The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1925-10-22
Vieus of Others
Hoffman Goes to Jail.

Peter M. Hoffman, sheriff of Cook
county, and Wesley Westbrook, former
county Jail warden, have been sem
fenced to Jail for terms of 80 days
and four months, respectively, on
charges Of contempt of court. in con-
nection with favors granted Druggan,
notorious bootlegger, while in Jail.
The superiors are guilty, the judge
held, because they knew or should
have known of the favors being
granted the prisoners and must be
held responsible for the conduct Of
the jail. 4rs 1.@
1t appears that the prisoner made
some 80 visits to his dentists Office
during the period of;less. than a year
that he was supposed to have been
confined, and it is believed that con-
siderable Of the time spent out of
Jail was for the purpose of conducting
his business which for the most part
is that of manufacturing beer. He
was sentenced for violation of an in,
junction arising out of a case under
the national prohibition law, but was
able to maintain himself in comfort
by freely giving money to the jail en-
ployes, according to- bis own testi-
mony.
1t is not unlikely that the public
apathy over the efforts to enforce the
prohibition law is responsible in no,
| Cook county Jail. 1t is doubtful whether
Cook county Jail. Is itdoubtful whether
a man convicted for any other offense
could secure the privileges that were
granted to the bootleggers. Prescott
ing attorneys in many instances have
been convinced that the difficulty of
the liquor laws is due to the fact that
many who serve on juries are either
customers Of bootleggers or are en-
| gagged in the manufacture of alcoholic
beverages in their own home and con-
sequently feel that it would be unfair
to condemn a man who is their equal,
morally.
The same reasoning probably. in
fluenced the Jail employees, and per-.
haps the Sheriff in his treatment of
prisoner convicted under the prohibit
ton laws. One favor easily led to
another until the confinement of the
prisoner was a mere formality. While
this paper has nothing but condemna-
ton for the conduct of affairs at the
Cook county Jail, the responsibility of
the public can not be denied, and it is
we'll to consider whittier we are drift,
ing. The easy familiarity with the
bootlegger, and constant patronage.
given him, has made it but minor
social breach to do business with a
lawbreaker, and the caste of the sur
reptitfbus dealers is gradually being
raised to equality with his customers.
To spend a few weeks in jail for
violation Of the prohibition laws is
coming to be only jolly lark, good
for endless conversation upon release.
If the practice of failing or filming
the "hippers" takes on any consider
able momentum we may expect the
fad of spending a night in jail, or Of
paying fine, to take on the dimen-
sions of the cross word puzzle craze,
and to rival the weather as uni
versal topic of conversation.
We feel that thea ction of Federal
Judge Wilkerson in removing an Of
ficer of the law from his high office
and sentencing him to Jail will have 9
wholesome effect upon all law en-
forcement officers and upon the pub
lie generally. But after all, it is diff
ficult to say as to that. for they are
not in Jail yet, but are preparing an.
appeal, and then, too, jail isn't SO
bad under certain circumstances. -
Green Bay Press Gazette.