The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1901-07-23
A SUMNER DAYS
Aired Before Alderman Jones' Ole
Pratt's Fun Objected to by George
Pierce, His Victim-Trouble Over
Two Scent Chunks Of Ice-A Heap
of "Cool" Talk Before the Alder
man Settles the Difficulty.

There were two cases before Alder
man Jones yesterday, which offered
enough amusement to make one forget
for "a while that 1t was really warm.
The first one was what you might
call funny assault and battery case.
That's where the trouble seemed to lie,
one of the parties had what he thought
was fun: he had so much of 1t all to
himself that to square matters his VIC
tim sought redress in the law.
ole Platt, an employe at Emery
Leo's livery, was the man who seemed
to have all of the fun. George Pierce
was the man who objected. Pierce's
work brings him to Lees livery, and
on several occasions Platt would lay
hold of the formers hat and push 1t
down over his eyes. He would vary
this performance by smashing Pierce's
hat or knock 1t around until it looked
like the one I'm the hat repairer's illus
tration of "before" and after" On
another occasion Plat would have
some fun by pulling off the rim of the
hat, and again the sweat band would
be ripped off. Pierce couldn't see any
fun in this sort Of fun. 1t might be
fun for the other fellow, but IL wasn't
ance of the funny business cost him
$3.50 the price of his hats. Pierce also
said he was handled roughly by Platt
during the latter's funny streaks, and
altogether there was sufficient, he
thought, to make out a case of assault
and battery.
Plat, who looks as funny as he
seemed to be in these instances, made
No IoV, i,I Nf 3 he y,I,at ha Il
| man held him in 5000 bail. Abe Sahm
| furnished the security.
How would you like to be the ice
man. would be a pertinent Ques-
| ton during the hearing of the second
case. 1t was an ice case, that is, there
was enough said about ice to make
| you feel just a bit cool notwithstand-
| ing the Scranton weather mans heat
waves from over Vancouver way.
1t seems that Mrs. j. f. Peterson,
of the lower part of town, bought a
| chunk of ice from the iceman yester-
| day morning. The iceman was ppu-
| lar in that vicinity, for "A Mrs. Ward
bought another chunk of coldness; also
two other neighbors. The four pieces
were placed on the sidewalk. Young
| Peterson, son of the prosecutor went
| loI an express wagon 10 cart MS
mothers purchase home, but when he
returned the piece that he had selected
was gone and on tracing it it was
found in the Ward home. Mrs. Peter.
| son got her five cents worth and start.
ed home, but was met at the gate by
| William Ward, who, she says, struck
her. Hence the charge OF assault and
| battery.
This is the Peterson version of the
trouble. The Ward family gave it an
| other color. Mrs. Ward said she didn''
take the piece of ice that belonged e
| Mrs. Peterson. The blocks of friglditS
were placed on the sidewalk, with none
of them for any particular party. /
was case of you pays your price anC
! takes your choice" Ward, the de
fcndant, contributed his part of tn,
story, which was that he didn't strik,
Mrs. Peterson, only pushed her aside
and that young Peterson called him {
name, a couple of them, that he wa
certain wasn't taught him in his sun
day school class.
After all the talk about ice, the al
derman seemed somewhat refreshed
and was able to give his decision with
out hopping his forehead or face. a
he had been doing all morning. He hel,
| Ward in bail to answer al court, an,
released him on his furnishing secur
| ity.