San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1897-12-19
Recorder S Court.
A PLACE TO STUDY HUMAN
NATURE IN ALL PHASES.
All Glasses of People Elbow Each
Other And Listen Eagerly to
The Testimony.

should nav a visit to Recorder Lewis
court. There can be seen all classes
ages and sexes elbowing each other.
They begin to cOngregate about
o'clock in the morning, first in the cor
ridors and then they gradually file
into the courtroom, take chairs, lean
against the railing separating the
| spectators domains from that of the
Judge and police, lean against the
windows or chat over the rail to the
several prisoners in the pen, providing
| they do so in an undertone.
| Some are there as witnesses, some
as prisoner and some merely to see and
hear, showing ESPECIAL qualification and
satisfaction when a case progresses
where the testimony is something Dor
dering on the unchaste. But neverthe-
less all have some purpose for being
there.
Shortly before nine, the hour for the
court to open, the various policemen
begin to arrive to attend to their cases
and either cOngregate in groups in the
cOuTlIOOHl anu Cllil anu SpllhS Johto
or are buttonholed by some delinquent
who has been arrested and wants the
bluecoat to be as lenient as possible
in giving his testimony.
Recorde's Clerk HertZberg arrives
about this time, gets the police record
makes out warrants for the prisoners
in Jail and enter the names and charges
on the docket, to be ready for the re-
corder when he arrives.
Promptly at nine his honor enters
the room. AS soon as he enters the
door everybody present uncovers his
head and an occasional murmur of
'.there's the court" is heard Capt.
Shardein steps TO the front door of the
city hall. calls out: "Oh yes, oh yes,
the honorable recorders court is now
about to begin" and then all is in
readiness for the mill ca justice to be-
gin its grinding.
Capt. Shardein fIkeS a seat at his
desk on the left of the judge.
BY this time the judge has signed
the warrants End the policemen have
| swJrr to them. Then the clerk, Mr..
Uertzberg, who also acts as prosecut-
/ ing attorney, starts the mill grinding
by throwing in the first grist-that is
calling the first case.
Perhaps the first is merely a drunk
and down. He CONES out of the pris-
on pen on the left, the gate of which
is guarded by a bluecoat, and walks
up to the end of the judges desk.
You're charged with being drunk on
public street. Guilty or not guilty?'
says Mr. Hertzberg. "Well, your
honor, l was" begins the delinquent.
Guilty or not guilty." interrupts the
attorney again. Guilty" says he.
ANY aggravating circumstances, Mr..
Mitchell; you made the arrest" says
the attorney. "None," says the blue
coated eX-cowbOy. "One dollar" says
the judge. and enters it on his docket.
If the individual has the dollar he
passes it over to Capt Shardein and
passes out, if not he goes back and
will remain in the city Jail day TO
pay for his spree.
Perhaps the next is two west side
negro girls WI" have had fight about
man and have been rounded in by
Office" Quintana, Thomas or some of
the west side efficients. If so now
comes the time to hear something.
Now is the time where the scandal
mongers in the room prick up their
ears and lean farther over the rail
ing to catch the testimony. After en-
tering their plea, which is always
mot guilty" they begin their testl-
mOny, after taking an oath to tell the
truth, about which they reverence as
much as a policeman does water. OF
all the vulgarity ever heard they are
the two who can give cards and
spades and win in a walk. They each
| 20 into the details of their side of the
| affair, starting out very calmly, but
| like the Arkansas preacher, warming
up to business and becoming very elO-
| quent, especially in gestures, before
they close. Sometimes Mr.. HertZberg
| interrupts by saying "cut it short"
but on these ebony hued females this
| admOnitiOn has no effect and they
continue. After patiently listening to
both sides of the testimony for about
half an hour, his honor decides that
both are equally guilty and assesses a.
fine of five dollars on each. One
pays her fine perhaps, and the other
sends out by a friend, to see If she
can get hers and in the meantime she
takes up her temporary abode in the
uOCh WITH Tie ItSl " TIE pTlSOueTS
who have failed to give bond.
Then follow in rapid succession a
few more DRINKS and downs who each
| get dollar, q drunk and disorderly
and perhaps a vagrant, when a fellow
with his head tied up and an eye in
mourning is called out charged with
| being drunk and disorderly and re-
siSting an officer. He has been out
across the creek for good time,
| filed up on tanglefoot whiskey and
tried to clean out one of the variety
| theatre dance halls. When the spec
ial policeman on duty in the place at
tempted to arrest him he imagined he
could treat the bluecoat like Fitz-
simmons did Corbett, but got fooled
and landed in the city Jail. The police
man is called on to testify and after
hearing the evidence he gets about a
25-dOllar fine.
Then a bunch of Migrants are
waltzed out and told that they are
charged with being idle persons
without visible means of support"
| Each has his own peculiar story of