Barton County democrat. [volume] (Great Bend, Kan.) 1885-1915, 1892-09-15
POLICE COURT SCENES.
a Peculiar Phase OF Low Life at
the Nations Capital
congress Having Adjourned, Our Cores
pondent Pays a visit to the Washing
ton Police Court-Strange Per
sons and Things.
Especial Washington Letter.l


Upon every face in the police court is
nv tale of woe.'' There never was such
= court in any community, for It is a
racial kaleidoscope. The national cap
tails populated with cosmopolites, and
this fact is capable of demonstration
any morning by visit to our hall OF
routine justice. There is no picture nor
figure of blindfolded lady with pair
IF scales in one hand and great big
Roman sword in the other. Oh, mol
There are big policemen from Ireland,
bailiffs from Africa. a judge of English
descent and lawyers Of all classes. from
the shyster to the prince of criminal
practice.
The Black Maria dumps her loads OF
unfortunates before the old courthouse
and they are hurried into the cage,
where they remain until the criers sum-
mon them before the bar, which is in
such contrast with the bar they patron
lied the night before that they think, If
they cannot sing: "OhI what a differ
ence in the morningI"
Usually Monday is a busy day in the
police court and often Monday sessions
| do not close until five or six o'clock in
| the afternoon. The number of prison
| ers brought In on Mondays is usually
larger than on other days on account of
| there being no session of the court Sun
/ day. The first sign of business about
! the court Monday morning is generally
| the appearance of persons who earn
! their living defending prisoners who are
| only able to produce few dimes to pay
counsel Some of the ''shysters" appear
! even before the janitor has had an op-
portunity to finish his sweeping and
/ busting. In warm weather they and
/ the ''cappe-s'' sit about on the rail that
! protects the approach to the building
like crows sitting on a country fence.
When the weather is cold they gather
about the stove inside the building and
wait until one of the officers appears al
the door and announces the arrival OF
the Maria with the prisoners. Then
the lawyers and ''cappers'' make rush
| for the door. It is contempt of court
for anyone to solicit business while the
prisoners are marching across the pave
ment from the maria" to the court
''pen."
This ''pen,'' or, as it is sometimes
called, 1.-THE black hole" is located In
the basement of the building. There is
no ventilation, and little to add to the
comfort of the miserable quarters pro
vided for the poor people who are un
able to produce a few dollars 'collat
eral," that would entitle them to theil
freedom pending the hearing of then
cases. In hot weather, when these
small dungeons are crowded with pris
oners, some of them almost smother te
death. There is one cell for males anG
another for females. but when the usua
Monday crowd arrives the males are il
sufficient numbers to more than Al
both the cells, and the females are
seated on benches along the narrow
corridor. The dock where the prison
ers stand when arraigned is just at the
head of a stairway leading up from ''ths
black hole It is a small space, jus
inside the court room, divided off from
the rest of the room by railing. Their,
is a door that opens and through which
the prisoners come in turn as thei
cases are called. Every time the doc
Is opened several faces of females cal
be seen, each trying to get a look int
the courtroom. Policeman Hardin is il
charge of the prisoners and has helC
the position for number of years. FL,
is familiar with the faces of most O
those who are regular visitors.
Those who defend the prisoners art
not permitted to enter the dock, be
cause if they were, the first mai
would have monopoly of the business
A lawyer has first to get the judges per
mission to see a prisoner, and then thu
latter has to be called up by name.
The ''shysters'' often have consider
able difficulty in learning the names O
prisoners when they are not actually EN-