People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1893-06-23
POLICE COURT JUSTICE.
HIGGINS, OF AUGUSTA, SCORES
THE POLICE COURT.
Augustus Mayor Says a Man Does Not
Always Receive Justice in
Police Courts.

Ga, a whole-souled, intelligent Irish
man, against whom no one has any
thing except that he was SO cranky as
to imbibe Pee wee doctrine and voted
talked and believed in the Hon.
Thomas E. Watson, has a grievance
against the Police Court and City
Council of the above named city.
From the shoulder with vim,
freely and to all appearances deserv-
eddy, does he score the officials and
and Police Court Judge of this vote
repeating city because of the exist
ence of these grievances-grievances
founded on the fact that justice and
fair play has not been melted out to
him as it should be to every Ameri-
can citizen.
Now, it seems that Mr.. Higgins,
sometimes in last December, had
difficulty of words with a woman in
his store, out on Twiggs street, over
a small bill which she owed him and
was trying to evade by claiming she
had paid when she had not. Find
ing the dodge didn't work, this
woman, who is of most dissolute
and dlsreputable character, began to
abuse him In anything but choice and
GEAR pleasing" terms. Mr.. Higgins
took her by the arm and led her ont
of the store. She re entered the
store, and before she could be elected
the second time, although his wife
and a visiting neighbor assisted, the
Amazon had clawed up his face
pretty badly.
A passing policeman took the
woman in charge, but upon her agree
ment to appear at the Recorders
Court, he released Ter, wh9reupon
Higgins forever AiA9d his hopes by
telling tAe said policeman that he had
failed to do his duty.
The morning following, in enter
ing the Recorders Court where the
case came up for trial, Mr.. Higgins
was warned of his possible fate, by
the Judge of said court saying, as he
indicated a negro woman: els
that your wife ?" A tableau. Mr..
Higgins was too much astonished at
theremark that came from the Judicial
bench to make any reply, but his
wife, who was present said, 'No, sir.
I am his wife"
The Judge of the court then an
nounced that he would make a cross
case of it, and without further notice,
put Higgins on trial, although he had
had no opportunity to summons and
have present the witnesses whose
testimony would have shown that no
case of breach of the law could be
made against him.
The woman's statement, although
she was of dissolute and disrepu-
table character, was taken in prefer
ence to that of Mr.. and Mrs. Hig-
gins. The policeman, evidently sui
fering from the rebuke given, stated
that Mr.. Higgins was drunk and
that the woman bore a good char
acter. Both of the statements Mr..
Higgins stands ready to prove false.
He claims that the officer got his
idea of the womans standing and
character in the neighborhood from
her kinspeople
The Judge ended the trial by
gracefully hning Mr.. Higgins the
sum Of twenty-five dollars. Mr..
Higgins thereupon said he was in
suited, and objected to the verdict.
The Judge ruled that this was con-
tempt to his Judicial dignity and
gave him in addition six hours in
confinement.
This is the case as it stands, in
verifcation of which Mr.. Higgins
has shown to your correspondent the
sworn afidayits of several witnesses
which he now has in his possession
This ceremony of police courtism-
or farce, as Higgins calls it-as pic,
tured IN this communication yet re-
mains without public disputation.
After the action of the Recorders
court, Mr.. Higgins, believing that he
had been unfairly treated, formulated
a petition, setting forth the facts,
backed by afidavits before Notary
Public, and presented it to the city
fathers, asking them to impair
tally investigate the case, aid
give him justice by placing