Sunday morning globe., 1901-12-01

I
man or woman Is found in the dock in
the District branch, he or she rs re sard-
ca as guilty until they prove them
| selves innocent, 1t is well known that
the police officers patrol their beats
at night in pairs, and the word Of two
| guardians of the peace Is i'm almost
every instance taken In preference to
| that Of the defendant, although the lat
| ter may have at least one witness to
corroborate his statement. "The Off
| GERS say you did it," the court remarks,
and the sentence usually follows.
Among a large class of people in the
District there is an intense aversion
to appearing in either branch Of the
| Police Court, even as witnesses, and
this is in part owing to the reputation
in the community the court has
achieyqi Of being a travesty on justice.
Remarks are made by lawyers (there
are a few exceptions, however,, to
witnesses impugning their character,
and insinuations are thrown out init
mating that they are guilty Of crimes
offensive to the moral sense of the COM
munity. Even the presiding Judge has
been known to speak in manner. ap-
parently intended to provoke laughter,
and when the audience did laugh he
would lecture them for so doing and
| threaten to clear the court room II the
alleged offense was repeated
BY far the largest number Of arrests
made, especially on Saturday night are
for being drunk on the street, and on
Monday. unless the party has been able
to put up collateral, he or she faces the
court from the dock After the testi-
mOny for the prosecution is all in the
! Judge asks the accused what he has to
say. He is very apt, IL he was drunk,
TO admit the charge candidly because
| be probably thinks 1t will be taken
! by Judge Kimball as an excuse, and
he will be released and permi tied to go
to his work II he has any. Poor de-
! luded creature. Judge Kimball has
stated on numerous occasions that the
man who takes one glass Of liquor Is
under the influence Of liquor, and for
| tunate, indeed, will the offender be II
he is not sentenced to pay a fine Of s.
or in default Of payment he must serve
fifteen days In the workhouse. To get
! drunk. play crap or sell liquor are
! seemingly regarded by the presiding
! Judge of the District branch Of the
! Police Court as the most heinOus Of
! fenses in the calendar and the con-
victed party is very apt to receive the
full penalty of the law 1t is rather re-
markable but the assertion was made
not long ago by Judge Kimball him
self that the worst place for crap play
ing in the city was i'm the alley in the
rear Of his own residence.
And woe be the man or woman who
is convicted Of keeping a "speak-easy,
or as it is known in law. an unlicens.
ed bar. In every case the fine is al.
ways from $3.50 up, and may be $500.
Among the many amusing incidents
which occur in the Police Court, there
was one not long ago which brought
down the house" A negro as black as
the "ace Of spades" was on trial in
the United States branch for alleged
assault. II was plain to be seen from
even the evidence for the government
that the man was not guilty. The
prosecuting attorney showed by his
manner that he wanted the man re
leased and yet he hesitated to recon
mend this course to the court Turn
ing to the audience he said;
Isn't there some one who can speak
a good word for this mann
Yes, sir; / cam said a tall black
woman in the back of the room.
In response to his request to come
forward, the woman did so, when the
attorney said
What do you know about this
man"
why, sir, he is a lovely kyrcter
and he has been 'constipated' for the
last five years" Consecrated she
meant, instead Of the word she used.
Two women from Anacostia were in
court, one charging the other with us
ing profane or as she called it "in
famed" language.
What did she say to you, the judge
asked the prosecuting witness.
"Oh, judge, II was something terri
Bile. don't like to repeat It,"
But | must know before l can de
eide the case"
well, Judge, I don't like to repeat
what she said, but If l must tell you
| Will, and what do you think she said
4 look like an old black bear"
The funny part Of the thing was the
face Of the aggrieved woman more
nearly resembled that Of bear than OF
a human being.
On another occasion one woman
charged another with cursing her. In
reply to questions from the Judge, she
said the offender had said she used
snuff.
It sometimes happens that a woman
gets to the dock before she finds any
one who is willing to extend to her
sympathy or a kindly hand to help her
along, not to say do better morally,
for she may not have strayed from the
path Of virture, and a notable instance
Of this occurred in Judge Kimballs
court.
A married woman OF refined appear.
ance was charged with malicious de-
struction Of private property. She had
gone to a saloon on Pennsylvania
avenue where her husband was employ
ed as a barkeeper. He had abandoned
her for, 1t was said, another woman,
and she went to the place to try TO In.
duce him to return to her.
As she went in the front door he
beat a hasty retreat AS he went
through a door over which there was a