The Progress., 1893-09-09
A 0NE-SlDtD MATINEE.
The Mayor and Chief Of Police Play Quite
A Joke On THE Boys"


Wednesday morning last was quite
sensational one with a large num-
ber of the young gentlemen and boys
of Shreveport, growing out of sum-
mons issued to them to appear before
the mayor and answer to charges of
disorderly conduct and disturbing the
peace, alleged to have been commit
ted while engaged in a charivari.
This class of amusement being as
ancient as the memory of any man
or woman here can trace backward,
no apprehension wouid have been en-
tertained by those summoned, relying
on the Judgment of the mayor to fol-
low precedent established by all
Others, but for the fact that four of the
number had been fined SIG each the
preceding morning.
The fact that four gentlemen had
been mulcted in such sum for mere
ly taking part in charivari was
something so unheard, of that indig-
nation was great among the very best
class of citizens, and they began to
wonder with some misgivings, if we
had drifted into the laws of Russia
where the police must be consulted
before serenades can be undertaken,
balls, parties and even church sup
pers given. 1t had begun to appear
strangely like it, because Shreveport's
history fails to record similar act 10y
mayor or magistrate.
As one may well imagine, Wednes-
day morning found the city court
room crowded to hear and witness
this wonderful ceremony, this novelty
in court circles.
Hon. NJ. &. Elstner, always friend
to the boys, appeared for them while
the mayor represented the city. The
trial developed that neither Messrs
Easley nor Prince (the gentlemen
charivaried) had preferred charges,
but that they had been lodged against
the first four by Officer Irvine who
had noted no disturbance of the peace
at the time. but awoke to a realiza-
ton of it afterwards. To the contra
nv he knew all about it and when he
thought it had gone far enough
advised the boys to stop and they did
SO Immediately.
The other thirty-more or less
charges were preferred by Chief Mel
son at the request of one of the four
who had already been punished.
The strangest feature of this re-
markable judicial procedure was
that the mayor seemed the most in
suited and angry party in the entire
affair, some of the police next while
Messrs. Easley and Prince were play
ing ON quite minor key as far as an
ger and indignation we concerned.
Well after about half dozen had
been fined and futile attempts made
by the mayor to convict , others, Mr..
Elstner succeeded in putting the mat
ter in such a ridiculous light that the
presiding officer saw he could not re-
tain his own self-respect, to say moth
ing of that Of the public, by carryipgthe
farce further, so he remitted all fines,
declaring that all along he had been
trying to find the one who had lifted
a curtain and had tried to pry into
Mrs. Easleys window, but having
failed, he would allow them all to 60.
as it was not the question of chari
vari, but Of the prying into the pri-
vacy of family's Affairs. OF course
it never occurred to this jurist's mind
that that was State ofense, one I'VE
can afford to write this because this
editor never gets a case from the
Mayors Court and therefore can't be