The record-union., 1899-01-04
ROSSERS JAILED
DRUNKEN BRUTEs PUNISHED
BY JUSTICE DAVIS.
William sperry Almost Kills q
Woman and Antoine Bury
Beats q Man.

William SpeTfy ALMOST AAAAAs g
| Woman and Antoine Bury
Beats q Man.
If City Justice Davis had been the
/ jury in the Rosser case it is probable
that the young soldier would have been
sentenced to be hanged, if the action
in the cases of two embryonic Rossers
who were before him yesterday morn
! ing is any criterion.
The first case was that of Antoine
Bury, who has often been arrested for
drunkenness He was charged with
battery yesterday and the evidence or
Photographer Frye was that Bury, who
is a slender, dark-eyed fellow of ath-
lethic build, suddenly appeared at his
gallery and raised a great disturbance,
which ended in the assault in question
| This was on Monday.
HE came to me and asked me who
ran the gallery said Mr.. Frye, who is
quite an aged man. st told him I was
the owner of the gallery, after which
he said that was a liar, and then be-
| gan to beat me with his fists. He
knocked me down and cursed me,
|
did not offer to fight him, for I was
lucky to get out as we'll as did, and to
get my hat back
Bury, who had already pleaded gull
ty, asked to be allowed to make an ex-
! PLANTATION. In a soft voice, and with
much modesty. he said: ''Your honor,
I have no recollection of what this gen.
tleman says. I had been drinking, and
I do not like to dispute his word. I
suppose what he says is true, but I as
sure you that I do not remember what
happened as was very drunk"
Judge Davis-You have been here
several times for similar offenses.
am unable to say whether you are in
your right mind all the time or not,
but it is evident that you have no bust
ness ever to take drink of liquor. You
might have killed this man, and I do
| not propose to take any such excuse
as drunkenness again. I have been
lenient with you once or twice because
you made the excuse Of drunkenness.
| 1t will not go this time so I shall be
compelled to fine you $50 or give you
fifty days in the County Jail. I have
| no patience with the plea of drunken
ness. IF you are insane the Lunacy
Commissioners should look after you
but as you were merely insanely drunk
| the court will attend to this case.
A WOMAN BEATER.
The next case was far more aggra-
waited one-that. against a typical va
grant and tough named William Sper-
ry, fellow of some % years. Sperry
almost killed Pearl Miner, an unfor-
tunate woman with whom he was liv-
ing at room 60, International Hotel. She
was in court to testify against him,
| and her evidence was corroborated by
| that of Landlord Sweeney and others,
who heard the disturbance
Sperry has bad pair of treacherous
black eyes, and he testified that he had
no recollection of anything that he had
done, as he was very drunk at the
| time.
The woman swore that he knocked
her down and kicked her in the face
and about the body. She then tainted
| and remembered no more until she
| awoke and found the room filled with
people and officers. She was in a pool
of blood, which had stained her blond
ined hair: her teeth were kicked out,
her face was beaten into an almost I'M
| recognizable mass; and the drunken
brute whose blows felled her was found
growing and glowering over the pros
! trate form of the defenseless and in
sensible woman when the door was
forced and victim and bully We're found
| locked in the same room.
| Mrs. Ronecke a neighbor of the I'M
| fortunate woman, first heard the noise.
| She notified the landlord, and he hur-
ried to the room-perhaps in time to
| prevent a murder. He held the wretch
| and called a patrol wagon. Officers
Dolan and Talbot swore that Sperry
| was known to them as recent arrival,
| whose habits were bad. They often
saw him at late and unusual hours in
| the company of 1eWd women and
| worthless men, They knew that he
lived with the complaining witness on
L street. and that he had no visible
means of support. When they arrested
| him he admitted that he had no legiti-
mate business, and that he lived with
| the woman.
The defendant swore that he was
piano player in saloons, and that he
had been unable to get work in Sacra-
| mento.
After this evidence he explained that
he was drinking, and that he knew
nothing of the events that had been
sworn to by the witnesses He thought
he was asleep, and that the woman
| first hit him in the face. He waived
objections and said he wanted to know
his fate at once. sss
stand up, SIR" said Justice Davis,
''and I shall sentence you with pleas
ure, and with regrets that the law lin
| it's me-
The hard faced defendant, with sullen
countenance and a revengeful glance
at the bruised woman who sat opposite
| him, arose and brazenly faced the court
| Il find you guilty of both charges
| said the Judge, land / regret very
much that the law does not give me au-
punishment than I am able to admins.
ter this morning. On the unprovoked,
cowardly and most revolving charge of
| battery, which might have ended in
murder but for the Intervention of
others, / sentence you to six months in
the County Jail. You lived on the
earnings of this unfortunate creature.
| whose testimony shows that she fol-
| lows shameful and illegitimate bust
ness. and you stung the hand that fed
you"
Sperry looked as if he might spring
at the throat of the Judge, but the SEN
tence somewhat took his breath. The
court then proceeded as follows:
You follow business at times, you
CO. ic hr,c; ~