The herald., 1898-12-28
CHRISTMAS GIFTS
RENDERED TO CITY PRISONERS
JUDGE MORRISON
Some Vags Received Six-Monrh
Floaters While Others Got
Straight Sentences

Although it was forty ht-hours alter the
25th, Police Judge Morrison was busy yes
terday dispensing Christmas presents to a
full docket of prisoners. The usual holiday
crowd was up for trial, and it was composed
of varied assortment of humanity. The
offenses charged against them ranged from
grand larceny to plain drunkenness, and the
presents received varied from arrangement
on felony charge to liberty.
There was a solid phalanx OF sixty new
cases in court, and the judge dispensed JUS
tice with the speed of Maxim rapid-tire
gun. Judge Morrison had extended the
courtesy to G.. o. Morgan, his successor, by
inviting him to occupy a seat on the bench
during the disposition Of the cases. Police
Judge elect H. G. Austin was also present
during the trial of some of the cases, also
getting line on justice as 1t has been
dispensed for the past two years. Out OF the
sixty cases, twenty-elght were tor vagrancy
and begging, fourteen for drunkenness and
the balance for disturbing the peace, bat
terry, petty larceny and burglary
About the first batch to receive the atten-
ton of the court was crowd who answered
to the names of Tom Simpson, William
DOYLE, Dan Mccarthy, John Martin, John
Bradley, Frank Thompson and James White.
The outfit was composed of the regulation
type of professional hobo, who had not done
stroke of work since he left home years
ago. The officers had caught the crowd IN
the rear room of saloon and run them in
on charges of vagrancy. All were old Of
tenders and had been ground by the mills
of Justice before. They entered pleas of
guilty and were given six-months foaters.
Each of them hurried from the docket on
bee-line to get out of town by 5 o'clock, when
the commitments were to be served.
Clarence Collins" called the court, and
meek looking individual with a bum
lamp" arose from the crowd of ragged coats
and Shaggy heads. Collins was accused of
having on the 26th day Of December solicited
aims and being then and there a vagrant.
Guilty, your honor murmured Collins, in
q whisper. Clarence wanted to make state
ment, though, in fact, they all did. He had
lust come into town and, like the rest, had
gone broke. He had been under the painful
necessity of eating, and in his search for aid
had mistaken Police Officer Richardson,
dressed in a suit of new clothes, for a
philanthropist, and struck him for money.
The officer gave him no money, but kindly
furnished him with lodging in the city po-
lice station As he stood with a sad, far
away look in his eyes, Clarence seemed as
meek as Moses might have appeared in hard
luck. The court gave Clarence sixty-day
hoater, and the animation which he
displayed in leaving the dock was an in
spiraton.
Charles Bostwick was called next, but
Charles had been lost in the shuttle and
could not be found in the dock. Police
Officer J. NJ Barker had arrested Bostwick
and left the court room to search for the
man in the city Jail
James Sweeny was next charged with hav-
ing solicited aims. Sweeney promptly
pleaded guilty, but showed an inclination
to make statement He said he was a
glassblower by trade, but his recent occupa-