Evening star., 1922-11-30
STIRRED BY CHARGE
OF BOND COLLISION
Police Court Circles Moved
by Accusation of Con-
spiracy.

Interest in the charge made in
open court Tuesday by Attorney
Royal Hughes that certain bondsmen
and lawyers operating in the police
courts are in collusion and con-
spiracy with the police. officers Of the
prohibition enforcement squads and
others to monopolize the business of
The courts. to the detriment OF bonds
men and lawyers not in the combi-
nation. grows apace among members
of the legal fraternity in and around
the courts
The suggestion that all bonds
taken after the close Of the police
courts by deputy clerks of the courts.
who fix the amount of the bonds. are
ton of Assistant District Attorney
Ralph Given. that official said that
the fixing of bonds was a judicial act
of the judges of thescourts. However
Mr.. Given said. that by an agreement
with the judges he had been fixing
courts were in session. up to o'clock
IN the afternoon. after which time
ne had no part in fixing bonds. But
Mr.: Given said that with the consent
and knowledge of the judges of police
courts deputy clerks of the courts
were authorized and did fix and take
bonds at all times of the night for
release of prisoners.
Would Bar PrOfessionaIs.
He expressed the opinion that one
means of stopping the alleged COL
fusion between the bondsmen and the
have the police department issue
orders to keep all professional bonds
men out of police stations, interview
ing or seeing prisoners. and make it
dot
taken for any prisoner he designate
his attorney and then require the at
torney to arrange the bond without
interference on the part Of bonds
men.
This would, Mr.. Given thought, put
out of commission lawyers alleged to
be working with the bondsmen in COL
fusion with the police.
AS the matter now stands and has
operated for more than a year, the
bondsman expressed it. and in collu-
sion with some one have the bond
set at an unreasonable figure, pocket
the big fees and then turn the case
over to members Of the bar who are
alleged to be working with the al
legged offending bondsmen.
Sought Substitute Is Charge.
For more than year certain Of the
bondsmen have been persona non
grata in the offices of Assistant Cor
poration Counsels G1llispie Walsh and
Frank W. Madigan, and the same is
true of the offices of Assistant Dis
trict Attorney Ralph Given, for the
reason that charges have been made.
unoff1cially, that certain bondsmen
are in collusion with the police and
certain lawyers.
One of the oldest practitioners at
the police courts in point Of continu-
Gus service there said vest erday that
the "crookedness" Of some of the
bondsmen was made evident in a
case in which he was the attorney.
He pointed out that he had a client
charged in two separate cases with
violation of the national prohibition
law, out on bond. two separate bonds
men being the surety; that the de-
fendant had disappeared and that
neither he nor the two bondsmen
could find the defendant: that these
bondsmen had come to him and sug-
gested that he furnish a substitute to
appear in court for the real defend
ant and plead guilty and that they.
the bondsmen. would arrange to have
q fine made in each case and that
they would pay the fines and thus
the cases could be disposed of and
save the bondsmen from having to
nav the forfeited bonds