Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1891-08-28
ANNOYING HOODLUMS.
How They Make Life a Burden to Rnral
Residents-DisorderIy Conduct Not an
Offense Outside the City Limits at
Present.

How They Make Life a Burden to Rnra1
Residents-DisorderIy Conduct Not an
Offense Outside the City Limits at
Present.
''To him who in the love of Nature holds
communion with her visible FORMS it seems
strange that our law-givers have not thought
worth while long ago to provide punish
ment for disorderly conduct in the rural
districts. If man or woman, or party of
them tank up in a city or borough and
whoop and halloo on any day and disturb
the peace of law-abiding people therein
resident punishment is provided.
But in the rural districts. though there
are no policemen stationed to prevent dis
order, people may be annoyed to the verge
of distraction and there is no remedy and
the consequence is that many sylvan re-
treats near the city are almost uninhabited
on summer Sundays by decent people. The
last Legislature made disorderly conduct in
townships punishable by law so far as it
sthe case, but the Governor vetoed the bill.
A few weeks since an outlaw in Robinson
township made night hideous by prancing
around the houses of two families against
whom he had a fancied (possibly a really
grievance. His language was foul, and he
howled like panther.
One of the aggrieved parties visited the Of
fee of an Alderman in the city and proposed
that some kind of discipline be exercised on
the ruffian, but the Alderman asked: "Can
you conscientiously swear that you are
afraid of the man? If you can you can have
him arrested and put under bond or sent to
Jail to keep the peace" The complainant
replied that he could not swear that he was
afraid of the man, but that his conduct was
a great annoyance. He was forced to go
home without a remedy, and on several &C.
casions since it has required the exercise of
all his philosophy to prevent his causing a
breach of the peace, for the miscreant Is at
times as offensive as he was on the night in
question.
No rational person will object to the over
laden sons and daughters of toll, resident
within the city, hiring an express wagon
and liking recreation in the wooded resorts
about the city. but when they make a part
of the cargo several bottles of rifle whisky
and kegs of beer and howl as they did last
Sunday on the road between the Steuben-
vile pike and Forest Grove, it Jars like
discord on some mournful tune" not only
on the ears of the strict Sabbatarians of
that locality, but also on the ears of the less
orthodox, but nevertheless peace-loving por-
tion of the community, who stand for liberty,
Though this district is eight miles from
the CITY such outbreaks are the rule on Sun
day during the summer season: The situa-
ton of rural dwellers near the end OF a
rapid transit street car line can be but faint
ly imagined by the heads of households
never subject to such annoyance. As the
last Legislature did not make diSorderly
conduct punishable III townships on ac-
count of a defect in the bill care should be
taken to see that the next one does. At pres
enu about the only thing coming under
the head of disorderly conduct outside of
cities is the disturbance of q religious meet
ing and the environment of the trainers of
the law must have been radically different
from that of sufferers of the present day as
it would be a spiritless religious gathering
that could not make headway against a gang
of toughs, but an isolated rural dwelIer is
powerless to interfere. for should he use his
shotgun and dogs on the miscreants he Is al
most certain to get the worst of the fray
The disgust with which "Annie Rooney" was
received on Sunday in the vicinity of the
Kansas school house seems to indicate that
even the rural population regard the melody
as somewhat frayed around the edges.
1t is said the reason assigned by the Gov
ernor for his veto was that the law should
have been framed for the whole State and
not for townships alone. Doubtless he was
constitutionally right, but the necessity for
the law is urgent, nevertheless. Some law
yers say that there is q way to punish dis
orderly people in the absence of a special
enactment but the magistrates do not seem
to think so or some of them at least