The New York herald., 1874-12-27
THE TOMBS AFTER CHRISTMAS

ONE HUNDRED AND SIXTY OFFENDERS DISPOSED
OF IN ONE DAY-A MOVING AND PITIFUL
KALEIDOSCOPE OF FORTY FRENzIED AND FIRES
. COED FACES
The day after Christmas Day at the Tombs
Police C0ur. is day without equal in all the other
days OF the year. For there are on that day
80 many repentant people and here and there
guilty person to stand before the bar OF Court
not knowing how they came there, and whose
brains have been wool-gathering so long that they
have nothing to say, or had they 1t would not be
SAID.
The blank and drcary station houses, with their
stone walls and whitewasned surfaces and blackly-
PAINTED bars, have, during the early morning sue
ceeding Christmas Day, vomited forth so many
bideous specacles that the inside lnclosure Of the
court in which the prisoners are contained, with
its noises and its odor. resembles Gehenna and
not a court pen. AT an early hour OF the morning
Judge Murray is on the bench, willing to hear
every one but determined TO despatch all who
may come before him IN as short time as may be
possible with due regard for the demands OF JUS
tlce tempered with mercy.
"A DREARY GEHENNA,n
The Tombs is at any time a dreary place, but IN
the merry Christmas hours, when the streets and
squares and snops are radiant with evergreens
and lamps ana the glitter OF ornaments ana the
fresh coored paints OF cnildren's toys, then the
heart sad as the poor wretcnes stand up to plead
for an hours mercy and ior permission to join
those from whom they have foolishly wandered:
The watch sheet Is very full this morning, and
during the day 1t seems that no less than 100 ar
rested persons have been brought to this Court,
an instance OF activity and labor that has never
before been known at the Tombs Police Court.
Here are no less than thirty persons. brought the
night previous by police captain, and twenty-six
men from q disorderiv house In Bleecker street,
who were arrested after midnight IN the midst OF
an idiotic carouse. Some OF them are thieves, but
not proven so, for they nave not been caught
IN any act. and this class have the peculiarly
CLASSY and shi ting eyes that are without retabil
lty or endurance
Judge Murray informs the policemen In attend
ance that It is time TO bring them all up and they
huddle together as II they were sheep
stricken by plague, suddenly. There are
s o ns
'klttyn and "Flora Anybody" There Is also
proprietor named Unger, who mas BY some chance
acquired the title OF Captain. lie kept the saloon
In question and he has rather an insignificant
and uncertain look. The resort which he Kept Is
In his pleading. Judge Murray, believing that the
proprietor should know the character OF his
guests better than any OF the party decides quickly
..PIrY TnE rooR PROPRIETOR
81 think that shall hold nlm In default OF $1,000
bail. Let the clerk take his name and offence
down; shall hold him.n At four O'Clock, when
the Court closed, he had not received bail for the
accused. Then came the turn OF all the medley
party who were taken after midnght. Tney had
various excuses but some OF them seemed honest
enough people and had little to say In their de-
fence. and to these the Judge spoke severely and
get In the way that they should hear. They were
each fined $40 and permitted To go about their bu-
5iness with an admonition. "Klttyu and "Flora
Anybody were permitted to go after their friends
and companions mad paid a fine OF S5 for each
OF them. The crowd OF sympatbizers VINO had
been sitting in Court all day, sensibly and almost
imperceptioy diminished as the prisoners were
1lned the fines handed over to Mr. Helmbnrger or
Ar. Rockwell. the CLERKS or TO hr. Coonev. the