The Portland daily press., 1892-01-15
IN A POLICE COURT.
An Excellent Place to Study Human
Folly and Weakness.
Four Ii ours with Chicago Me gistrate-
some of the Prisoners and Their
Extra ordinary Pleas-Queer Phases
of Life in Great City.
Especial Chicago letter.

Especial Chicago letter.
A few DAYS ago went to one of the
prominent police stations for the purpose
Of studying human nature. Had gone
from one end of the country to the
other couldn't have found more pro-
life field for my researches. / arrived
at the station just in time to see score
Dr. more offenders, male and female,
who were being conducted to the ante
rooms of the police court in the adjoin-
ing building by the burly blue coats re-
sponsible for their arrest
Most of the prisoners looked as if
their acquaintance with the guardians
of the peace dated back many years.
Some smelt extensively of stale beer and
whisky, others had bandaged eyes,
crooked noses, and swollen mouths, and
still others trenbled like leaves in the
autumn wind-not because they were
ashamed of their positions, but because
their systems had not been supplied
with stiuaulauts for several hours
They were all physical and morM
wrecks, picked up in the cutters and
sewers, from which nothing will rescue
them save death Or Imprisonment for
life.
Nearly every one of the prisoners was
sentenced to serve term IN the bride
well. Some listened quietly to the SEN
tence, others abused the judge, but all
of them will resume their riotous way
of living as soon as the doors of the re-
formatory institution are opened to
them. The crowd which | saw at the
police court on this particular day was,
seemingly at least, incapable of refor-
nation and redemption; and unless
Providence interfercs with miracle
each one of the unfortunate creatures
will expire amidst scenes of vice and
misery too sad for description.
One young fellow attracted the at
tention of the crowd assembled in the
courtroom. He looked hard, and seemed
just trifle annoyed when the officer in
charge of the case accused him of habit
ual drunkenness. The judge, who
seemed to be well acquainted with the
prisoner, exclaimed ''thirty days. and
the hangers on strained their eyes to
catch glimpse of the next victim. Few
noticed the shabbily dressed old woman
in the courtroom who sighed as the
judge pronounced the sentence. Had
they known that she was the mother of
the prisoner they might have treated
her with some consideration, perhaps,
when she broke into tears. AS it was,
she was made the target for the cheap
wit of the callous frequenters of the
courtroom, who were inclined to think
that only good luck had saved her from
sitting on the prisoners bench herself.
They did not realize that her swollen
eyes were produced, not by dissipation,
but by weeping over a son who, at one
time, promised to be her support and
comforter. Instead, the young man
drifted into evil company and was even
then on his way to the penitentiary, for
the fellow standing next to him prom
ised to give valuable information re-
garding robbery which had puzzled
the police for several days provided he
should be acquitted on the charge of
drunkenness. His offer was accepted.
The Judge imposed fine, but suspend
ed Judgment; and the vile wretch &C
cused his companion of having been a
party to the robbery. He bought four
weeks of freedom by his treachery and
broke a heart which had never ceased
to hope for the reformation of her boy.
No one paid the least attention to the
little tragedy which had been OBJ
serving with great interest. Some
thing humorous seemed to have sue
ceeded the tragic denouoment of the
last prisoners confession. Before his
honor stood vixenish old woman
whose disheveled hair was but lily con-
cealed by nightcap of uncertain color
She wore once white, but now brown
ish yellow, Mother Hubbard. The
sleeves were rolled up above the elbow.
Although the officers of the court
worked laboriously 10 keep her quiet
they made not the least impression on
the furious dame, who denounced, in
the most emphatic language, the police,
the city administration and the magis-
trate before whom she stood Viler
language, feel confident in asserting,
had never been heard in a courtroom.
The united efforts of three policemen
were required to remove the prisoner
to her CELL and the officers heaved a
sigh of relief when they heard the snap
of the lock which confined her to
place of safety In the afternoon she
was compelled to take ride in the
BLACK Maria, a vehicle which carries
convicted prisoners TO the bridewell.
There she will have time to ''sober off, +"
a process made tolerable only by the
hope of another protracted spree at the
expiration of her term.
The next prisoner was rather gen.
teel-looking, middle-aged party ac-
cused of petty larceny. The evidence,
produced by number of peddlers and
other peripatetic merchants, showed
that the defendant was in the habit of
purloining small articles whenever he
passed their counters. The prisoner
employed no lawyer, but argued his
case at length and with wonderful
ability. He produced tears at will and
in the waterworks line was as great
success as Mr. Weller's friend Job