St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1888-11-04

The city clerk and his employees are
targets for the questions of all sorts of
people. Over $4,000 mortgages and a
still larger number of other documents
are on file in this department, and men
and women drop; in OH them every day
and innocently inquire if there is a
mortgage on file there against John
Smith, Dick Jones, or some Others indi-
vidual. They don't wish to bother the
clerk to look the matter up, but thought
that perhaps heWOuld remember having
filed the document. A few days ago,
during the busiest part OF the after
noon, lady of very mysterious mien
noiselessly glided into this department,
and beckoned to her side clerk who
was busily engaged in important work.
She desired a, private interview. and
conducted the way, the clerk blindly
following, to the hallway, where, after
gradually leading up in her converse
ton to the object of her business, she
informed him in strict confidence that
she had recently purchased a quantity of
personal property from man living in
suburban district of the city, and that
she wonld, like to know positively that
there was no incumbrance on it. "Now,
| wouldn't for the world have any one
know that came here to find out" she
continued, "but just wanted to know"
Her curiosity was gratified by the Oblig-
ing clerk, and she
DEPARTED A HAPPY WOMAN.
The door had hardly closed after her
however, when she returned, and. call
ing the clerk to one side, said: 81
almost forgot, and came near going
away without thanking you for Your
kindness. There are lots of things that
I'd like to know, and Eve been treated.
so nicely that l think I'll come here real
often" 'Yes, d." replied the victim,
and he vanished.
The official most subject to the at
tacks of these people is the mayor. He
is not only bothered by men, but by
women and children, whose variety and
range are unbOunded. A man, woman CT
child with a subscription paper to raise
funds, whether for personal gratifica-
ton or charitable purposes, never failed
to present it to the head of the city gov
eminent. Women go there to ask as
SiStancc in finding recreant husbands,
INDECENT wanderers daily apply for
money with which to reach their friends,
and, besides these, he is often obliged
to sit for hours and listen to a line of
cOmplainants who consider themselves
injured in some particular instance
from official neglect. Among them is
the man whose business is injured by
the street fakir whose stand is in his
immediate vicinity the man who wants
police protection from some obStreper-
Gus neighbor, and hundred and one
others whose troubles and woes must be.
laid before the mayor. Then there are
the women who come in with ideas
for reforming the wicked. One had a
set Of complete and comprehensive re-
ligiOus tracts which she wanted the city
to adopt and distribute among the Grim
inals in the Jail and work house, And
it might possibly be good idea, she
thought, to pass law compelling pris-1
OnerS to read these papers an hour or
two each day. Women of this class
want to be clothed with authority to
interfere in everybody's business, on
the preteXt of preventing cruelty, so
that they may step to the front and ex-
ercise the authority ofthe law wherever
wrong prevails. There is really no
limit to the demands of this classOf
people. Not long since another woman,
seemingly blessed with ordinary intel
ligence. wanted to be put in authority
over prisoner of the Jail, as she had in
mind new system for the reformation
of criminals which was as yet untried,
and with which.
SHE WISHED TO EXPERIMENT.
Her proposed system consisted in
making the prisoner realize the wicked
ness of his ways. This was to be eff
fected by showing that in previous
cases crimes like his were but links in
the chain which dragged the man lower
and lower until he was forever lost.
The next step after this fact was fully
impressed on the mind of the prisoner
would be to cite numerous instances of
the good done by reformed criminals.
These instructions were to be varied
with readings from the Bible and re-
| .ligious books to aid in bringing him to