The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1886-11-16
BEFORE TIE MAYOR.
Glimpses of Character in the Trial of Cases
in the City Court on Monday Morning.

The Mayors slate was long one, yesterday
| morning, owing to the raids on Saturday night.
| but there were many defaults. most of the law
breakers taking their punishment at lon,: range.
| Nick Jackman appeared in the prisoners box,
| apparently much-mortifed and deeply -penitent
man. He pleaded guilty to drunk. "Please,
your Honor" said Mr. Jackman, ''rny wife is
/ sick-dving of consumption-llable to die at any
| time, and there's nobody but me to take care of
| her or keep the fire going"
"Do you THINK said his Honor, 'thats an
| excuse for getting drunkW
| mo, sir; but if you let me off I'll never do so
| again"
"Seems to me this ought to be a time for you
to keep sober Step aside"
James Tanning was in TO answer to a charge
of fast driving. Officers Kellermeyer, and Kear-
| ney. and livery man all positively identified
him as man who drove fast and furiously on
the 9Th of the month. Mr.. Tanning denounced
his arrest as an outrage, and denied that he was
the man. The Mayor, much puzzled, gave him
day to find witnesses.
There had scarcely been the usual Monday
morning attendance of spectators up to this
time but white woman and colored man
were placed in the prisoners box to answer to
the charge of vagrancy. the room suddenly filed
with crowd of eager listeners who craned their
necks to see and hear.
| They were slated as George and Ella Mcclure.
Susie Davis, colored woman, the first
witness. They had stopped at her house and
skipped without paying for three or four days
lodging. He told me she was his wife" said
Mrs Davis. II thought she white, aud my
| neighbors came In, looked at her and said she
was white. She told me she was little colored,
that she was sort of colored Irish jew"
This was followed by roar in the courtroom,
which was speedily suppressed, and business
proceeded. Mrs Mcclure has short upper-lip,
and when she smiled she showed herself all
Irish.
"They was very superstitious of the police"
said Mrs Davis, land / didn't know but they
had been UP to something"
The colored man told straightforward story
OF his travels. He is g corn doctor, in hard
luck, but trying to get on as we'll as he can. The
woman said she married him in Pittsburg The
Mayor discharged them.
After closing court the Mayor observed that
of the FIVE DRINKS that were on the slate four
were arrested as associating with lewd women.
''The presumption is" said his Honor, ''that
these four got their liquor in the houses of pros
titution where they were arrested. The other
drunken man was arrested by a merchant po-
lceman and not by member of the metropol-
tan force. It would be good thing when the
force is reorganized, if it is desired to do the
county and city some service, for them to ascer-
tain which of these houses of ill-fame are in the
habit of selling liquor to their frequenters to be
drunk on the promises and require such to take
out city and county liquor licenses. have been
given to understand that there are more houses
of prostitution in this city than Saloons and
that in nearly all of them liquor ia sold to be
drunk upon the premises If liquor is thus sold
these places come clearly within the provision of
the law. Now, il the police authorities are go
| ing to allow these places to exist, it would be
only right to require them to take out licenses"
Ii ia likely that Mayor Denny now takes the
| view that the acting superintendent gave no at
tention to the enforcement of the law on last
Sunday, and is content to wait and see what the
new superintendent is going to do to enforce all
laws alike. The reporter tried to draw him out
on this point but only received in answer, II
| intend to do what is right" The Mayors sug
gestion as to this other class of violators of the
liquor law is calculated to create quite stir.