The Indianapolis journal., 1902-08-05
lOlICE RECORD BROKEN
AN UNUSUAL NUMBER OF CASES BE-
FORE JUDGE STUBS.
All Kinds and Conditions of People i'm
the Courtroom-Cases i'm the
County Courts.

Yesterday was the biggest day in Police
Court in the annals of the department. Be
tween o'clock in the morning and in the
afternoon there were 12S cases dispatched.
Long before court opened a crowd of fully
500 people filed the hall. stairway and
courtroom OF the city prison building.
These were made up of prisoners out on
bond. police in citizens clothes called as
witnesses, friends of defendants and all
-orts ana conditions of men, In secluded
spots of the corridor men and women were
gathered in groups negotiating with at
torneys for their defense In all the cases
il seemed TO be the chief effort of these
lawyers ito extricate fees in advance and
some OF them who had no money offered
little personal ornaments in security for
future promised payments. One negro who
was negotiating with a well-known Police
Court attorney. was asked if he had any
jewelry. He pulled out huge key-winding
silver watch, which he claimed had former
ly been the property of William Jennings
Bryan. but the attorney refused it with the
statement that he already had a large stock
of that kind on hand.
MINOR OFFENSES.
Nearly all the cases were lettering.
drunks and assault and battery. The first
cases dispatched were a small detachment
of Coxey army veterans. They all filed into
court though they had been there before
and knew the workings of the institution.
Some of them even said Good morning"
pleasantly to Judge Stubs and Prosecutor
Collins All pleaded guilty of being drunk
and were sentenced to the works" One
old man whose upper teeth were all out his
lips retreating until the point of his chin
and nose nearly touched, asked the court
for permission to make a statement, and
said:
You see it was this way, judge 1 am
paralyzed in one side and 1 took just one
drink of whisky from this gentleman sittin'
beside of me and it was so strong it made
me drunk"
I'm other words, suggested Prosecutor
Collins, you are paralyzed in one side and
you took drink of that gents whisky and
it made you paralyzed in the other side.
An old man prayed for time to get his
pension voucher signed. One negro who
had the appearance of being Industrious
was released on account of il being his first
oftense. AS he got down off the high wit
ness chair he turned to the court and said:
I'm vehy much obliged to you jedge; l
want to congratulate you vehy kindly on
turnin' me loose" And merriment reigned
a
David and Charles Stranger and a young
man by the name of Sanders were brought
up, charged with a Sunday afternoon melee
in boarding house OF Mrs Madison near
the Atlas works. Mrs. David Stranger,
who was placed on the stand, said:
1T was this way. l live just across the
street and when went over to the grocery
TO get me 10 cents worth of pork chops
stopped al the door and inquired for Mrs.
Madison. Sanders and his girl was in the
front room. Mrs. Stranger then repeated
( hn r-aA fVr.VR h. rf
young Sanders, which, judging from her
testimony, was sufficient to stop a printing
press. Who was there at the timer" asked
her attorney.
"Why, there wasn't nobody, except me
and him and the girl what was sittin' on
his lap"
1t seems that Mrs. Stranger Informed her
husband. who Immediately started out and
melee ensued. He was given s25 fine.
John Bartlett, colored, charged with
chasing off his wife's boarders A butcher
knife was offered in evidence that was as
big as a handsaw. Mrs. Bartlett appeared
against her husband. huge dog collar
belt enclrcled her waist, which was of i'm
| mense rotundity. She was evidently dis
gusted with the whole proceedings, for she
gave her testimony with her upper lip
curled. her head at one side and tanning
herself with large palm leaf fan.
USED A FENCE PICKET.
James Cooksey, a night watchman, was
| brought in charged with hitting Patrick
DdNlOu over the Hedu WlIn a renee picket.
| AS Patrick took the stand he looked the
| part for his head was tied up with sur
| geon's bandages.
| Timmy Nurse, James Tracy, Tom Ma
| honey and William Constant were charged
| with fighting at a dance at Lyra Hall on
| South Meridian street. The gang, ii ap-
| pears, had beaten a Merchant policeman
| and William Byers. They were all fined
except Timmy Nurse.
| The most unique case was that of three
| girls, Jennie Durand, Grace Casey and Alice
| Bracket. They were charged with stealing
| corn silk. This caused much wonderment
| in the audience until it was learned that
| they sold 1t TO chemical manufactors for
| making MaiZo-Lithium, a medicine pre-
| scribed by physicians eliminating acid in
| the blood. In procuring the corn silk they
| had ruined stand of corn over in a field
| near Haughville which represented over
| 300 bushels. The girls in their raiment
| and carriage appeared like the chorus of
| one of Steve Brodie's shows representing
| life on Pen street. One of them, quite
| pretty, had made pathetic effort to adorn
| herself. A strip of coarse wooden goods
| served as band around her sailor hat A
| large piece of pink mosquito netting was
| draped veil-like around the brim. photo
| button of young man whose hair reached
| down over his forehead served as a breast
| pin. The cases were all continued till