The Great Bail Bond Fiasco

The cases of Matt Kies and Thomas Rauschman, alias Japanese Tommy, are of the kind which convince thinking people that justice is not always administered precisely as it should be. These men were arrested in January 1892 for swindling an unsophisticated farmer on one of the Sound steamers. The case was an aggravated one, the evidence was conclusive, and the men were promptly convicted and sentenced to the penitentiary. So far all was well, but just here proceedings began to lag. The cases were appealed to the supreme court, and, pending a final decision, the prisoners were released on bail. Irresponsible bondsmen were offered and accepted, and the convicted men were permitted to leave their prison. For more than two years the cases have been 'hung up.' During all of this time Kies and Rauschman have been at large and have been pursuing their lawless calling without molestation. Now, after a delay of more than two years, the supreme court is about to hear their cases. The convicted men have, however, left the state, and their bondsmen, who never should have been accepted as sureties, can laugh at any effort that may be made to recover from them.