The Washington times., 1902-12-07


That's all we want TO hear from YOU"
was the quick and stern interruption.
Three hundred dollars or six months.
step down; 1 don't want to hear any
more
Humanity as It Is.
While the daily routine Of the Police
Court has it's pathetic incidents. scenes
which would touch even the most hard
hearted. the majority OF the cases which
are brought to it for settlement are at
least highly amusing. and often ridicH-
lous in the extreme. One OF the priEci-
pal features Of the court is the charao-
ters which haunt it from day to day.
Many Of them are old stagers and know
everybody and every rule about the
place. These people are usually the
coIored men 5za women who pass their
time in a continual state Of intoxicated
bliss. or have friends who have a per-
pctual tale Of woe and spend their days
and nights. week in and week out. in the
workhouse.
There is the old cOlO,ed nanny
whose corpuIence makes her Of general
interest to the spectators. and who as
cends the winding stairway in front OF
the old building step by step, putting
and blowing. and lamenting the fate
that brings her here almost daily as a
witness in the case Of some Of her
friends who have "scrappy" proclivides
or are overload Of the cup that cheers.
Then there is ;he bad Niger" type,
the very. very black girls clad in an as
sortment Of cast-on garments Of all sea-
sons and Of all conceivable colors and
textures. She is always the individual
who shambles along with the proverbiaI
Bowery gait, with her digits tightly
elinched as though always on the look
out for an active campaign, and a surIy,
'low-down" expression in her shifty
eyes and broad, contOrted mouth that
seems 20 be a standing invitation to a
hstic encounter. She sulks about The
corridors Of the court or lounges upon
the benches in the room. ever on the
lookout for trouble. and with her tongue
continually twisted into shape Cor a
wordy and blasphemous encounter with
some similar specimen OF humanity or =
person vested with authority
Disciples of Blackstone.
The tall. heayy-set lawyer. with the
abnormally red face and lantern Jaws.
and who smokes the largest and blackest
cigars on the HiaIto is also one Of the
sights OF the court. He wears usually a
broad black felt hat jammed tightly
down over his eyes. and pushes and
jostles his way about among the crowds
in search Of possible clients. In his own
estimation be is thing OF beauty and
a joy forever" He is undoubtedly the
most important person about the entire
establishment with the possible excep-
uon Of the jolly blue-coated bailin sta
toned at the outer portals
The tail. more or less distinguished
looking colored lawyer. with his faultless
frock coat and patent leather shoes. IS
another Of the celebrities Of the famous
old building. In winter he WARS a tall,
shiny silk beaver. in summer his head
gear is rather yellow and out-of-date
straw hat with brim that is rather dis
posed to curl upward around the edges
in truly remarkable manner. He also
has a boundless conception Of his own
merit and Importance.
Altogether the commonplace but never
theless interesting process of getting into
the jug" and getting out OF it again Is
frought with considerable curiosity for
those who have never experienced the or
deal. and casual visit to Washingtons
Police Court furnishes substance 5or
more than ordinary diversion and IN
teIest