Year: 1869

senting to this, was taken before . police magistrate, who was asked to discharge him on the ground that no proof could be obtained against him. But tho magistrate happened to be in an iDquiring mood, and finally arriving at something near the truth of the affair ordered the $500 toe be paid to the court. Whateyentuaily became of that money is . mystery; it is only certain that the unfortunate salesman never was bur lened with . dollar of it again. 33I 2 Space will not allow the further multipi- cation of these citations. Even thus hasti- 1y dealt with, the inherent corruption of the correctional administration of law in New York has become apparent; but how. thoroughly rotten or imbecile are the whole police and judicial .systems has been but faintly shadowed. Reformation must come and speedily, or honesty, anstead of being I the best, will be very won't possibls policy in . city handed over utterly into tho hands of thieyes.I The law as it il, if vigorously, intelligently. and. honestly administered might sufdce to repress prime and corrup- tion to certain extent, bui some special amendments are needed before any mate rial reformation can be expected. 7 bae

 The first necessity is to utterly eradicate the present detective system. Corruption has become so universal that it can only be stayed by the laws making it felon1 for police officer to receive any reward whatever beyond the salary attached ts his position. In some way the attention of the police officer must be diverted from the property stolen to the person stealing it. Somehow the brokerage in crime upon the part of officials, which is constantly in- creasing, must be stopped. and there is no way of effecting the reform of which there is such terrible need, except by the law putting the detectives and magistrates who pander to crime or share in any way in its gains, upon the same footing with the orig inal thief. 4 aa sat.4 sJ -y5gaa

 In these remarks do not intend to ma ign individuals, but rather to attack . sys- tenn of doing public business which has be- come so universal that it has compelled many good men to look upon themselves as something worse than the criminals they are supposed to pursue. To cut off the de- tective from all hope of receiving any re- ward for recovering stolen property, may appear harsh measure, and would prob ably prove so in many cases, but there is no other way of exterminating the evil But it is absurd to expect that men fitted by experience, knowledge of criminals, and the rare and peculiar acum en required for detective work, can be had for the mere pikr tance now paid them. The law virtually declares the Central Detective Squad a fraud and sham, by allowing it's members only the same pay giveE the inexperienced patrolman from the day he begins police duty. It is presumed these detectives are called to higher duties than are required of the patrolmen, and there is no good reason why the pay of police officers should not be graded according to the experience and capacity demanded by the position. Out off the outside rewards, give honest wages, and it may be possible to obtain honest detective work.

 When the law has weeded out corruption, it should clothe it's officers with additional power to secure the 0etlaws. Lately po- hce captain sought to rid his precinct of the professional theives who infested it, by arresting @ number of them as vagrants, but the move was complete failure. When taken before the magistrate every thief could show money and goodly raiment, and no policeman could make oath that he might not have worked on some day nam. ed by the shrewd counsel he had funds enough to employ. What is needed. there fore, is a law, provided with proper safe- guards against it's abuse, establishing the same summary proceedings against theives az are now in force with reference to va grants. If upon proper proof that man is professional thief, the magistrates were compelled to send him to the penitentiary for short term, the outlaws who now crowd the thoroughfares of New York would very soon be driven into honesty or other cities. As it is to-day, general re- pute counts nothing against the criminal pfsl ho ss OhorooA vuifh anuoo opoCifSo nf- fence as it would be then there would not be an hour of his life when he would not be transgressing the law, and could not be awarded it's penalty. Such law would be abused to some extent. perhaps, but it could be made to drive out the hordes of professional outlaws But certainly the city can well afford to take the risk of the abu- ses of such a law in order to gain it's bene- fits. Society has the right of self-protec- tion; and something must be done If thievery is not very soon to become the most profitable and best-protected of in- dustrial pursuits.

 But in apportioning the profigacy of which I speak, the people, and more es- pecially men engaged in extensive mer- cantile and financial affairs, must be held in no small degree responsible for it's ex. isteuce. Very often when police and mag istrates would be content with recovering only portion of the stolen property, pro- vided the thieves were punished, the des- boiled parties insist upon an entire rever- sal of proceedings They strive,and scheme and dicker with outlaws to regain the last possible penny, and sell their own honor and the safety of the community by shame lessly promising immunity for crime in ex- change for all but g small per cent. of their stolen treasures. Very often the detectives find the losers insuperable obstacles in the way of justice. There is much pertinence, in the remark lately made by Captain John Jourdan, than whom there is no abler or honester police officer in New York, that the detectives can, indeed, run thief to earth, but only the person robbed can pen him there; and that it is chiefly the fault of the robbed that thieves go free that men calling themselves honest may get their due. No statutory provision can be made tfs wao0h fha xnoY, xulrco <vn,e1 r<,