The Newtown bee., 1898-02-25

walked up to his seat with great deliber- |
alton, and one of the members of my
party who is good Judge Of such matters
Immediately announced that he was the
handsomest man she had seen in England
not handsome in the lady-killing sense,
but intellectual, dignified, fatherly look
ing. 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.
A London police court is conducted
on somewhat different lines from 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 40 what
ever will be for the best in terests of both
prisoner and public. And the police
have much more to say than they have
in our police courts. The assistant keeper
of the court prison acts as a sort of pub
lie inquisitor. 1t is bis business to be
acquainted to some extent with the
prisoner, with his family relations, his
employment and income, his manner of
life, and his criminal record. This looks
| like great undertaking In city like
London; but the majority of prisoners
here are the same old ''rounders," just as
they are in New York, so it is compare
lively easy to know them.
Another important person is the court
missionary. His work is to reconcile
quarreling husbands and wives, to find
suita BILE homes for boys and girls, and to
straighten out as many police tangles as
he can. The assistant jailer tells the
court In each case what he knows about
the prisoner, and his opinion naturally
carries considerable weight, for he tells
not only facts that he has ascer-
tanned, but the probabilities of mans
keeping sober, of his taking care
of his family, of his procuring work,
and so on; but the court missionary goes
step further than this and advises the
court, always in the most diplomatic man
ner, as to what disposition should be
made of prisoner-not always, of
course, but in some cases. In one case
that saw the Judge was evidently in
clIned to be very lenient with prisoner,
but hardly saw how he could satisfy the
demands of justice and still let the man
90; and the court missionary stepped in
with a suggestion that made matters easy
There we're no important cases in my
morning at the Bow. street court, but
such small ones as offered served better,
, perhaps, to show the ordinary mode of
procedure. A young woman, for in
, stance, was put into The dock on some
= vague and trifing charge-I could not
3 make out precisely what it was. No
witnesses were called, but the assistant
D taller told what he knew about her, Civ
, ing her, thought, as good character
} as he could. Then the Judge asked her a
} few questions, and she said that she
worked for milliner, and handed up the
/ milliner's card, whereupon the Judge and
some Others smiled, indicating that her
, interests were in other lines than the mil
linery trade.
twin you keep off the streets in future
If let you go?" the Judge asked.
mo, sir" said the girl; and that, of
course, raised laugh, without bringing
on the blood-curdling New York court
cry of HSilence in courti"
n But it was merely misunderstanding
The jailer explained the question, and
the girl readily promised.
'sDischarged, said the Judge, and in q
minute she was shedding tears Of joy
oyer two or three women who had been
waiting for her and priest who had
Teen trying to reform her.
Then came two street arabs, both I'M
der 16, according to their statement, a
statement that would be remarkable in
New York, where every arrested boy
makes himself out past Is to avoid the
House Of Refuge. One had been steal