Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1883-01-13

From the Detroit Free Press.
Each day as look ober my paper" said the
old man as the lights were turned up, 81 see a
case Of embezzlement, wholesale robbery OF
breach Of trust, or misuse of odder peoples
money. One day it am de cashier Of bank,
and the mex day 1t am city or county treas
urer; de mex it am some contidenshal clerk or q
bank president. or the treasurer of some corpo-
ration! 1t is an era of stealth an embezzlin'
and fraud. No man who has money in the
hands Of friend or employee feels safe. No man
who depends upon another man knows what a
day may bring forth.
what brung bout dis state of affairs? Who
profits by it? Who aids de offenders to es-
cape 2"
There was silence throughout the hall as the
president paused and looked up and down.
Samuel Shin was about to rise up and explain
that he hadn't made dollar out of it yet and
didn't expect to, when Pickles Smith hit him
with the big end of potato and Brother Card
ner continued:
IL arraign de bar Of de kentry an charge de
lawyers. big an little, wild ben' de direct cause
of dis reign of knavery. Three men outer five
am honest only until dar am chance to make a
haul 10y hein' dishonest. One man outer three
will be dishonest on all Occashuns whar dar am
chance to escape consequences. If dar was
no law to punish dishonesty We wouldn't find
one man in twenty dom de honest thing fur
principles sake. 1t am de fear of consequences
which keeps thousands of clerks an cashiers an
treasurers honest.
AN what do de lawyers say to cherry man
who's fingers itch to make haul? Dey might
as well advertise at regular rates dat dew will
guarantee to clear 'em of de law fur sartin
sum. Let me steal $75. 600 in cash, an nine
tentllS OF the lawyers of Detroit will be eager to
defend me-to effect o cOmprOmise-tO hush 1t
up-to clear me of punishment. About de best
legal talent in America makes a specially of de-
fendn' criminals Any lawyer am looked upon
as good huff fur prosecutin' attorney. while de
very keenest talent am reserved fur defense of
thieves. burglars and odder law breakers
Time after time men have stolen or embez-
zled. an de lawyers have taken a sheer of de
plumber to clear 'em. We've had half a dozen
cases right yere widin two years, an we am
sartfn to have mo-. Let me steal q ton of coal
an up go. Let me get my claws On $50 600.
an doan' go up WORT shucks. may be rested
an toted of to jail but inside of a week de case
AIN settled up. an walk de streets hero. De
lawyers return $4,000 Of dc money pocket
1926 an han me $50 as reward fur bringin'
'em fat case.
Suppose it war known dat cherry burglar
fairly convicted would receive twenty wears in
prison, wild no possibility of pardon. would we
have one burglary whar' We now have two?
Who makes burglary a payin' purfeshuns De
lawyer.
''1f clerk who embazzled was sartin to re-
ceive a five or ten var sentence, how many
cases OF embezzlement would you h'ar of in a
year9 An who makes ENLIGHTENMENT payin'
business? De lawyer.
''If dat Rochester bank president AMI sent to
state prison for twenty years. what will be de
effeck on Odder Rochester bank presidents?
his aid, an will defeat justice.
II am spokin' what believe to be de solemn
tru1, when say to you dat law has become a
farce an lawyers de middle-men between rob-
bers an de robbed. De question am how to
break de law-not how to enforce it. 1t am
not how to put thief In prison, but how to
keep him out. 1t am not how to punish dis
honest officials, but how to gently squeeze out as
much as dey kin restore. an forgive the remain
der. Let US purceed to bizness, feelin' dat
chances OF goin' clear to one Of punishment"
ELECTION.
Sir Isaac Walpole desired to state before
passing around the bean-box, that he was too
old to begin life anew. but no had given the
burglary business considerable study of late, and
but for his advanced age he should make a
partnership with some lawyer-he to do the
stealing and the lawyer to take nalf and clear
him. He then made his rounds, and the follow
ing candidates were duly elected: Sublime
A1a6IluSS, HCdItICC DdtlS, OuClC 1HylOT, UdT VIII
Jones, Deacon Carter and Taffy Ringgold.
1T MAY OCCUR.
Judge Chewso didn't want to delay the busi-
ness Of the meeting, but there was something on
his mind. As he understood 1t, the Lime-Kfln
Club had something like s., 900 on hand. The
money was kept In the safe In the hall. The
president had one key and the treasurer the
other. What was to prevent either official from
hawking on the money and telling the club to
whistle and be hanged?
''Brudder ChewsO," kindly replied the Presi-
dent, "de pint am well token. OAR am nuffn
to prevent de treasurer or myself from robbin'
de safe, and may add dat $500 of de money
would secure de highest legal talent In Detroit
to defend an doubtless clear US. Does the
Judge want to frow out any suggestions?"
II the Judge did, he was disappointed. He
had been holding marble in his mouth to pol
ish his back teeth. and just at that moment the
ball started to go down his throat. The result
was At Of gasping, coughing and kicking
which quite laid him up for the rest of the
evening.
GRN HANcOcv ErrcTRD Pm rsrnrNr hson.