The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-12-10
HELD IN CHECK.
,I-DGE sPEER RESTRAINED SOME
OF THEIR PRACTICES.

.foonshine Witnesses Had Brought
uoonshihe whisky to the City and
she Court and Were Accustomed
10 RegaIe Themselves with 1t in
the witness Rooms and COrridOrs
they Also Exhibited a Distressing
Fondness for Mean Cigars and
worse Observation-Disclosures That
qbey Chewed as Wen as Smoked.
Judge Speer's Order in Regard to
These Infractions of Decorum.
There were some droll and amusing in
clients connected with the recent session
Of he United States Courts, as we'll as
serious ones. For several days of the ses-
sion the witness rooms and corridors of
the third floor of the building were crowd
- with witnesses from the interior of
the state drawn to the city, because of
alleged violations of the internal revenue
and other federal statutes.
These witnesses, of course, had little
conreption of the dignity of the court, and
Of the decency and decorum they were ex-
nected and required to preserve while they
were in attendance as witnesses. They
would wander through the various rooms
in the most careless and Independent man.
nsr imaginable, and in the course of few
hours would manage to commit infrac-
tions of about every rule that the court
had laid down for their guidance and di-
Fecton.
One of the amusing features was the
large amount of apparently moonshine
vbiskev that some of the witnesses
against the moonshiners had brought
along. and that they freely exhibited while
the court was in session.. The whiskey
thev had bore every outward and visible
sign of being Of the straight moonshine
variety. and those who partook of it were
soon giving evidence OF It's strong and viz
lie qualities.
The country witnesses had other meth
obs Of making themselves dsa greeable to
the court its officers and to others of less
uncultivated tastes. They brought along
with them a quantity of country cigars
and homemade tobacco, that they pro-
ceeded to consume in the corridors, to the
intense disgust of every one who caught
O whiff Of the odors thus created. The
Witnesses chewed tobacco with as much
freedom as they smoked it, and the evil
dences of their fondness for this form of
Indulgence in the weed were soon made
10 appear on the floors and the walls of
the Court House. Empty bottles and
other evidences of what had been transpir-
ing began 20 make a somewhat frequent
appearance in the corridors and the ad-
joining rooms and the witnesses were told
of their delnquencies with less and less eff
feet upon their behavior. Some times the
bottles were broken and their presence.
in consequence, even more disagreeable
than it would otherwise have been.
The amusing side became lost in a hos
of other and more serious considerations,
when it became apparent to Judge Speer
that the practices complained of We're con-
ducive to disorder and that the remon-
strances of his officers and bailiffs to the
offending witnesses were rapidly becoming
of less and less avail. 1t was this con-
sderadon that induced the passage of the
following order by the court:
1T being apparent to the court that the
practice of smoking tobacco and cigars
and splitting on the floor and walls in the
offices and rooms and corridors, and drink
ing intoxicating liquor on the floor SET
apart for the District Court is befouling
to the air in the court room, chambers and
halls, injurious to health, contributes to
disorder, makes the building uncleanly and
unit to large extent for the purpose
for which it is designed and set apart. ii
is ordered by the court that smoking or
splitting on the floors or walls and drink
ing intoxicating liquors and bringing liq-
uor in any quantity on said floor for such
purpose is prohibited. Ordered, further,
that the marshal and each and every Off
Ger of his force is directed to admonish all
persons offending against this rule, and
in case obedience thereto is refused to i'm
modiately arrest the offender and bring
him before the court for its suitable ac-
ton"
The effect of the order became at once
apparent There was a rapid decrease in
me Objectionable practices that had been
brought to the attention of the court and
eomical look of misery and increased
responsibility on the faces of some of the
witnesses. Most of them began to bear
themselves with soldierly greatness and to
cease lolEng on the desks and wiping their
1eet on the sides of the walls, things that
mad been their almost constant practice
before the passage of the order. 1t needs
nut a look into the face of the presiding
Judge to become assured that he means
JUST exactly what he said and of this the
oHendlng witnesses were soon convinced.
Ihere was prompt evidence that they de-
teImlned to sin no more.