Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1890-11-23
A TENDER JUDGE.
RECORDER SMITH, OF NEW YoRN
SAVES a FAMILY FROM DISGRACE
s,orv Of an Ambitious Daughter, Loving
Father, and n Devoted Wife-Tempta-
ton, Crime, Repentance, Injustice.
yey York World

View York World.
A story Of to-day, more interesting
than fiction because il is the truth. The
scene is laid in New York. The primer
pal dramatis persona are q husband
a wife, an employer, and an ambitious
daughter, and Recorder Smyth, before
whom more criminals pass each year
than any other Judge in the world.
A visitor to his courtroom on busy
dav would be astonished at the rapidly
with which he dispatches business
There u no more hard-working man on
the bench than he. and the way no goes
~ the DISPOSITION OF the calendar leads
the person who knows nothing abont MS
method OF business 10 believe that ms
only object is 10 get through with ms
work. no matter what becomes OF the
at is the greatest mistake you could
make " said the Recorder. have to
hurry my work, for my court is over
crowded. but never in all my experience
on the bench have ] been SO hurried
lint could not give all the time and
attention that was necessary 20 prison-
era. When q man or woman comes up
before me whom | have never seen pc
fore. whose looks or manners give lndl-
cation that they are not really criminals
et heart. I suspend Judgment IN their
case until tie matter is thoroughly n
vestiPated.
"Of the scores Of cases OF men VINO
have come before me and pleaded
guilty. not knowing really what they
we're doing. but anyioust TO get ont OF inr,
ther trouble by taking n sentence ana
hiding themselves away in prison, l
recall one that shall remember ms long
as live. I could not forgotit II l would
for the man in this case writes to me regu-
larlv. comes to see me when convenient;
! and never ceases 20 thank me for my good
offices in his behalf II was this way
I was sitting on the bench one morning
and had disposed OF Il number OF ordl-
nary cases when the court officer pre-
sented 10 me q respectable-lookng man
OF about fifty charged with burglary. !
looked Mt him very narrowly and he
seemed 10 me little above the ordinary
grade Of prisoners. There was some
thing about his face that irresisiloly
drew me TO him. He looked me steadily
in tbe eve without braZen eilrontery,
and seemed only too anxious to have
sentence passed upon him and get INTO
prison.
"IAM GUILTY"
".You are charged with BURGLARY. my
good man. I said to him. What have
You to say {?
"He looked Mt me in IN innocent WY,
and with tears streaming down ms eyes
said hugkily: Nothing. ! am guilty
''Do You know the meaning OF thai
word guilty" | asked him.
eyes he replied, . fully l broke
into nv employers store. stole hi,
iewelry. pawned it, and that IA al
there il Of il. Pass sentence upon me
If YOU will. Send me TO prison, and let
not nv shame be visited upon my wife
and daughter. ,
"'Have you any counsel asked
him.
"sNo,' was tho reply. i have NJ
counsel and need none. / am guilty
Sentence me now
"The whole thing was so unusua
that determined to remand him. ioV
NAV 90 back to prison. ! said to him
land remain there for a week. Mean
time think over what You have done
Yon arc not called upon to say you ar
guilty. and if You do say so you know
that there is no alternative hut Stat
prison. Burglary is a heinous offence
Better 20 back. Think it oil over
Change your plea. Send for your friend
and sec if something cannot be done 10
you" r.r.,ioon
of nv detectives, told him to 60 to In
head Of the firm where this man WORKED
} and whose store he had broken into
and tell him that | wished to SEQ him
} Then [ sent for the poor mans wife, an
; little by little the story came out. In
moor woman between her sobs and tear
told il all. Her husband was a loving
T Woodworking. industrious man. II
, had only one object in life-his love fo
his daughter. She had q consumin
ambition to become a great musician
= He had spent all the money be ha
= made on her musical education, and hs
really kept himself not only poor, but
| debt, by so doing. 1t seemed that sh
2 had almost gained her object and b.
S come not only a good singer, but a III
/ nianist. when she went TO her father an
D said that it would be necessary for III
s 10 take another course oil mstrucuo
| with distinguished teacher. Inc po,
e man had not q dollar in the world. 4
y was only working man on small wage
k and the money required for this lnstru
J ton was something that he could M
hone TO get in the natural course
+ events. He brooded over ii for fe
# days. talked with his wife about 1t, al
S finally. after many Intellectual efforts
t raise the money in other directions,
y came home one Saturday night with q
o desired sum III his hands.
!; HER HUSBANDS BEST FRIEND.
g He was as happy as a school-bo
d His face was all aglow, and his ey
l. danced with Joy. He kissed his daug
ter, gave her the money, and told her
i GO on. Success was now assured. l
q Young woman never for moment ask
1, where the money came from, and aft
n the frugal supper was over the good VI
D. took her husband aside and asked b
d where he got the money. He evad
o, her for 4 long time, and finally, suspe.
z. ing that be had not come by it honestl
8, charged him directly with obtaining
IS bv false means or foul. Hour at
hour she pleaded with her husband
tell her the truth. He steadfastly
fused. At last. at midnight, he col
stand it no longer, and in an agony
10 despair he broke down and told her Il
he had broken into the ESTABLISHING
" where he worked, taken some V
70 liable iewelry. and pawned it The pc
10 wife was half crazed. But she wa
4 brave woman and told him that,
~ thonoh she valued her daughters edu