The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-11-20

are popularity spoken OF as The Great
Unpaid from the fact that. excepting in
large towns. they render service gratui-
tously. Hitherto those appointed have In
var1ably been men of wealth. but at Liver
pool few weeks ago q workingman was
called TO the bench. This Is reported TO be
o unique instance. and it 10 hailed as the
beginning of an era IN which workingmen,
when from misfortune or other causes they
stand IN police court, will stand there
upon q better footing.
The popular idea respecting English
magistrates Is that they regulate their
hghtness of the attack of govt
from which they may happen
70 be suffering at the time. This
Is perhaps fiction. but they certainly do
any known principles Of either Justice or
humanity. One paper makes o feature of
publishing weekly the instances coming
under It's notice of what it calls Dog
berry's Justice" Here are three of Its
latest:
"At WillenhaII Petty Sessions. C. String
er. for stealing one turnip. was fined % Cd
and los 90 costs At Gresham Petty ses-
sions. William Eversden. q little boy. for
walking on the grass of the park. was fined
Jos Cd and costs; and at the same court
Henry Day. for stealing apples. value Cd,
was hned. with costs, % lis Cd.
THE MAGISTRATES STRONG POINTS.
But the English magistrate is not with
out his good parts. or even his tender parts.
To hear him lecture the wife beater. tie
son who has lifted his hand against a
mother, and the step-mother who is trump
ing MP some charge against the childreno of
. former wife merely to get them taken of
Eer hands-to hear such things as these, as
one can In the London courts almost every
day. IS decidedly refreshing. Once IN a
while O magistrate will fine q man and pay
the fine himself. and we have known OF q
case In which q London magistrate sent
man TO prison for refusing to send his
children TO school. ana then. learn
Ing that the mans only fault was
poverty. and that he had kept his little
ones ut home because he could not
clothe them decently, he set to work
and collected n fund by which the man.
mp in new home, given new situa-
ton. and afforded altogether o new start
In life.
Still dwelling upon the brighter aspects
OF the London police courts, one can
not speak too highly of tho good done
IN these dark places by city missionaries
The newspapers for one day report
three cases. involving no less than
the interpositi0n of these missionaries,
che accused parties were rescued from i'm
pending commlttal, and given fresh
chance. All were young, and all first of
lenders A girl had attempted snicide
She would never do it again. she said. and
the missionary offering to provide her q
home she W as let off, Two boys and girl
had been I'm plicsted in q theft. If the mag
istrate would let them of the missionary
would see that they were properly brought
MP, and his Honor gladly acquiesced. Two
other boys had stolen from their employer
Their father had melted them. and the
poor mother had somehow been forced to
become party. Here again the mission
AIRY forward, and on agree
Ing to produce the boys when needed. he is
allowed 10 deliver them from tie awful
shadow of prison life. The many unfortu-
nate girls who are brought III for attempt
first person TO visit ana labor with them is
q female missionary. In this way a large
proportion of them are saved not only
from prison and death. but from that life
of shame which 10 worse than either.
The way the railroads are dealt with in
visitor from America. As between these
big corporations and some unfortu-
nate representative OF the British
public who may be suing for damages
the latter. and the railways, spite
of big counsel and lond protestations.
have usually TO plank down q portion OF
their hard cash. Two cases Of this kind
fell under our notice the same day. In one
the train is taken beyond the platform, and
awoman IN alighting falls No porter to
help her down, and the station officials
rather indifferent afterwards. Damages
against company, $50. In another case q
woman falls over box on the platform Of
station and is injured. There was an ex-
cursion and some providing But the judge
held that either the box should not have
been there, or the crowd should have been
moved To avoid jt. Damages q. go. And so
&c goes over here. So that W nile the English
courts have some bad features, they have
some that are very good. and a. few which
might be copied with advantage elsew here.
HENRY STUCKLEY.