The Wellington enterprise. [volume] (Wellington, Ohio) 1867-188?, 1883-04-25
WELLINGTON, 18ss.s .~a4

sneefs would have been enough to an
noy divine, while. some shelled out
words that would have produced excite
ment at canteen of marines. is5s 80
q It is. uncomfortable to speculate on
what might happen in such q place II
policemen were not there to keep it, as
it were, orderly. One OF the regretable
results of this state Of things is that
many among the nervous portion of the
community are afraid of going to these
courts, and that the ruffian Brotherhood
knows it and turns it to account II
seems as If some were daily deputed to
be there for the sole purpose of making
the place unapproaehable- The others
come to show sympathy with those
of their friends who have had the mis-.
hap TO be found oui, and to cheer them
up as they enter and depart in the police
van It is just to add that much hiss
been done lately to render the ap-
Proaches of the London police courts
less Objectionable .s.s o.
One of the policemen who had appre-
|Aended inn on the 1ast night, having
seen me. took me into court. It was O
large clean, lofty room. yet the air was
unpleasant on account Of the unwashed
condition OF the greater part of the pub
lie present This public was composed
Of the same set of wanderers described
by my friend, the cobbler, as the ..upper,
crust" Three or four detectives scat
tered in the place quietly watched all
about them, taking particular notice of
the prisoners at the bar in order to say
what they knew of them or to make
their acquaintance. s.--s
Jim was introduced and placed at the,
bar. His notoriously bad character
| gained for him the distinction of being
attended by an extra policeman, Be
fore even noticing the magistrate, he
looked around and smiled to q few
| friends who were in the court The first
! witness called was the wife of the pris-
onet. Every one looked for her Jim's
fierce visage turned deadly pale. Three
times the usher called the same name,
but his summons remained unanswered.
Suddenly q policeman entered the court
by the public entrance and said aofew
words to the inspector sitting the
witness box. This official arose and
begged the magistrate to hear fhe
agent. as hecould explain the womah's
absence rss ,i- Vsr s'aIs l8ria 70
The policeman was sworn, and, hav-
/ ing given his number. proceeded to re-
late that. according to his Instructions,
he had gone to the lodgings occupied
7
/ the woman to court He had found no
one on the premises except another
lodger. q seamstress, who had told b m
that JIM wife had disappeared. He
was inadvertently going to repeat the
seamstress' conversation, when heswas
stopped by thec magistrate upon the
plea that 'hearsay was no evidence. He
only added that the woman was in
court, il his Honor wanted to put any
question to her. The seamstress was
put in the box, and, having kissed the
Bible, on'the conclusion of the perfect
ly unintelligible words of the oath, ir-
reverently mumbled as customary by
the usher, she was invited by the clerk
to say what had happened in the morn
ing between herself and the prisoner s
wife. She then narrated that early in
the morning Jim's wife had got up, al
though looking very i'll and hardly able
to stand, and that she had told her that
she was going away because she knew
that the police would fetch her, and
take her before the court to depose
against her husband. She had sub
sequently gone out, and the witness
had not heard of her since. The mag
istrate directed that inquiries should be
made to discover what had become OF
her. was alterward examined in my
turn. and I told what I knew of the
events Of the last night.
The next witness called was the po-
liceman whose energetic interference
had not a second too s2on prevented
Jim from killing his wife. This wit
ness did not answer to the call of his
name, but the inspector stood up and
said that on inquiring at the hospital
where the man had been conveyed he
Had haau fold that "a r-a q Hals ar,1
!, besides other bad injuries. suffered from
q congestion of the brain. sTl =.
The case was, therefore. remanded
for another week, in order to1permi
the magistrate to hearth constable and
the prisoner wife But neither on the
appointed day nor on the one fixed fol
, O further remand were those witnesses
in court Six weeks elapsed before the
constable had sufficiently. recovered tc
come into the court He was pale and
:. still very sickly-looking A chair was
( given to him. 20. al
The magistrate was Just delivering 8
sentence of eighteen months impr SON
: ment with hard labor on miserable
, and starving. looking girl for the steal
ing of handkerchief. On the removal
of this sad looking object, who on hear.
, ing her sentence fel into hysteric Jim
, was put at the bar. The magistrate fir
, asked if anything had been heard of the
, prisoners wife. and a policeman first
, entered the witness box. Having beer
. sworn. he related that six nights since
, / the body of q woman had been taker
out of the Thames, and that ithad beer
, stated at the Coroner's in Iuest that II
: was the body of the pri oner's wife.
Answering question of the magistrate.
the witness added that the Coroner
: verdict was accidental death. a-1rr
yiThis witness having retired, the con,
valescent constable was examined. Hi!
} account of his encounter with Jim wa
straightforward and impressive,
} The magistrate then asked the prison
or if he had any question to put to iith'
, witness -.-9o - 81 =
> "No, replied Jim, doggedly. r.
The magistrate subsequently de
: manded of him if he preferred to b.
dealt with by him at once or sent to the
} Superior Court. Jim having selected
: to be dealt with at once, the mag strats
: asked himif he had any statement Il
{ make for hisfdefense-
r : "No," said Jim, firmly.
: Having Just heard the magistrate in
, hict eighteen months imprisonmen
with hard labor for the theft of a hand
l kerchief, / was confident that this vii
lain. who had half murdered his wife
5 and whose long-tried cruelty. as it hap
: pens frequently among the poor peopl,
! of this country, had ] kelly deferred tn.
unfortunate woman from appearing il
! court, and might have driven her tt
I some rash act of despair, and who. fur
thermore, had seriously injured q con
3 stable, would have been sent to tn,
l assizes- My astonishment, however
grew more intense when, after 9 few
! very sensible and firm remarks of tn,
magistrate, heard him condemn thi
2 tIuina x.znI1ld- hxa 1anlardxarar. tn nrlY 81,