The American issue. [volume] (Westerville, Ohio) 1912-19??, 1922-03-17
ESSEX MARKET POLICE
COURT HOPPER RUNS EMPTY
Customary Monday Morning
Rush" Hour For Drunks
Failed to Materialize
PROHIBITION DID IT
In Olden Saloon Days Judges
Big Goal Was 100 Cases in
100 Minutes

The Essex Market police court
opened and adjourned yesterday
without case on its calendar.
Essex Market has been doing
business for over halt a century
and Monday morning (partioular-
" a holiday Monday has tradi-
tionally had its rush" hour
crowded with DRINKS and dsor-
derlies. But times have changed
and the court calendar has
steadily dwindled until il touched
zero yesterday.
We suggest that newspapers
and other critics oil the anti-liq-
uor laws give some thought TO
this significant fact. 1t is not the
kind of TACT that gets first page
attention these days, but it is the
kind that Is steadily establishing
itself and lettering the health,
wealth and morals of every COM
munity in Our land. All the silly
Boosting about the case with
which liquor can be obtained and
the amount now consumed finds
flat denial in the caseless cal
endars OF the courts for miner Of
fenses.-New York Evening Mai,
February Il.
An eyewitness of former police
court conditions i'll the district re-
'crred TO above, man known to the
editor OF the New York American Is
size as one having intimate knowledge
Of the police courts in New York
City. makes the following interesting
comments on the above editorial.
The Essex Market police court is
one OF the oldest OF the city's police
courts and is situated in the center of
the most congested district OF New
York. Its jurisdiction extends over
territory which includes the far
famed Bowery. part OF Chatham
Square, the Ghetto" and practically
all the region more famliary known
as the east side.
From 20 to 100 Daily
In former days 10 section contained
more OF that which went to make up
what is known as the underworld than
that embraced within the more than
one mile square included in the juris-
diction OF Essex Market court Here
hourishcd dives OF the worst character.
With apparently none to question
their right to exist, the rcd lights" OF
the houses oil i'll fame could be seen
from every direction and formed a
prominent feature OF the life of the
section, while saloons of the lowest
type held forth in large numbers on
every block The natural results OF
these conditions were that at every
morning session Of the court what is
known in court parlancc as the pen,
was crowded with men land women
too--in a separate pcn) awaiting ar
before the magistrate-the
charge drunk and unable to take care
OF himself COR herself. as the case
might be- or drunk and disorderly.'
or perhaps charged with assault COM
mitted while drunk, and these in every
OF inebriety-a sickening
spectacle to all except police officers
and court attendants hardened to
these scenes. In numbers these dere-
licts frequently exceeded 100 and rare
~ less than score i'll the single court
OF which we are speaking. The Judge
of the olden time prided himself in
OF 100 OF these cases in 100
minutes, which meant steady pro-
cession moving to the city's prison or
workhouse in one morning. Is it any
wonder then that New York City
newspaper chronicles an event SO full
OF interest-of historic interest-as
that to which the Mail has referred.
And for this there is but one con-
tributing cause, a cause that Is need
less to name here. Gust here again let
the reader turn to the words quoted
from the Evening Mail.)
In the former days the six other po-
lice courts, Tombs, Jefferson Market,
Yorkvillc, Westside, Harlan, and
Washington heights-notably the three
first named--had their full quota of
drunks and here too there is an al
most complete absence OF these cases
these facts are given from the per-
sonal observance and knowledge OF
the writer and not from hearsay. This
condition in police courts where has
always been centered and always in
evidence the dire results Of intemper-
ance, could hardly have been dreamed
of by the most hopeful citizen of the
olden time.