The Washington times., 1920-05-06
We Demand an Investigation of
Mr.. Palmer's Secret Police and
Their Unlawful Conduct

Their Unlawful Conduct
Monday morning who had been imprisoned for
two months the fourteenth floor of the Park Row build
ing in New York. lsaped to his death
The known facts are these
The man was an Italian by nationality, printer by
trade.
He is said to have printed anarchist handful writ
ten in English and which he did not understand.
The police first arrested him in his home in Brooklyn
Suspect" and the convenient loaded gun found in
his upon which legal charge of violating the Su
act could be laid against him.
Araigned on this charge, the man was DISMISSED BY
THE COURT.
He was then REARRESTED by agents of the Depart
ment Of Justice they aege upon deportation warrant
issued on March TO-. .tt
From that date the man DISAPPEARED FROM
SIGHT, until Monday morning May his body hurtled
through the air and crushed to bloody before
the Mortified eyes Of three four persons walking Park
Row eAsN
The explanation Of the secret police is that the man had
confessed connection with the plot to send bombs
through the mail which made much talk last February;
and that he had been KEPT CONCEALED SINCE IN
ORDER TO PROTECT HIM
The secret police also explain that the prisoners fear
of future violence drove him to kill himself in the terrible
manner he did
Assume that this explanation is true-and very few
familiar with the ways of the secret police and their
methods of obtaining confessions will assume thatsti
the agents the Department of Justice have left the
most important matter wholly unexplained
WHERE DO THEY GET ANY LAWFUL AUTHOR
ITY TO HOLD MEN IMPRISONED FOR WEEKS WITH.
OUT A PRESENTATION BEFORE MAGISTRATE,
WITHOUT A HEARING WITHOUT ANY LAWFUL
PROCEDURE OF ANY KIND?
Who issued them orders to do these unlawful acts?
What officer of the United States Government assumes
the yrannical and eonous attitude of Carbon and orders
to be secretly arrested secretly imprisoned and denied
hhe right of hearing the right of examination before
magistrate the rights in Short not only guaranteed but
commanded by the Constitution, which is the law
of the land?
The Times demands an answer to these questions and
will 90 the Congress of the United States and compel
to these questions if it is necessary to invoke
The power of the Congress to open official lips
What protection has any who ncurs the i'll will Of
these secret police agents any can thus be secretly
esized and secretly imprisoned?
Who knows whether such victim is cruelty treated or
not whether he leaps to terrible death to escape cond
lions that are worse than death not?
Who knows whether the secret police telling the
truth about this wretched prisoner or not?
And who knows what terrible secrets those secret cells
up the fourteenth floor of the Park Row building
conceal?
Is it not an abominabe thing that such Baste could
exist the very heart of busiest New York without the
knowledge of the great newspapers clustered on this
thoroughfare?
It Is the history OF EVERY secret police EVEN formed
in the world that beginning with purpose to protect law
and order always ends by violating and deyng the law
and setting its yranncal and brutal usuped authority
above the rghul authority Of the law and above the right
full liberties Of the citizen.
Now, do not propose that this evil and abhorrent
system shall take hold here in free America.
That has begun to take root in political system
has become painfully evident The land swarms with all
kinds of police agents Federal and State public and
private and every day these agents show increasing
the law Of the land and the liberties Of the citizens
Unless this thing is stopped unless these criminal vo-
latons of personal rights punished unless these