Officer Marine. He was taken to
the local lookup to await trial on
the charge of drunkenness. Sunday
efforts were made by the officer to
secure a grand juror who would
prosecute the case. Grand Jurors
Wi
il business activities, according to-
Constable Marine, and Grand Juror
Dresser refused to prosecute because
1t was Sunday.
AS result Tierney was kept in
the lookup over Sunday and was lib
Grated Monday when bondsman was
secured. He was given a trial Mon
day evening before Judg A. H. Con-
dell with S. S. Gwillim prosecuting.
It developed during the trial that he
was not a confirmed drunkard. Also
ii was learned that he was work.
ing man and Piled his trade constant
ly. ~
When it was learned Monday morn
ing that Grand Juror Dresser had re-
fused to prosecute the case on Sun
day thereby forcing the man to re-
main within the confines of the lock- |
up almost two days some comment |
was heard among the town people. 1t |
was stated that it was hardly human |
to keep a man charged with a minor |
offense in the local lookup for an !
unnecessary length of time owing to |
the obnoxious conditions which pre- |
vail in the basement of the town hall. |
Although it is not customary to |
hold court on Sunday in towns J
throughout the state, cases have been !
tried on the Sabbath day in this town. !
In fact persons taken into custody ]
OF: Saturday nights and charged with
minor offenses. were. as general
rule tried the following day
During the past few years Judge A. !
H. Condell and Grand Juror S. s.
cases of this nature. Both of these |
men agree that it is lamentable to
keep a man charged with a minor
violation of the law imprisoned over
Sunday. This they state because the
conditions at the lookup are poor
and have been for several years and
if a workingman is arrested on Sat
urday and tried on Sunday it gives
him a chance to resume his 1abors
Monday morning.
There have been times when Offend |
ers of the hobo type, who think the |
world owes them a living, have been
taken into custody on Saturday and |
Ike pt in the lookup until Monday be- |