The Trials of a Common Pleas Judge, Chapter 28: The Captain’s Men
As these difficult stay-at-home times continue, I want to share another new chapter of The Trials of a Common Pleas Judge, the satirical serial novel in which I travel in time to the Philadelphia political machine of 1913.
Chapter 28 is titled “The Captain’s Men”:
https://www.judgebernstein.org/trials-of-common-pleas-judge-Ch-28
Here’s an excerpt:
“Chief Bridgers concluded that enforcement was needed at the highest levels. Within short order he announced the creation in each police district of ‘Captain’s Men,’ whose sole function was the enforcement of the newly enacted anti-vice legislation. Since there were only three police districts, one of which had no sin (or at least no sin worthy of restriction), only two such squads of ‘Captain’s Men’ were ever created. Both consisted of two experienced officers. In fact, ‘experienced’ actually became known as ‘impending retirement,’ which became the unwritten sine qua non for appointment to the squad. Experience and impending retirement invariably meant that the officers had been receiving money and other ‘favors’ from brothel owners and lottery runners for years and were ready to augment their otherwise meager pension benefits. The Captain’s Men readily added every ‘opium’ shop and hideaway to their regular catalogue of payoff sites: the threat of being included in subsequent legislation provided great incentive. Thus, corruption and protection became centralized with all payments going straight to the Captains (or at least 80% of all payments received) and thence to Bridgers.”
I hope you enjoy the excerpt and entire chapter. Information regarding scheduling mediations and arbitrations, as well as ordering discounted copies of my new book, is provided below. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your families.
All my best,
Mark
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Please note I am available for Zoom-based online mediations and arbitrations. In hopes of Pennsylvania opening in June, in-person mediations may be scheduled for late June. Either can be booked using my online scheduler: https://www.judgebernstein.org/availability
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For a limited time, I am offering a 20% discount on orders of the 2020 Edition of Judge Bernstein on Evidence if made through my website, JudgeBernstein.org.