Untitled article

Pacific Press Publishing Company · New York · January 19, 1893

On the 13th inst., Judge Wise, of the District Criminal Court of New Orleans, announced his decision in the case of Chief of Police Gaster, charged with misdemeanor for refusing to make arrests for violation of the Sunday law. As noted in these columns last week, a crusade was inaugurated some weeks ago for the purpose of enforcing the Sunday law, which has been a dead letter several years. The chief of police would not make arrests and was charged by the district attorney with misdemeanor. His first trial by jury resulted in a mis-trial; the jury standing eleven to one for conviction.

The case was then tried by the judge of the Criminal District Court, who pronounced Gaster guilty, and fined him three hundred and one dollars, and one hour in the parish prison. The case has been appealed to the Supreme Court. It is a test case, and the fate of the Sunday law and its enforcement depends largely upon the result. The law is very unpopular.