Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1902-01-16
THE DIGNITY OF THE LAW.
A Little Mercy Not Inconsistent-An
Indiana Court Scene.

-
Indiana Court Scene.
and against the peace and dig
nifty of the United States" said the
| district attorney, as he folded up the
grand jury indictment and looked at
| the prisoner at the bar of the United
States court. "Are you guilty or not
guilty?"
I'm guilty. said the prisoner, with
tremulous voice.
"He says he's guilty, your honor"
said the district attorney.
Half a dozen steps back of the
prisoner sat his wife, with a hand
kerchief to her eyes, while the baby
on her lap pulled gently at the bit Of
linen and looked up at the black
feathers on the mothers hat The
enough to be leaving high school, and
the mother was no older The pris-
oner had stolen $40 from a postoffice
till and admitted the theft. Two or
three of his friends told how the
father had, as soon as he was old
enough to earn dollar, been cast up
on his own resources-had begun a
battle single handed against a bleak
old world; how he fought his way
along by honest effort, studying as he
toiled how he shouldered d rifle and
went to the Spanish war to fight for
the government whose dignity he
afterward assailed He had passed
the civil service examination of this
same government that he might serve
it further, and at the same time serve
his wife, his baby and himself But
he had been tempted, had fallen, and
here he was facing the stern realities
of a United States court.
From the high oak bench the gray
| haired judge looked down on the
| prisoner, the mother and the baby.
About the bench were arrayed the
| governments attorneys, it's secret
service agents and it's postoffice in
spectors, who stood like a wall sup
| porting the court and the peace and
dignity of the government they repre-.
| sented. The judge was old enough to
be the prisoners father. He had
| plenty Of men to stand by him-but
who was going to stand by the baby
whose father was in the grasp Of the
| court and whose mother had her eyes
| buried in her handkerchief? Who was
there to stand by the baby but the
gray haired Judge? The prisoner had
ruffed the peace and dignity of his
country, but what was the country
doing when it dragged the young
father into court because of few dol
lars and placed an ugly stain on the
baby's life?
But the baby's thoughts-if it had
anywhere far from these things. II
rolled it's hands into fat balls, dug
them into it's dark, sleepy eyes and
yaWned impolitely, as if tired of the
government, tired of the court and
tired of waiting for the United States
to do something. Then the baby
/ slipped down to the floor from its
mothers lap, seized the polished leg
Of an oak table in both arms. looked
up at the warm glow from a bunch OF
electric bulbs, and seemed not to care
whether there was any United States
! or whether it had a peace and dignity,
/ The baby's eyes looked at the high
bench where the judge, upholding the
| authority of his government. was
about to deal out justice to one of his
young countrymen. The baby stead
| led its uncertain feet, a frown gath
cred in its forehead, and. with ewes
| still On the gray haired man, it's COO
| became a scold. A deputy alshaI
! watched the baby, heard it scolG >he
| court, and laughed.
The voice Of the prisoner wavered.
Il don't know why I took the money
| he said. Il was looking for some gov
eminent papers and opened a drawer
to get them. There was money inside
! and took half dollar l had no
| money before l took it and 1 firmly in
| tended to return the SO cents. The
next time l took more, and next time
more, and I never put any of it back"
! The man on the bench saw the baby
clinging to the polished table leg with
both arms and there was a kindly
note in his voice as he said
81 sometimes think the government