Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1888-07-14


TINE OLD GEORGErOWN LAWS
Thinsy witch People Cannes No West
Of Rock Creek.
LAws-oLD BOOKS FRon WINCH rnsY esr is-
| FoRNArIoN-srNpAY Laws REGULATIONS AGAINST
aAnBLISa, cocK FIGHTING, SonADrc eoArs, ETC
The lawsof west Washington, or within the lin.
its OF the old corporation OF Georgetown are alto.
gether different from those east OF Rock creek.
Many acts punishable a. offcnses in that section
do not constitute onenses under the laws govern
ing the rest OF the District. Many OF these old
laws though they have never been repealed ara
seldom enforced, and then only when many
complaints are made about q certain thing
and the old law books are orerhauled. Now
anc then one OF these old laws Is reslr-
rected, and for q while persons have TO
obey 1t, but It soon becomes q dead letter
another score or more OF years Every few years
the question Of observing the Sabbath is agiated.
Some OF the old laws are found To meet the case II
ration Laws 10 sell on sunday any article except
medicines, fresh nsh, milk, and other perishabie
goods which cannot De kept over night with safety
when complaint Is made or after general order
has been issued notifying storekeepers to close
Others has been contested in me courts and found
70 be valid
CASE OF SABBATH BRRAKfSa.
Then there Is another law which prohibits any
manual labor on the Sabbath. This law, like tue
preceding one, has been contested and held to be
still in force. Il provides:
THAT more effectually to prevent irreligious
practices SO common on sunday, every person
working or commanding, or suffering their chill
oren or slaves to work, except In cases OF neces-
Sty, or other wise profane the Sabbath by gaming,
hunting, fishing or other unlawful pastimes, shall
second section provides that 'If the offender be a
minor and the nDe Is not paid by himself, parent
guardian or master, he shall be forthwith COM
United to the penttentiary for time not exceed
ing nve days, or he be q slave he shall Oe publicly
whipped, not exceeding thirty thine stripes"
The last case prosecuted under THIS law was
tried in the Police Court only "a few months ago.
when Judge Smell was Judge OF the court The
defendants were two carpenters, who were en-
gagged in repairing bakery. The work took sew.
eral days and was done on sundays because 1t
was necessary to do It when there were hires in
the furnaces. The work was continued several
Sundays, much to the annoyance OF one OF the
ne1ghbors, who caused the arrest OF the carpen-
tiers. The prosecuting witness appeared and testi
bakery on the day charged and BY the persons
charged.
"Do you attend churcni" asked the judge Of the
prosecuting witness.
"Sometimes," was his reply.
"Does this work interfere with your religious
contemplations?"
"Not mine, but my wife'a"
There WAS no denial made Of the facts charged,
and the court gave judgment against the defend
ants
The police are DESTROYS OF having Congress pass
the code OF laws now awaiting action, as the
present lack Of uniformity in different parts or the
District In the laws they have TO enforce causes
them much trouble.
AN OLD LAw-BooK.
At the West Washington station-house the police
have an old law-book, printed In 1891, which
furnishes them the text or the old laws covering
certain ofIenses There are but few OF these books
In existence, SO far as is known, and when case
other than assault and battery or disorderly
duct Is made the onlcer making the arrest usually
has to take this book to court 70 show his ground
for action. The police doing duty west OF Rock
Greek have not only 10 be abie-bodied men, strong
and plucky enough to handle HUMANS and smart
enough to capture thieves, but they have to be
ver,ed In all the ancient laws OF Georgetown.
Most Of them can stand for hours and discuss the
legal status or their section.
GALLoPING HORSES IN THE STREET.
Reported in the book is a law passed August 4
1795 which is intended to prevent accidents aris-
ing from galloping horses through streets The
act provides "That any person, within the Juris-
dlction OF this corporation, who shall by gallopng
or Sor 0snerwise ioTcs at an Improper speed any
lanes or alleys, shall, II freeman, forfeit and pay
| for every such Onense the sum OF Is shillings,
current money, 10 the use OF this corporation, 10
be recovered either before any one alderman or by
Indictment or confession In the may court; and
| If an apprentice, indented servant or slave the
mistress OF master VI such apprentice. servant or
slave, shall forfeit and pay the sum OF snlllings
and pence, current money, TO be recovered as
Aforesaid"
OTHER OLD LAWS.
An act OF october 10, 1876, sets forth that the
respectable Inhabitants have suffered great incon-
venience from the vast concourse OF Idle white
and black persons who frequently assemble and
engage In cock-nghts, at which times they drink
To excess, become riotous, and prevent the quiet
and repose OF good citizens The first section Of
the act provides penalty Of s. Tor violation OF
the provisions OF the act and the second section
related to slaves who were subject to thirty nine
stripes on the bare back in public place. The
firing OF guns or other firearms was made punish
able under an act OF october "a. 1901 The penalty
prescribed was s., one-half OF which went 10 the
1nformer. II the person violating the law
was slave or tndentured servant the penalty
| was ten lashes, unless 81 was paid Dy bis or her
master or mistress An act 70 prevent goats from
running at large was passed In 1876, gilng per-
sons power TO Kill all goats found running large
and TO sell the same at the markeI-house 10 the
half the money received and the corporation to
receive the other hail. september 4, 1904. act
was passed TO keep dogs out OF the market-house
| where 1t appeared they went to get meat and
other eatables from the stands. A tax OF 81 was
assessed on dealers whose oogs were found within
| the walls OF the market, but country dogs were
not troubled provided they were kept respectable
distance from the stands. penalty OF $50 was
provided under act OF March. lso8. for the keep
c." a. S, D." &c, O." or other game subse.
quent act, entitled an Ordinance to restrain
VIC, 'IOotcy pOOicy, ldiO Udnk, faro
table and hazard, and prescribed the same pen-
atty. An act approved April 30 lSQS, regulated
and fixed the size OF loaves OF bread offered for
sale. The loaves We're to be made In SIZE accord
Ing to the quality OF the -four used and were to
sch at the same price per loiL The vagrancy
act under which Migrants are now prosecuted
hxes the term Of Imprisonment at not more than
twenty days. The act also provides that II he
fails 10 pay the jaiers fees he SHALL with consent
or the mayor, he sold at vendue TO serve and
labor for any time not exceeding four
months There are other actS OF tue OLD corpora
ton regulating commerce and protecting the river
and various business Interests. The chimney
sweep is required under penalty, to faithfully per-
form his duties. and 10 his advantage q penalty
Is prescribed for placing stoye-pipe through the
exterior wall OF any frame building through the
roof OF any house, so that stove-pipes, under the
law, are not permitted to pass through the frame
partitions OF summer Kitchens.
THE PERPLEXED POLICEMAN.
at would be almost impossible 10 enforce many
OF these laws" said policeman to asrAR reporter,
.'yet when complaints are made and the law is
found, there Is nothing else to do, and until Con-
gress acts in the matter West Washington wall re-
main under the old blue laws We work under
too many laws" continued the officer "Inslde
the city limits we have one set OF laws and In the
county We hav. an entirely different set.
What Is an Ofense In one place Is per-
mitted in another. Within the limits OF
West washington man may strip
on his clothing and walk the streets In defiance OF
the Officers because there is no law 10 punish him.
but II he does the same thing on the river ehore
and goes in bathing before O'Clock In the evening
he may be arrested for unlawful bathing On the