The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-09-28
YOU SEE IT ON Thu TAB, BUT
HOU FhEQU ENTITY HAVE ANOTHER
GUESS AS TO WHAT THE
TRUTH Is
Eccentric Methods of Notation in the
Police Court Sometimes Make If
Difficult to Tell Whether the Pris-
Oner Was Guilty or Not.

Some jugglery with the records
Of the municipal court, or what appears
SO to be, has been disclosed recentlv in
the disposition Of three cases. In two
OF the cases, the records show that the
accused individuals have pleaded guilty.
to the offense charged, and yet have peen
discharged without a penalty while in
the third case, after the matter had been
disposed of in court and the record seem
1Hgly completed, the guilty person was
rot required to pay the penalty inflicted
ana was at the same time released with
out security, pending the reopening Of
the case.
In the first instance Joha e. Davis ap-
peared before the court Tuesday, charg-
eel WITH drunkenness and with disor1 .r1y
conduct. The record shows that Davis
pleaded guilty to the charge of drunken
ness and was fined $40, with the option
Of spending ten days in the workhouse.
lie neither paid the fine nor went to the
workhouse. Instead the item Of the rec
ord showing the amount of the fine in
ftcted has been crossed off with ink
marks and opposite Davis name appears
the words stricken from the calendar"
The record shows, also, that Davis plead
ed not guilty to the charge Of disorderly
COnQuCL, Wn1IG THIS is also marked 'Str1Ck-
en- from the calendar
The only explanation obtainable about
tie court as to this peculiar disposition
of the case is to the effect that after Da-
Wis had pleaded guilty and had been
fined, a well known saloonkeeper had a
consultation with the court and that the
case was ordered stricken from the cal
endar." Davis, it is claimed, had up SIS
bail money, which, 1t is said, belonged
to the saloonkeeper, and when the fine
was inflicted the money was to have been
taken from this bail fund, but the saloon
nan objected to paying the fine, it is
said, and so the only way out Of the di-
lemma was to wipe the case from the rec
ords, notwithstanding that Davis had &C
kncwledged guilt for the offense charged.
In the case of Maud Ryberg, arrested
upon a warrant sworn out by her nus
band, charging her with visiting house
of i'll repute, the young woman was taken
into court and pleaded guilty to the
charge. A fine of $25 was imposed, or
thirty days at the workhouse, in case
the fine was not paid. But the young
woman neither paid the fine nor went to
the Workhouse. On the contrary, she is
NOT IN. custody at all, nor is there any
known security for her appearance, yet
she has pleaded guilty TO an oHense ana
sentence has been passed upon her by the
court. The case is still on the record
however, having been continued from
Tuesday to yesterday and then another
continuance granted until today But m
stead of the plea Of guilty entered by the
defendant, when first arraigned, the plea
of mot guilty" now appears opposite her
name on the court tab. Meantime MT.
Ryberg is endeavoring to ascert ain wheth-
err his wife is III custody, at the work
to,,eo ar if she has returned to the re-
eort from which he sought to have the
law aid him in rescuing her.
The third case came up yesterday when
Peter ]. Vogel was arraigned on the
cbaroa of refusing to assist an officer
who called upon him to help make an ar
rest The arrest grew out of a row pc
tween Detective Campbell and several
r,oeseneers on an interurban car last Sun
iav. One of the parties was arrested and
flied $40 on the charge of dFqnk4 IN tbs
o,,oroe made against him, but again
.strieken from the calendar" appears op-
nosite his name on the court tab.