Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-12-04
JUDGE CAUTIONS
DEFENSE COUNCIL
IN LABOR CASES
Records Must be More Carefully
Kept. He Declares, in Con
scription of Workmcn.
THREE PROSECUTIONS FAIL

Caution TO be more precise and care
full in their methods and records was
twice gwen To Edward ;. McAtCcr
special agent for the State Council OF
Defence, by Judge Churchman in City
Court today
McAtcer appeared rs prosecuting wit
ness in sin cases where men conscrlpted
for labor under the Work or t light law
were alleged 10 have violated orders
given them by the Council nolle
proseoul was entered in one case, another
was dismissed and third was continued
when the defendant brought INTO
ourt by the Defense Council, testified
hat he had been constantly ut work
where assigned
His arrest and his subsequent halIng
before the court, seems to have been
based on the fact that the Pennsylvania
Railroad Co had reported TO the Council
that one Joseph Coan,' assigned TO
shcm as conscriptcd lahorcr on Nov,
% by the Defense Council had not re-
ported for work al all
Intcrrogatories by the Court OF the
chief clerk of the department having
,hargc of the tin shop, where Coan had
ocen assigned. brought out the fact
that ono Joseph F.. Coan had reported
within three days Of November 20. and
had been working >readilv ever since.
MISTAKE or INITIAL.
The defendant testified that he Was
the Joseph T. Cosu mentioned by The
clerk: that he had been working steadily
for the Pennsylvania railroad for the
past three years, and except
for an interval of siX months had worked
for them SIN years previously, lie sand
hc had bought three Liberty Bonds
with his savings, ono Of which he pro-
duced in Court He also stated that
nc was working steadily for tho company
when he was assigned to the company
and that he lost a days pay IN appear
ing before the Defense Council
Judge Churchman declared that the
Defense Council would have 20 get is
records down TO a finer system and
ordered the case continued one week
while Coan story could bc investlgat-
I'd
Keeping Levi Ruth in cell for -
hours, because the time keeper who
bad his record was not in court was
also criticized hv tho Judge n another
prosecution brought hv thu Defense
Council
SERIOUS lRKoR. SAl, JuDGt.
IT Is 4 serious matter - Keep man
IN Il pohcc station cell for this length
II time through such IN error the
nudge said his man has lived IN
Wilmington al his life More care
uIst T., experienced In these eases
Let noilc pro~equi to entered
John Bannar, charged with failing
- work full time fer the Pyle Leather
CO. testified that hc was physically
unable to do - He produced . dis
charge from tho United Statcs army
for physical disability Court officials
told Judge Churchman that the man
was subject Ii cniIeptic fts His case
WAS dismi ssed
Walter Griffith VINO was also charg
Cd with violating an order by the D.
Tense Council, il that nc was irregular
ii the I bor for which he had been con
scriptcd was given the chance TO devote
more hours 5 week to bis work as cook
His case was continued
John Garyev was held under $500
bail for General Sessions on a similar
charge He testified that he vas unable
to work full time on account Of an IN
jured ankle which he exposed IN Court.
George Hammer was also held in the
same bail for upper court for similar
alleged offense