T. H. Thornton to Richard Yates

Chicago. Jan 7th 63

Govenor Yates

Honerable Sir

I take the privelege of adressing you a few lines concerning our Civil authorties in Chicago I mean our police and comisioners hopeing you will not think it a step of impropiety for a lady to do so my complaints is as follows first they arrest boys from 12 to 14 years of age and they go to there condemed cells and tell them that the thief and Highwaymen and murderer are pictured in there countnance and not only Say so to the boys but to there distracted parents Such expressions from officers who are employed to protect

our citizens and our rights Such talk to youths will only encourage them in there bad carere we think and I think and thousands of others that these police ought to be removed or some honest relible man Sent to govern them and Secondly poor unfourtunly drunken men who labor hard for there familys dayly and are arested to our police Station houses and if they hoping to ask for a drink of water are knocked down and kicked into there cells and called most abusive names not proper for a lady to pen and also lanuage for not proper for officers to use I see in the Chicago times of the 5th ints where Govenor Seymore of New York had called the police comisnors to Albany to bring them to an

ancount for the misconduc of the New York city police, witch cannot excell the misconduct of our own police there is a Jew on the Secrete police who goes to the amorys and bails out poor unfourtanate wimon and men for $5.00 and $10 dollars witch he divides with the Capt of police and Sargents when this Jew and the captains gets short of funds they go and arest unfourtunate men and wimon then this Jew will stay around the prison till late hours and all them that has dimond rings and money he will bail them out these are just Slight complaints to some depridations our officers do and I hope you will carefuly look over this and will administer Justice to our great and noble city

third and last I have said anything about our thiefing Officers when parties are arested there money is taken away from them and left at the gate and when the prisoner is locked up a part of the money is abstracted from there pockett books and when the prisoner ask for there money in the morning they will say part of the money is gone he will then ask the Officer for it then the officer in reply will Say get out that is all you had I will conclude hear with my best Wishes and thanks for the Service you have bestowed upon the country and State and hope you will intercede in behalf of the citizens of Chicago I am your

Humble Servant

Mrs T H Thornton

Mich Ave

Mrs. T. H. Thornton

Chicago. Jan. 7th 1863.

Makes the complaint that the police officers of that City do not treat their prisoners humanely, and asks that the matter be looked into.

Resply returned to the Executive Dept.

Civil business

L. AAG

MS

(File)

Recd. A. G. O. Govr Jany. 26, 63