The record-union., 1897-08-22


compare it with the present Center
street Court would be like comparing
a country church with Westminster
Abbey. But, though small, it is neat
and clean and we'll arranged. At the
rear there are seats for fifteen or twenty
Spectators, with an open space between
them and the small prisoners pen. This
pen is really the dock, as only two or
three prisoners are put in it at a time,
and there they stand till their fates are
settled.
Between the dock and the bench is
another open space, in which the Court
Clerk has ia BILE; SO the prisoner has
no opportunity for a low-toned con-
versation with the Judge On one side
are two pews for the barristers, raised
about foot above the floor, annd near
er the prisoners are seats for the at
torneys. The witness stand has can
opy over it, which gives it something OF
a regal appearance; and 1t is close
enough to the Judge for him to hear
every word.
The room was almost empty when
we went in, but spectators and VII
nesses struggled in. We were taken
into the barristers' seats, where we
might have rubbed shoulders with those
distinguished gentlemen in wigs II any
had been present; but unfortunately
neither barriSter nor an attorney ap-
peared There was one reporter in the
attorneys seats, called the 'offlclaF
reporter of the court, though employed
evidently by some of the news agen-
cies. Our New York reporters would
have set him down at once for fresh
recruit from the provinces, for he made
voLuminous notes OF petty cases that
no metropolitan newspaper would give
a line of space.
Sir John Bridge, the Judge for the
day and the reputed head of the Board
Of London Police Justices, maintained
the reputation of the fraternity by ar
irving about three-quarters of an hour
late. When he did come there was no
frantic shouting of Hats off" in our
New York style. A door on the prison
side opened, and Sir John walked in,
his hat on and his hands held behind
his back; and following him were va
rious court officers and the first batch
of prisoners. Sir John walked up to
his seat with great deliberation, and
one of the members of my party who
ID d 6OOQ JuoSC VI OOSlA iiAc1INOAo
diately announced that he was the
handsomest man she had seen in Eng
land-not handsome in the ladykilling
sense, but intellectual, dignified, faith
erly looking. The only fault 1 could
find with his appearance was that the
open plain on top of his head had not
been made more productive of hair.
SOME ENGLISH CRIMINALS.
A London Police Court is conducted
on somewhat different lines from a
New York Police Court. The Judge is
more paternal in his manner, though at
the same time rather more dignified,
without severity. He seems anxious to
do whatever will be for the best inter-
ests of both prisoner and public. And
the police have much more to say than
they have in our Police Courts. The as
sistant keeper of the Court Prison acts
as a sort of public inquisitor. 1t is his
business to be acquainted to some ex-
tent with the prisoner, with his family
relations, his employment and income,
his manners of life, and his criminal
record. This looks like great under
taking in a city like London; but the
majority of prisoners here are the same
old FOUNDERS" just as they are in
New York, SO it is comparatively easy
to know them.
Another important person is the court
missionary. His work is to reconcile
Quarreling husbands and wives, to find
suitable homes for boys and girls, and
TO Straighten out as many police tam
giles o. he can. The assistant jailer
tells the court in each case what he
knows about the prisoner, and his opin-
ion naturally carries considerable
weight, for he tells not only facts that
he has ascertained but probabilities Of
a mans keeping sober, of his taking
care of his family, of his procuring
work, and so on but the court mis-
sfonary goes a step further than this
and advises the court, always in the
most diplomatic manner, as to what
disposition should be made of a pris-
oner-not always, of course, but in some
cases In one case that l saw the
Judge was evidently inclined to be very
lenient with a prisoner but hardly saw
saw how he could satisfy the demands
of justice and still let the man go; and
the court missionary stepped in with
a suggestion that made the matter
easy.
There were no important cases in my
morning at the Bow-street Court, but
such small ones as offered served bet
ter, perhaps, to show the ordinary
mode of procedure. A young wcman,
for instance, was put into the dock
on some vague and trifiing charge-I
could not make out precisely what it
was No witnesses were called, but
the assistant jailer told what he knew
about her, giving her, / thought, as
good a character as he could. Then
the Judge asked her few questions,
and she said that she worked for a mil
liner, and handed up the milliners
card, whereupon the Judge and some
others smiled, indicating that her in
terests were in other lines than the
millinery trade.
"Will you keep off the streets in fu-
ture If let you go?" the Judge asked.
mo, sir" said the girl; and that. of
course raised a laugh, without bring
ing on the blood-curdling New York
court cry of "Silence in COURT"
But it was merely a misunderstand
ing. The jailer explained the question,
and the girl readily promised.
Discharged said the Judge, and
in a minute she was shedding tears of
joy over two or three women who had
been waiting for her and priest who
had been trying to reform her
TWO STREET ARABS.
Then came two street arabs, both
under sixteen, according to their state
ment. a statement that would be re-
markable in New York, where every
arrested boy makes himself out past
sixteen, to avoid the House of Refuge.
One of the boys had been stealing 10
pence or so from his employer, and the
other was a vagrant.