attorney, two assistant fiscals, one secretary, two deputy clerks, and other subordinate officials. Another court, established by General Ludlow, military governor of Habana, Jan uary 6, 1899, was the police or correctional court of Habana. While the action taken by General Lud low does not appear to have received the formal approval of General Brooke, the court was continued as organized, and under the administration of Major W. L. Pitcher, Eighth Infantry, who succeeded Major Evans as supervisor of police, has proved of inestimable value in restraining and punish ing the disorderly element in Habana. Rec ognizing its value, General Wood, on April IO, formally continued it in a decree of that date, and gave it jurisdiction over all offences known as faltas (light crimes), and all minor breaches of the peace; the trial and pun ishment of authors and publishers of all immoral or obscene literature, or false, malicious, or scandalous statements, whether printed or oral, tending to injure reputation or the professional, official, or private stand ing in the community; the punishments 'to be imposed not to exceed thirty dollars fine or thirty days in jail, or both, and the court to have authority to issue warrants, search warrants, and subpoenas; the trials to be oral and summary. By a decree of April 14, the organization of the police court was modified so that all
trials except for libel and scandal are con ducted by a single presiding judge desig nated by the military governor, and all other trials, when from the nature of the offence a greater penalty than ten dollars' fine and ten days' imprisonment should be imposed, are conducted by the full court, consisting of the presiding judge and two associate judges selected by lot from the municipal judges of Habana. This system of police courts has been applied recently to the whole island, and is said to be a great improvement over the magistrate's courts, which have been sup pressed in all but the chief towns of muni cipal districts. The municipal and police judges are now elected. In addition to the establishment of these courts, other changes have been made and more are contemplated, having in view an administration of the courts more in accord ance with American ideas of justice than those prevailing in Cuba heretofore. The main difficulty in the way is the Spanish law of procedure and the entire absence of reme dial writs, which, like the writs of habeas corpus, ccrtivrari, etc., are relied on in this country as a protection to personal liberty and against various kinds of injustice. These beneficent changes will no doubt follow if they do not precede the establishment of free government, toward which steady progress is being made.
