The Portland daily press., 1895-01-11
. ID. IGEEI
M. N. Rich, ESQ.,, Portland. Maine.
SUNDAY MORNING JUSTICE.
An Hour in a New York Police Court with
TammaDy Justice.

len young men. says the New York
Tribune reporter, were taken before JUS
tice Taintor in the jefferson Market court
Sunday forenoon, on charge OF playing
billiards at 10 minutes past 12 that
morning. The addresses of all these
men were given. One was the proprie-
tor of the room, Harris oemansky. They
said that they were engaged in their
game and had not noticed that it was
after midnight. The justice said:
II will hold the proprietor in $500
bonds and ali the players in 500 for
trial in special sessions. Sunday must
be kept in this town as long as 1 have
anything to say in the MATTER.
just then Semansky broke in. "Your
Honor" he said, 81 should like to know,
in justice to the men you have locked
up, how it is that two of the young
men who we're playing in the place were
let go? One of them was son of Judge
Hogan, and the other was John O'Con.
nor. They were playing billiards, too,
but they were allowed to go free. That
is not faiI4'
Hold Oh there!" almost shouted the
jUstice;" | will reduce your bail to
500. ..,aa,- .,,.ts.,..-a,s.
No" answered Semansky, "you can
not buy me. ! can give $500 bail or
$1,000, or any amount you have the power
to impose, but you cannot close my
mouth to your injustice. These young
men have committed no crime and you
know it, If they have played billiards
beyond mIdnightit was by mistake ard
not Intentionally. They have not been
guilty of being in disorderly house I'M
til they have been proved to have been
there, and you have no right to thod
them"
flake that man back!" shouted Mr..
Taintor in rage, and Semansky was
taken back to the prison. He afterward
furnished bail and was set at liberty.
One of the first cases brought before
Judge Taintor yesterday was that of
two women who had been arrested for
soliciting in West Third street. One of
the women was Jennie Diem, II years
old; the other as Laura White, 90 years
old. Jennie. when she was brought be-
fore Justice Taintor, was all smiles.
She laughed when she was asked what
she had to say to the charge, and said:
"My dear boy, I've got nothing to say to
you." aj@s fiisa' ~ = ss6
Justice. Taintor blushed and looked
awkward. He fined the young woman
$40. 800 e,9shbf 1854 s@ 7aa'f "a
Laura White, the next prisoner. was a
quiet looking woman. She was not
pretty, and she had nothing to- say for
herself further than that she had been
driven to the streets by hunger Is Justice
Taintorj Stocked stern and sent tt
young woman to the island I for four
months Ii ri
The woman gasped with astonishment
when she was sentenced.
"Why is it," she cried, "that l get
four months when my companion gets
only $40 fine?"
"Take that woman away" shouted
the Justice
And the woman was taken back to the
prison and locked up. The other woman
paid her fine and went away.
The justice yesterday committed a
policeman to prison instead of the man
who was arrested. Policeman Brick
wedeJl, one of the best policemen in the
Mercer street station, took John Gun
ningham before Justice Taintor on
charge OF petty larceny. Cunningham
could make no defence, and was held in
$500 for trial in special sessions. When
prison, Warden Ledwith ordered one of
the wardens to search the policeman and
lock him up.
"What for?" shouted Brickwedell.
"Petty larceny" said the warden.
"H ere is the commitment 1t is made
out in your name"
Brickwedell hurried back to the court
and had the justice make the necessary
correction, He said afterwards that he
had never been SO near prison in his
life before