The evening times. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1895-1902, 1896-01-02
IN THE COURT ROOM.

Judge their story. and were placed under
bonds and dismissed. The routine went
duly along. II was punctuated here and
there with the judges remarking, thirty
days" ninety days" Fifteen days"
as the case may be, and the loud explana-
lions of the bailiff, who still continued to
chew gum and sit down and walk around
Importantly.
Detective Hartigan came and spoke to me
In the course of events. He said / had
better plead guilty if | wished to get off
with a light sentence. for / would certainly
be scut down. 1 had no intention of
doing otherwise, but l nodded my head.
After about three-quarters OF an hour 1
heard my name called. The words. Flor
ence Bergen" electrified me. and when the
-bailiff turned around with a show Of inter-
est, and recalled my name, l stood up.
Mr.. Kcn.lig was not far from me, nd he told
me to stand up right where was.
/ stood up, feeling better than before
while waiting. and the clerk, Mr.. Harper
read my charge He read 1t in loud mon
otone. too rapidly for me to fol-
low always, but have since obta ined the
form, and it is of considerable interest.
After the preliminary formula he said:
''Floreuce Bergen, late of the county of
Washington and the District of Columbia,
on the st day of December and In the
District of Columbia, was then and there,
and has been ever since that da Y and stills.
a vagrant; an idle md disorderly person, a
person of evil life and fame; without visi
bic means of support; likely to become
chargeable to the District of Columbia
pauper. found drunk in and about the streets:
a suspicious person. having no fixed place
of residence, and unable to give good ac-
count of herself"
In all this charge there was but one
specification which was true. l was found,
nd dICnr1nr1v in a
streets. No one at any time asked me If
l was n person of evil life, and as for the
fame of my character. no one had ever heard
of me or seen me before, except, perhaps,
that all-knowing reporter who supplied
me with q husband, despite my saying was
single. Ny means OF support were not visi-
BILE, hut no one asked me about it or tried
to ascertain at any time IL ] had any
thing to depend upon BESIDES my capricious
fancy for the races. They, did not press me
about m yhome after l. told them that it
was not their affair where lived.
While this charge was being read 1 had
a notion of the absurdity; OF 1t, and feared
that the Judge would question me. When it
closed with the question: Guilty or not
guilty?" i replied i'm a, low tone, "Guilty."
Bailff Kendig had stopped chewing gum
to watch me, and when said guilty he
started forward in intense ainazement and
leaned on the arms Of his chair; then he
called out loudly, she says guilty"
Mr.. KENDIG's CURIOSITY
He stared at me minute, and then as
Detective Hartigan stepped up into the
witness stand TO tell the Judge why he
arrested me Mr.. Kcndig rushed over to the
stand and stood near It, gazing up into
Mr.. Hartigan's face TO catch the crumbs
OF Information which dropped concerning
my story.
He had the advantage of me. I could
not hear 1t, but it was something to the
effect that / was making a fuss and he
took me in; that he was told 1 was drunk
the night before, and SO he preferred the
charge. After his testimony as to my char
acter OFFICER Haines was called upon to tell
what was doing the night before. He ex-
planned that was strolling unsteadily down
theAvenue smoking cigarettes, with crowd
of .'touts'' following me.
had the " ord "tout', explained TO me.
It means a hanger on OF the races-a man
who gets a living by selling fictitious tips
or formation. Considering tile deserted con-
dition OF the Avenue, this was very amusing:
The testimony WIS given In sort OF
settled manner, that seemed to take ii fer
granted that the Judge already knew what
he was going to do. and That ii was really
great bore TO him 10 have 10 lisien To 1T,