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Peter M. Hoffman, sheriff of Cook counts, and Wesley Westbrook, former enuty jail warden, have been sentenced to jail for terms of 30 days and for months respectively. on charges of con tempt of court in connection yoith 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 heing granted the prisoner and must be hell re sponsible for the conduct of the jail. It appears that the prisoner made some 90 visits to his dentist's office during the period of less than a year that he was sup posed, to have been confined, and it is be lieved that considerable of the Time spent out of jail was for the purpose of con ducting his business which for the most part is that of manufacturing beer He was sentenced for violation of an iinjute tion arising out of a case under op tional Prohibition law, but was able to maintain himself in comfort by freely giv ing money to the jail employee, acrvording to his own testimony. It is not unlikely that the public apathy over the efforts to ensure the Prohibition law is responsible in no small measure for the scandal in the Cook county jail. It is doubtful whether a man convicted for any other offense cond secure the privileges that were granted to the bootleggers. Prosecuting attorneys in many instances have been convinced that the diffculty of securing convictions for violation of the liquor laws is due to the fact that many who serve on juries are either customers or bootleggers, or are engaged in the man ufacture of alcoholic beverages in their own homes and consequently feel that it would be unfair to condemn a man who is their equal, morally. NAS The same reasoning probably influ enced the jail employer, and perhaps the sheriff in his treatment of a prisoner con victed under the prohibition laws. One favor easily led to another until the con finement of the prisoner was a mere for mality. While this paper has nothing but condemnation for the conduct of af fairs at the Cook county jail the respon sbility of the public cannot be denied, and it is well to consider whether we are drift ing. The easy familiarity with the boot legger, and constant patronage given him has made it but a minor serial breach 19 do business with a lawbreaker, and the cost of the surreptitious dealer is gradual ly being raised to tedgldts with hie eq tomers. To spend a few weeks in Jail for viola tion of the Prohibition law 's coming to be only a jolly lark goo tay endless con versation upon release, Pf te pgerton of jailing or fining the dippers tears on any considerable momestie, we way cepa the fact of spending a hive a pall cent paying @ fine. to take or My our ne of the crows ward pride rival the weather wen on conversation. We feel that the neving of benut Fudge Wilkerson in remnving gia anon the law from his high office wad sneey any Vim to gail will save a whole utyeity or upon all law enforcement uniern is conn the public generally. But atu ¢ difficult to say as to that, for hese pra in jail vet but are preparing an iyora’, and then, too, jail isn’t no bad nudes cer tain circumslances,
Newspaper Details
Appleton Post Crescent
Appleton, Wisconsin, US
Fri, Oct 16, 1925
Page 19
Full Page
Clipped by
Anonymous
USA 22 Aug 2026
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