DODGING THE SHERIFF.

Poverty Bay Herald, Volume XXXIV, Issue 10957, 27 April 1907, Page 5 (Supplement)

DODGING THE SHERIFF.

HOW AMERICANS EVADE THE SUBPCENA SERVER.

One of the advantages, or disadvantages — according to the point of view — of the Amei'can State system is that the civil process of one State does not run m another. Neither does the criminal warrant of one State run m another ; but the extradition treaties between the States are so complete, and the co-opera-tion between the police of the various cities so perfect, that a New York criminal seeking refuge say, m Chicago, is promptly arrested oy the Chicago police on receipt of a request from the police of New York, and the Governor of Illinois promptly honors a request by the Go Ver. nor of New York for the extradition of the prisoner. . There have been cases where political crimes were involved m which the Governor of a State refused to extradite a refugee. One of the most notable was the case of the man who was accused of the assassination of the late Governor Goebel of Kentucky. The .alleged mur- : derer sought sanctuary m Indiana, and the Governor of Indiana refused to give him up. The man lived m safety m In. Diana for nearly two years. Then he- was induced by a ruse to cross the border : nto Kentucky, and was arrested.WITNESSES AND DEBTORS. No such comity prevails between the States m civ jl matters. A witness cannot be compelled to come from one State to another to give evidence, and the sheriff cannot seize the body of a debtor who' has placed the imaginary line which divides the States between himself and the .representatives of the law. New York is particularly favorably situated for gentlemen who wish to enjoy the delights of the American metropolis and at the same time evade some of their responsibilities. A penny' fare carries them across the Hudson river into the Sovereign State of New Jersey, where they, may defy the. civil authorities of New .York. Hence the Alimony Club. Its membership is made up of gentlemen whose marriages have been dissolved by the courts of New York, and who have been condemned by an unsympathetic judge to contribute to the support of their , former partners. By living m Jersey City or Newark they are able to avoid obeying this order, and at the same time to enjoy all the pleasures of New York almost as fully as if they lived m orie of the streets off Broadway. SAFE AT NIGHT. If they are content to take their pleasures by night they are quite safe, for the sheriff is powerless after sundown, and if they want to hear the popular metropolitan preachers on Sunday they •may. dp so, for the peopled writ does not run on the Sunday. A number of the members of the club are actors who constantly play m New* York. Rents are lower on the western bank of the Hudson, and the ferry service is regular. They are able to appoar nightly, at the Boradway theatres, and they must not appear at matinees, and woe betide the careless man Who lingers too long at the supper table after the play, and sees the sun rise over the East River. He is almost -sure to find a deputy, sheriff waiting at the door, to conduct him to the county gaol, where he must linger until he has purged himself of, contempt of court by paying his arrears.. Jersey City is most popular because of its proximity to New York, buttjiere are also large alimony clubs m the Oranges, which are a little further afield, and others particularly for men of -wealth at Morristown and Lakewood, which are resorts oi fashion . YACHTING RESORTS. Connecticut also boasts of flourishing alimony clubs at Bridgeport and at the various yachting resorts, along the shores of Long Island Sound. Some' of the members of the yachting clubs are also members of the Morristown and Lakewood clubs during the winter months, When they change from their summer to their winter quarters and back again they must be careful to avoid crossing New York. Many of them disembark at Jersey City, and are conveyed to Bridgeport or some other point on the Connecticut shore by boat. ■ One of : the most noticeable cases of the capture of an unwilling witness m recent years was engineered by one of Mr Jerome's predecessors m the office of. District Attorney. The witness who Was wanted vviss Mt'amie "Melando, ' whose evidence was" considered .important:.* by the- prosecution m the 'trial of "Roland B. Molyneux for murder. . Miss Melando fled "to New Jersey and refused ; to come back at the District Attorney's request. Then an attractive young . man made his; appearance and made love to Miss Melando. One day he ; took , h<br for a drive along the pic.turesque palisades of the Hudson. When they had ' driven » few miles out into the country the young man informed his companion that she was m the State of New York and was his prisoner. He was one of the District Attorney's detectives.