Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1892-04-16
BROKE ALL RECORDS.
Judges Collier and Slagle Lower the
Time of License Court
TWENTYDAYSTOHEAR1, CASES
Applicants Failed to Hoodwink the Arbiters
of Their Fate.
WITNESSES WHO WERE NOT POSTED

The County Court House was deserted
place yesterday. 1t seemed to look more
lonesome, not because it was holiday, but
because license court was over. There was
not even an anxious applicant around to
inquire if the Judges would soon "hand
down the list" They had become pretty
well accustomed to hearing that when an
nouncements are to be made they will be
made in open court, and as court adjourned
Thursday evening until this morning, they
knew there was little likelihood of any list
coming yesterday.
Judges Collier and Slagle only worked
part of the morning, going over the work
of the past week or ten days and comparing
notes No announcements are expected,
unless Allegheny should be handed down
this morning, until the middle of the COM
ing week. The Judges are evidently ex-
pecting to take up most of the week III
completing their work, as there is no
traverse jury called, and there has been
nothing to indicate an intention on the part
of the Judges TO take a trip after they
finish.
Beat All Previous Records.
There are many interesting features
about this years License Court, as
compared with the previous four
sessions. The most important is the time
saved in hearing the applicants. Making
allowance for the fact that there were about
$50 less applicants than last year, the Court
finished its work eight davs ahead of time
There were a total of l,77 cases. The court
was in session 20 days, hearing on an aver
age SO cases a day. The greatest number
heard in one day was on Friday, April l,
when lC7 applicants we're put through the
mill. The retail hearings last year were not
concluded until April %, and the
til May l. As a consequence the list
was not handed down until May
4: and the previous year the end of the work
was not reached until Apri! 80, and both
years there we're those who had to close
their places two or three days until their
bonds were approved.
The Court seemed to have additional IN
formation concerning applicants this year,
and many were surprised that the Judges
knew so much. Many an effort was made to
"noodwink' the Court. sometimes the
applicant was permitted to retire with
the self-satisfaction that he had put 1t on
the Courts eye," but when n man became
too bold at this kind of an effort, he gener-
ally got turned down. In one case, toward
the close of the hearings an applicant lad
called several witnesses, all of whom testf
fed to the SpotlesS character OF the man
speaking from a knowledge gained through
many years of Intimate acquaintance.
Something They Did Not Know.
After they had finished and everyone in
the court room, outside of the judges, were
willing almost to gamble that the applicant |
was a winner, Judge Collier, IN that smooth, |
gentle style OF his, said: Il
"MT. Jones, did you know the applicant |
only got out of tie workhouse a short time
ago for illegal liquor selling?'
20 Sir.r fanrn rl1n foin
up by wondering look.
"Mr. Brown, did you know this?"
'No. SIR in the same manner.
"Mr. Smith, how about you?"
81 did not know it, and so on. The same |
question was put to eight or ten witnesses |
and each made the same sheepish reply.
"Well," " said Judge Collier, 81 only wanted |
10 know if any of you knew it: call the next"
Mr.. Christy relates an incident in connec- |
tion with a case in which two city police |
officers appeared in behalf of an applicant /
and gave him an excellent character. 1t |
was learned afterward that less than six |
weeks ago both officers assisted in arresting /
the man for drunkenness. The Court in this /
case asked no questions, but the applicants
name was not on the list of granted when /
the list was handed down.
Knocked Over Three Hundred Applicants.
As an indication of the amount of work
Mr.. Christy did this year, it is interesting to
know that out of $50 applicants in the city,
against whom he had remonstrances, only
p were granted licenses.
The Court has puzzling question to de-
termine in completing its work. Along
the lines dividing the city from Lower st.
Clair township and Allegheny from Reserve
there are number of applicants just across
the streets. The Court has not indicated
what it will do, but the unfailness of the
law in granting licehse to a man for S75
when another on the opposite side of the
street must pay 81 l,O09 is frequently COM
manted upon.
The attorneys had quite a harvest in the
present License Court The bulk of the
business was in the hands of about Is law
yers. OF these John S. Rob3 and his son, !
John S Robb, Jr, had 122 applicants as
clients; Leon J. Long, SO: 4. c. Robertson. 9l:W.
J. Bremen, 76 Montcoth Bros, 79: c. F. Nc
henna, 3e; Josiah Cohen and A. Israel 60:
Joseph Stadield =, 3d. A II. Rowand, 49,
William McC-, eli con Is
There were few applicants this year who
qld not employ an attorney and Mr.. Christy |
Is charged with causing this.