The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1900-01-21

years to serve" a." said a New York
man, tempered with an automatic ballot
machine, and for the next five years l
snaI labor for the benefit of the state. ="
H. said another New Yorker, was call
ing on friend in the upper story Of a
skYscraper and / ventured to drop some
of my advertising circulars down the let
ter-chute. Unfortunately I had forgotten
TO address them. So l got five days"
a., said q New tJersey man, bitterly
did not drop my advertisement into
ietter-chute; l wish l had. l made the
mistake of putting it up on the Palisades,
and / am sentenced to three years for
dlshguring the landscape" AS to adVer-
Using said lawyer from Washington,
Il ventured to solicit divorce business by
an advertisement in newspaper, and
now L shall read my newspapers in jail
for the next six months Il can go you
one better" said Pennsylvania criminal
Il thought it would be a compliment to
my country to print my advertisement
on a picture of the American flag. The
court thought differently, and l am IN
seclusion for six months" You ought
to live in South Dakota" said a bystand-
er. Il did the same thing, and / got off
with a S. fine But be thankful you
do not live in North Dakota said an
other criminal. Il venmred to organize
crust / thought | might promote trade
years in which to reflect upon my con-
duct"
a." said a Wisconsin man. "sod some
impure ice. and / shall spend the winter
i'm the county Jail" s'Well, you have my
company" said Wisconsin baker. II
ventured to sleep in my bakery. My first
offense cost me $50 a night, which ate up
all the profits. The second offense cost me
500 a night, which was stll more disas-
trous. For the third offense l had 10 pay
$3.50 night. And now. to even things up
l am lodging six months in Jail al the ex-
pense of the state" 1T all happens in
the course of business" said a Michigan
der, II thought it was all right to buy
an empty beer bottle stamped with the
brewers name. My mistake costs me nine
~ days in jail'' You got off easily"
said a Florida man; for l got a year for
smashing bottle similar to the one you
bought" well, be thankful you don't
keep a boarding house in Virginia. l fail
ed to put up a sign which the law said
must be in large Roman letters not less
than one inch square, saying, Imitation
butter used here and now l am a JAIL
boarder myself for six months" In Vir-
ginia they use the letter of the Roman
law But what would Justinian say of it's
spirit.
Perhaps. to close the interview, which
might go on almost indefinitely, we can
imagine two prisoners from Tennessee
saying: well. you are all low-grade
criminals. You are nothing but INSIDE
meanants; we have the honor to be fell
ons. You are perhaps murderers." said
Draco, his face Frightening a the thought
of some crime with which he was famil-
lar. Yes, we are both murderers l MUIR
dered some fish with dynamite-a Greek
word. you know-and am i'm for three
years. And my friend here murdered some
trees without the consent of the owner and
he also is in for three years"
Would Draco think the world had grown
better or that it had grown worse, and
would he note it as an occasion for mod
ern thanksgiving that the Americans live
under milder laws?