Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1922-05-05
SERVICE OF POLICE
JUSTICES SEEMS LAX

Directing particular attention
to alleged open and fragrant vio-
lationS of the liquor laws; the de-
plorable condition OF affairs sur
rounding the coterie of police
justices of the county: and an
other situation wherein many
trifiing cases are sent to it for in
NeStigatlon because of the limited
authority OF magistrates To
handle larceny cases, the grand
Inquest of Anne Arundel county,
for the April term of Court. has
completed its Investigations and
hled a report with Judge Moss.
In course of its Investigations.
which began on April Il. the
jury, of which Joshua s. Linthi-
cum OF the Fifth district. was
foreman, examined the large
number of Pal witnesses, as a re-
suit OF which only presentments
were found out of AZ cases and
22 other cases were dismissed.
The salient features OF the report
are summed up as follows:
Justices OF The Peace
"The Grand Jury would call the
Courts special attention to the un-
fortunate situation in which Anne
Arundel county is placed, with refer
ence 10 the Justices OF the Peace. and
10 the great difficulty which the
States Attorney seems TO have in Sc
curing the proper information upon
which to bring pending criminal cases
to the attention OF the Grand Jury.
Comparatively few cases OF serious
Importance come from the lower sec
| ton of the county, but most cases OF
serious trouble come from Annapolis
and the Third. Fourth and Fifth dis
tricts OF the county.
'ln the Fifth district there are three
Justices of the Peace. Sweetzer Linthi-
cum. William II. McGinnis and John
j. Muhly. In the Third district there
are two. Mr. Oscar l.. Haitian and Mr..
VI S. Dunlap. Mr.. Dunlap has for
many years served the county faith
| fully and efficiently, but we are now
informed that he is now and for some
time past has been seriously i'll and is
probably permanently incapacitated
from active business in the future. At
Glen Burnie there are two Justices OF
the Peace, Mr. McGinnis and Mr.
Muhly. Mr.. McGinnis is a railroad
conductor and is rarely in Glen
Burnie, except at night Mr. Muhly is
engaged with Alexander Brown e
Sons. in Baltimore city. leaves home
about seven or eight o'clock in the
morning, and rarely ever returns un-
til five o'clock in the afternoon or af-
/ Ter; so that neither OF these men ia
available for any service during the
day, except outside OF the hours men
toned. Magistrate McGinnis said that
he did not want the office, but 1t had
been wished on him.
Exclusive Authority Here
"In the Fourth district there is a
Police Justice. and under local law he
| has exclusive Jurisdiction of all
criminal offenses in the Fourth dis
trict, and in case of his sickness or
absence there seems TO be no author
ity in the county TO take cognizance
Of criminal cases arising in the Four
tn district
Furthermore, it has come to the at
/ Of ha Hrap nd Inv hat ne
the Magistrates make no reports what
ever to the County Commissioners of
cases tried and fines imposed, al
though the law expressly requires re-
ports to be made every three months.
We are informed by Mr.. Sweetzer
Linthicum that he has been Magis-
trate for thirty years and did not
know that he was required to make
any report, and we are informed By
Mr.. Muhly that he has made no report
since November, 1920.
I'VE desire to call the attention OF
the County Commissioners to this
state Of Office to the end that they may
have their counsel take necessary
steps to secure the reports required
by law, and We especially desire that
this portion of our report be sent to
the Governor of the State, in order
that his attention may be directed to
the need of Anne Arundel county in
respect to Justices of the Peace, and
that proper steps be taken by the
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