The herald., 1897-04-11
An Every Day Scene at the
Police Court
i WoMAN'S POINT OF VIEW
ABSOLUTELY FUTILE TREAT
MENT OF YMPTOMS
A Picture of the Court Room in
Which Sinners Sometimes
Get Their Deserts


spend an afternoon. The courtroom is
well ventilated, the ceiling lofty; steam
heat gives the proper degree of warmth,
and the north light filters through olive
tinted shade, making the shadows
pleasant and restful to the eye.
The handsomely carved furniture is
solid and massive; the judges desk. the
inner railing ard the prisoners pen are
all of beautiful native wood, delight to
the eye and a pleasure to the touch.
Los Angeles has 200 saloons, and their
licenses alone amount to $4,000 month,
so the city need spare no expense in fit
ting up a police station, the income be-
ing sure and STEADY.
Justice NJ. T. owens sits upon dais,
behind which falls dark, rich crimson
curtain, bringing out his finely cut
features in high relief, and making a
scrt of aesthetic background for the
administration of Justice.
Clerk Kinsey, Deputy District Attor-
ney James and Bailin Appel are all
we'll groomed, affable, polite and fully
alive to their duties. Altogether, the
Los Angeles police court has its attrac-
tions even when nothing of an exciting
nature is OH the boards.
The spectators that drift into the
courts each day and fill the seats next
to the wall are all part OF the Tree
show one may find in the court, but they
are quite unconscious of their own pic
turesqueness. Many wear no collars,
and when one catches glimpse OF the
linen he does not object to the faded coats
being drawn closely around throat
grizzled and covered with beard or
weeks growth
Men with long boards, with bald
heads, with a look gloomy and pessim-
istic, sit In close proximity TO the wall,
while here and there may be seen boy
with a curious sense of alertness IN MS
attitude and attention.
Occasionally an open mouth and
dropped jaw are seen, showing utter un-
consciousness of self and deep alb
sorption in some detail of case es-
pecialy interesting.
All the time the policemen come ana
go jauntily, entering complaints, chat
ting easily, exchanging an occasional
Joke with the clerk or bailiff, and daz-
zling the eye with the official star and
brass buttons adorning their navy-blue
uniforms.
Around the table the reporters and the
lawyers whisper in quiet unconcern, or
scribble on legal-looking documents
with blanks to be filled and signatures
to be added.
All this was conveyed to my inner con-
sciousness one afternoon this week
spent in the court room. There was
nothing of interest before the court, the
bailiff said, only "a batch of drunks,"
petit larceny or two and disturb
ance of the peace" Every day occur
rences, it seems, though little more
pronounced upon Mondays, Saturday
night and Sunday being especially good
DAYS for drunks. To one quite ignorant
of the workings of police courts, the
tol, Of have been
play, so artistic was the treatment, ana
with it's perfect staging it gave one the
highest sense of theatrical Illusion
There was but little formality in open
ing the court; it really opened when the
.drunks" shuffled into the prisoners
pen, with Bailiff Appel; the latter
cheerful alert, confident, adorned with
a star, and with a pen behind his right
ear. the former blear-eyed, sodden, rag
ged and thoroughly disreputable.
The bailiff hustled them into the pen,
locked. the door pleasantly and seate1
himself at his own desk in conscious
and perfect rectitude. The prisoners
seated themselves in row, glanced
around furtively, then dropped their
ewes upon a series of discolored and bat
tered hats of many makes and styles
which they held in unsteady and very
dirty fingers.
They were of all sorts and conditions
of men, Italian, Spanish, Chinese, Amer
lean. In one corner sat woman alone,
looking frightened and wretched,
glancing in terror at the judge, the
bailiff and the spectators
She wore a black hat with bright
red rose flaring aggressively above
weak pailio face A braided tan cape
was drawn closely around her shoulders
and she looked unutterably miserable
while the Judge read the complaint. cit
ing the fact that she "Wilfully, unlaw-
fully and felonously did take, steal ana
carry away" certain articles from well
known establishment in the city.
Her face flushed darkly as she entered
the plea of mot guilty" and she sank
back in the corner when the trlal was
set for day later in the week.
The young colored boy who was di-
rectly in front of her was charged with
assault; his attire indicated the great
est disorder. One sleeve of his coat was
torn entirely out, hanging by a few
threads, his face bore marks of the as
sault, but the lawyer who represented
him said his character was good, that
he worked in a box factory, and the
deadly weapon he used was pocket
knife. His bail was fixed at $500. at
which he and the lawyer who represent
ed him fell into state of visible col
lapse. -, A.. .s
"vou are accused of being intoxicated
upon Alameda street last night; are you
guilty or not guilty."
Ambrocio Cruz rose to his feet and
gazed at the judge with puzzled ex-
preston upon his heavy face. a brlgn.
yellow silk handkerchief was knotted
around his throat in sharp contrast 70
his disordered attire. Me no spik Ing
lis he said The court interpreter
hurried forward and a little whispered
{ drama ensued, the Interpreter asking
questions, the prisoner dramatizing ami
matedly a scene of drunken festivity
followed by sleep and forgetfulness.
He was an italian, and the by play,
full of action, was perfectly intelllgible
to every one in the court room
Antonio smiled when the Interpreter
announced he was guilty as charged"
and he received his sentence OF five dol
lars or FIVE days" without change of
countenance.
.John Burk." said the judge, looking
intently at the papers he held in his
hand.
"Out on BAIL" answered Baiiff Appel,
who arose and went out into the hall.
sJohn Burk," he called. "John---Burk,"
~ .o-h-n-B- -u-rk."
The sonorous voice echoed up and