The Iola register., 1891-07-31

Il
the total misconception of sex and NOR
al OF which cost the defendant so dearly.
was ''Barards Marionettes, which
fall under the further condemnation OF
being of Yankee nationality. In an
swer to question from the court the
reputed father of the ''Marionettes"
said they had never performed before a
crowned head-all of which is pleas
ing to our republican ideas of simplici-
| ty, and was in itself a circumstance
pointing to the inaccuracy OF the
charge Illuminated by my too Jealous
namesake. 1t is perhaps proper to ex-
plain that the "Marionettes" consist of
several very clever and large sized
dolls, most conspicuous which is the
clown" and ''pantaloon," whose gyra-
tious and Punch and Judy antics great
ly amused the crowd, but as deeply
panied and lacerated the tender sensi-
bilities of the defendant, Parkinson.
"What is food to one is poison to an
other" is as true in the show business,
it would seem, as in the culinary and
less dangerous walks of life. At ali
events, this defendant councilman saw
in the performance of the &C." and
'P." only indecency: nay, even down.
right vulgarity. So he stated at a
council meeting; so it was reported in
the papers and so this royal" show
was injured in its box receipts, SO the
jury say, in the sum of 81 $50. "Among
other things" said the defendant, Il
.aw two figures chasing the butterfly.
II saw the one figure sit
down upon it, saying 'I've got
it. Then the other figure, bending
over and facing the one sitting down.
said. 'where?' Then the sitting figure
said, look, and at the same time lifted
both feet into the air." That was the
performance said the too imaginative
defendant, (which l considered to be
indecent" but obviously it was not, for
the "Clum." 'Pantaloon" and the
Butterfly" were brought into court,
and quite as entertainingly as the music
box referred to in my last, went through
the whole performance even to the
sitting on the butterfly and the eleva-
tion of heels, and were fully vindicated
in their characters by the jury's ver-
dict. The defendant and his story
were knocked out on the first round
alter the appearance of the sc" and
''Pn and the ''b-f' upon the witness
stand in their own behalf. The defend
ant had also dropped a remark to the
effect that one-presumably the ''Clum"
was a male and the other figure who
sat upon the captured butterfly, a
female. One reason for this to him
was that one was larger than the other
Ia very unsafe test, certainly, for
Judging OF so delicate matter as sex
in this or our own country. He further
and fatally erred in thinking the name
Joey" applied to one of the dolls, was
a japanese name signifying
quite likely that the whole family
including the butterfly, not charged
with indelicacy, were all twins. The
performance before Judge and jury was
overwhelmingly to the prejudice OF the
defendant. every man of that jury hav-
ing probably before seen at the aqua
rum what the defendant no doubt quite
mistakenly did not see. Looking
through foggy London air still fur
ther contaminated by the miasmatic
theatre atmosphere; felicitous neither
in his physical or moral standing-fOr
though standing like a crane on one
foot in the outskirts OF the crowd. like
goose he Kissed at the wrong time
tossed between duty and doubt and
wholly unguided by the star of expert
ence, is 1t any wonder that my name
sake saw indecency in light-footed
Joey" and indelicacy in the antics of
clum? The dolls sat on the butterfly
and now the jury sat on Mr.. Parkinson,
In the one case the scrowd laughed, and
in the other they cheered. The defen-
dant might be mistaken. He had nev-
er been at show beforehand not so
much as taken the children just to see
the animals. Had he and all his church
stood in the Hashv lights of the aqua
rum and sworn against the clown" and
Joey" it would have ayailed nothing
in this case-here was the performance,
and the capacity-of these dumb. though
speaking witesses. demonstrated in open
court and to the satisfaction and COM
prehension OF English jury that awood
en- clown and his companion judy are
not neccessarialy indecent. Not by con-
fiicting and confusing expert testimony,
nor dauby photographs nor stupid maps
and pencilings on card boards were the
charges refuted and innocence estab-
lished, but the clown and clown family
themselves. Indeed the acquarian
company were the mere "JOhn Doe" in
the action. The character If not the
existence of the British clown, though
and strings and springs, was in use.
An adverse finding would have been
ruin to the real plaintiff. He would
have received black eye in America
where my namesake doubtless has good
relations, and in the end would have
gone glOomily into retirement after so
long and brilliant service with the
"Pantaloon." 1t is not every plaintiff
ly-h hn yuitn in
behalf Like certain corporations, they
are sometimes ''wound up" when they
are run down" Not so, the music box
and the Marionettes, unshaken and i'm
perturbed cross examination; consistent
if not always graceful, and with keenest
sympathy and commiserate attention of
Judge and jury, here werel the ideal
witnesses. True good tune might be
misnamed or unappreciated; too su :
den jerking of the strings might create
mIsconception as to purpose, jump
ing of cog, a mistake as to sex, but
with such witnesses as these it would
be an easy matter to knock a whole
camp meeting in the matter OF a dis
pute as to fun or propriety. The mo-
tive of the witness is often quite as es-
sential in balancing his testimony as
that of the criminal in measuring guilt.
Mr. Parkinson's motives were doubt
less good, but not spotless as the
clowns. He meant well as a man, but
acted the fool as a councilman. Even
as the nususpecting fish is allured 10
peril and destruction by the fly with a
cast iron body and muslin wings, so
does the evil one often snare us
with the bait of pious work and good
Intentions.