Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1885-10-08
FINDING USE FOR HIN.
SOME QUEER REQUESTS MADE
OF THE MAYOR.

A Large Variety Of People who Call on
the City's Chief Executive Asking for
Railway Passes and Favors for Them
selves and Friends-Tricks and DOdRes
Worked In the Police Court
"The pass iend is about the worst nuis-
ance we have 10 deal with" said
Mayor Lester yesterday. every one who
is hard up and has no funds with which
to buy a railroad ticket comes here 70 get
free transportation. The clerkinTariably
Tells such that the city cannot give passes,
but they insist and are hard to put of.
They have all sorts Of stories about dying
wives and children. Some have been
robbed, and promise TO send the money
back as soon as they get home. They say
that they are trying to get TO New York
or Chicago or st. Louis, or maybe
Atlanta or New Orleans. They claim
frequently than the Mayors ofother cities.
jacksonville, Macon or Charleston, for
instance, gave them pass. Onen they
say that they have influential friends in
Charleston or some neighboring city who
viii help them on if they can only get out
of savannah.
'Some cities do abuse the practice OF
and needy" continued his Honor, land IL
not unfrequently happens that an unde-
sirable stranger in one city is passed on
% the next just to get rid of him. We
don't do any more Of that here though,
but send such customers up to the City
Court"
DO women ever apply? Well, notnear
50 frequently as men, but il has not been
very long since one came here for pass
M or "a
get it threatened to drown herself. She
was afterwards taken TO the hos pital, and
on one occasion, when l was out of the
city for day or two. | believe she was
given pass somewhere. as II was cheaper
than keeping her here when she was not
sick"
There does not seem TO be any thing too
ridiculous 70 ask Of the city's chief exec
utiye. II a city emplOve Is behind in his
laundry account, has not paid his last
weeks board bill, or owes a saloon keeper,
his creditors complain to the head Of the
city government.
Not long ago a woman wanted the
Mayor 20 put a city emDlOye out Of her
house, He paid his rent in advance and
behaved himself all right, but he could not
get along with his laudlady's neIghbors.
1t is a common thing for parties away
OF to write to the Mayor OF city to inquire
Apl lIDAnb VI dENAdAnlALCtHs + a. AlII
in remote parts OF the State and In neigh
boring States write to the mayor to ask
about the standing and reliability Of firms,
and Il certain business houses are frauds
or are conducted honestly. Once in
awhile a woman imagines that her hus-
band is in Savannah and she sends a full
description Of the missing man, generally
ending her epistle with the plea "FOr
heavens sake try TO find nv poor John"
"a f.ff frr hot 20
wanted the mayor to send him his trunk
which he had left at a hotel. Women
are frequent visitors and they are
the hardest 70 refuse. They beg
pitlably 10 have their husbands released
from the bridewell and bring their little
children along. Il is, by the way. a very
common trick for negro women to appear
in the mayors court in the mornings with
an infant in their arms.
few nights ago while q NEWS
reporter was getting the nightly re-
port at the barracks, a police
liceman came in with a young negress
whom he mad arrested for disorderly con-
duct. The prisoner was locked up for
the rest OF the night, and the next morn
ing the reporter was considerably sur
prised to see the same wo-
man walk into the court room,
carrying a hearty looking baby several
months old. Some OF her friends had sent
the infant TO ner before court opened.
The Mayor was about to impose a sem
tence Of ten days when ne noticed the
child. the prisoner said that it was her
own babe and that there was no other
support for it. His Honor stated that he
could not commit the child, and he could
do nothing but release the woman.
The trick Is practiced a great deal both
before the Mayor and before the Magis-
trates, and it is suspected that if every
instance were Investigated it would be
found that some Of the babies are profess
siOnals, and are passed around from one
to another, or are hired out to parties in
trouble.