Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1893-09-07
THREE ON A BENCH.

| The Boy Had Future. the Crook Past;
the vagrant Had Nothing.
1t was o'clock in the morning The
| electric lights were still blazing in the
silence of Madison square. A number
of shabby figures slumbered or moved
| about on the seats beneath the trees of
the park. On a bench beside the little
fountain sat a group that arrested my
attention. Three figures were reclining
here with their heads and shoulders al
most touching one another. One was
but little more than a boy. A bundle
done up in calico handkerchief was in
his hand. His sunburned face and his
sturdy shoulders gave evidence that he
was from the probably farm
hand who had trudged in to try his luck
in the city. His boots were covered with
red clay. He was leaning against thin
figure clad in somewhat shabby gar
ments.
This man possessed dark and sinister
countenance. He was restless, and his
hands. which were thin and white.
twitched nervously in his sleep.
His lips moved spasmodically. His
was an evil conscience. There wss
plainly shady side to his past life.
Here were deceit and honesty side by
side. Next to the dark man slumbered
very old and decrepit one. He was
clad in linen duster. A battered gray
hat sat on his head, and his toes were
peeping out from the tips of his worn
shoes. The face of this old fellow was
scanned with deep and careworn wrin-
kles. His hair and beard were snowy
white. He was possessed of a palsy
that made him tremble constantly as he
lay dozing. 1t was youth, manhood and
old age-typical of life.
These three reclined here in a stolen
sleep. A park policeman came gliding
along from the distance through the twi-
light of the trees. He crept along like
gray ghost on the lookout for those
weary souls who were transgressing the
law by surreptitious slumber. His eye
lighted with satisfaction as he beheld
the three figures on the bench. You see
that seedy fellow in the middle?' he
whispered. ''That's Tony McElroy, who
cracked three safes over in Jersey City
last summer. Ispotted him at once by
his mug. He just come out of the pen
last Tuesday"
The officer seized the crook by the col
lar and shook him till his teeth ratified.
The noise awakened the boy, who grasped
the situation at once. Selling his bun
die he skurried like a rabbit across the
grass toward Twenty third street. Once
feeling himself safe he stretched his
limbs and began to whistle cheerfully.
The crook arose and stood in sullen
silence few moments until the police
man pushed him on. He thrust his hands
into his pockets, bumped up his shoul-
ders and shambled up the avenue. The
old vagrant tottered to his feet. He was
dazed, and it took him quite awhile to
collect his senses. He s.luffied across
the sqlare with bowed head. He scanned
the buildings and the streets about him
with a hopeless, helpless glance that was
pathetic to see. Then he, too, vanished
in the gray of breaking dawn.
The boy had life of hope before him,
the crook had past behind him, but the
old vagrant had neither past nor future.
New York Recorder.
IN kentucky Jurors Must BE Able to Read.
Circuit Judge Green in a murder trial
at Williamstown decided that not being
able to read disqualified a person from
sitting on jury. 1t is the first time the
question has been raised we believe.
Section 225 of the criminal code pro-
vides: 1.-THE court shall, on motion of
either party, and before argument to the
jury, instruct the jury on the law ap-
plicable to the case, which shall always
be given in writing" Congressman
Dickerson made the point that each jury
man should be able to read the instruc-
tons himself, and if he could not do this
ne was disqualified. The judge sustained
the obJection.-Greenup Ky) Gazette.