Public ledger. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1865-1893, 1870-11-10
Ex.COuST AHRESs.
'0yruh. The Law va Of E,nI,sz.i.u.-....

The Law of E.ubezsiem-s.i.
Last evening Gustave Louis Ahrens
who stands charged with embezzlement
and making false entries in the books Of
his employer (Mr. Warburg). was placed
on trial in the Criminal Court. Ahrens
has been III Jail for several months, and
1t was evident that the jail regimen did
not add TO the personal appearance Of
this whilorn beau ideal Of society. In
stead Of the ) festive, gay mustache,
which was so killing to many Of our
Memphis bellies IN former days, he now
sports full set Of whiskers, and-horror
of horrors l--they have been dyed from
blonde to black. as IL it was intended to
satirize society in which blonde is the
| fashionable shade. Society ruined
Ahrens, and he thus snubs it, or
goes back on it pardon the
classic expression), as if to bid it adieu
forever. We do not intend to make
Ahrens mark for ridicule or to write
him up, now that he is down, as he has
only been mentioned for the purpose
simply to point moral and adorn a
tale" A few days since, Ahrens was re-
lieved from Indictment, owing to a cleri-
cal error in the bill, A new indictment
was found by the Grand Jury yesterday,
undep section 1909 of the Code, which
makes it penitentiary ofl'ense to make
false entries in the books Of his employer,
etc, Upon this indictment he was
brought TO trial last evening. He was
defended by Messrs. Bullock, Sale and
Horrigan in the ablest manner The
testimony in the case was heard by the
jury, who to-day will also listen to the
interesting and eloquent arguments of
counsel and the learned charge of the
court. A verdict will be rendered this
evening" IN l1JN Aj1pf ~
UNDER THE SOCIAL CRUST.
This is one Of those not unusual cases
offast living on small means. Society,
though it be ever so virtuous, is proba-
bly, responsible for the fall Of this young
man. KOf Jcourse society Indignantly
repels the insinuation, but this does not
relieve her Of the charge One hundred
dollars month is not sufficient for sup
N HH..- l.
pers, balls, parties, theatcrs, presents,
buggy rides, etc. To move out on the
skirmish line Of society all these bat
teries have to besstormed and taken, but
to do so it becomes necessary to take
that which does not belong to you--your
neighbours goods. Ahrens was social
pet; was admired for his amiable and
attractive qualities, and was led away,
arm in arm, by society. Who could re-
sist the temptation? The sober moralist
or stole philosopher may pirate about
honesty, honor, and all that nonsense,
now regarded as Quixotic, but Ahrens
did what has many time been
done before; he was dazzled by
the glare and glitter of the fashion
able world, and fell beneath the blows
which wealth dealt to poverty. Society
meyer reelaims her victims; she politely
cuts them. This is the way she rights
her own wrongs. The moral of all this
is; keep out Of society if you can't stay
in, and if you have no money of your
own, don't steal that belonging to your
neighbor; for justice, though reputed
blind, will sooner or later make a grab
for you, and the curtain drops, leaving
you social wreck which has been scut-
tied and sunk by fashionable pirates.
Some quaint old law writer has summed
,up7a moral code in few words; To
live honestly, to hurt nobody, and to
render every one his due" The follower
of these trite maxims can coquette with
Mile Society without fear or reproach,
and certainly will never become ac-
quainted with the constrained etiquette
of the penitentiary.