Читать книгу The New York Tombs Inside and Out! - John Josiah Munro - Страница 6

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The way that lawyers have been robbed of their clients the past few years in the City Prison has become a public scandal. Almost every day there is a fight in the vicinity of the Counsel Room. It is the old story, some reputable lawyer is fighting for his rights because an official has stolen his client and given him to a “shyster.” It is said that thousands of dollars a year have been passed to certain ones, who have been the real “steerers,” and not the keepers. The Bar Association should investigate and remedy this evil. There are a dozen reputable lawyers in New York who are ready to furnish satisfactory evidence of this bare-faced thievery and grafting. These corrupt officials should be bounced, and a new Diogenes sent around the State with a searchlight under his wing in an endeavor to find some honest men to take their place.

Old time “steerers” in the palmy days made plenty of money in securing lawyers for prisoners. I recall a man who had secured a lawyer through one of his friends while in the District Prison. It was a homicide case. When he came to the Tombs one of the keepers persuaded him to give him up. The keeper approached him, thus, “Say, who is your lawyer?” “So and So,” was the reply. “Well, let me tell you, he is no good. You will have a chance of going to the Chair or away for life!” “It’s only manslaughter, my lawyer says.” “Don’t make any difference,” said the keeper, “I am telling you for your own good. Give him up. Why don’t you get Mr. ——?” So he secures Mr. —— and that keeper gets the graft from the lawyer.

When a certain politician was the boss of the City Prison, it was said by the knowing ones that all homicides as soon as they gave their pedigree at the desk were marched to the warden’s office where they were privately catechised to know whether any “steerer” of the prison had been giving them information about lawyers, and then informed that it was not necessary for them to go to Court to get counsel, that he would out of the goodness of his heart look after their interests and assign them a lawyer. Two or three shyster firms had the murder cases during this “regime,” at $500.00 per head, which was the amount of money allowed by the State for the defence of every murderer, less one-half, which went to the “grafter.” Thanks to Judge Rosalsky, who has made it a rule that no prisoner in the Tombs can change his attorney without the consent of the court.