The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1902-06-01
SAD STORY /
THE POLICE COURT
A. K. Bratke Misappropriated
Goods to Save His Wife
from Starving.


thos. in the Police Court pro-
ceedings yesterday. and during the
hearing of the last case even the har-
dened habitucs Of the courtroom, accus-
toned as they are to tales of distress.
accompanied by tears, were deeply NOV.
ed. A. Il. Bratke, foreigner, who
works at the Trigg ship-yardsJ was
charged on four warrants, with dispos-
ing Of goods belonging to the Price Mer-
camille Company and appropriating the
money. His attorneys plead guilty and
asked the court to be merc;ful, as 1t was
the mans first offense.
Brakes story is sad one. He came
here from Newport News and tried to
get work at the ship-yard, but was IN
successful. He then became salesman
for the Price Mercantile Company and
for short while things went we'll with
him and his wife. But he became sick
and his sales fell off and were finally dis
continued. His wife, too, was taken
sick and his board had to be paid he
tried to borrow the sum of five dollars
but was refused. He then had recourse
to those who always lend to the poor
who leave a pledge behind-the paWnbro-
kers. The things he pawned were goods
of the company he represented. ana
they made a queer appearance piled up
before the throne of justice Curtains.
clocks and silverware, described as house
hold furnishings in the warrants Inc
total amount was about two hundred ana
fifty dollars. and on these goods he had
been given the munidcent sum Of TWEEN
ty-one dollars ana some cents
Justice John applauded the hberahty
of the gentlemen who do business under
the sign Of the three balls. There were
a number of these gentlemen present as
witnesses, and the Justice in calling them
to the stand did not bother about calling
names "All the pawnbrokers in the city
stand FORTH" was his mandate.
Bratke told his hard-luck story, his
sickness, his loss of employment, MS
starving wife. He had not the slight
est intention of defrauding any one, ne
declared. He had since gotten employ
ment al the ship-yards and was looking
forward TO the redemption Of the goods
and settling with the company to whom
they belonged.
Harry Glenn, who represented the pro-
secution, asked the Court to be as lenient
as possible, while the prisoner himself
made a pitiful plea for clemency. Few
could doubt the story Of the man whose
chief concern seemed to be for his wife.
With tears in his eyes and his voice bro
ken bv sobs, he SAID it was only to keep
his wife from starving that he had pawn
ed the goods and that he only asked
chance to make the money to repay his
~
employers.
Twelve months in Jail was the sentence
and Justice John said this was the least
he could impose
Charles Williams (colored) shot Heze-
kiall johnson and was sent on 70 tne
grand jury. The scrap happened IN ful-
| ton on the twentieth of the month
Charles said he used his bosses pistol
and was defending himself, but the evil
| dence of the witness was that he pulled
| the weapon from his pocket, and Justlce
John accepted their account of It,
Henry Pittman, a young colored DUCK.
| who was ashamed of being born in North
Carolina and rather proud of having been
| raised in New Jersey, was sent 70 The
grand jury for hitting William Pegram
m the hack of the head with rock. VIII
| iian.s head was not as hard as that of
| most of his race, for the rock was intact,
while the head was much DANA ged
Henry was given dire threats of what
! the i,1ry ought to do to him, and went
| hack to the pen with the remark that ne
| would have used a Winchester IN pre-
| ference to the rock if one had been
handy.
The case Of the Chesapeake and ONO
concerning the removal OF the Elshth-
1 street bridge was continued until June
18TH to give the subcommittee Of the
| Committee on Streets a chance to act
Belle Swartz, whom Lilly Booker (col-
ored) thought was interfering with her
prerogatives as a free, black and twenty
! one rights as a washerwoman. was dls.
| missed. She wanted to give her. SIDE OF
| the story, but Justice John was pusy.
Rosa Johnson (coiored) was accused OF
stealing two blankets from her neNt-dool
| neiehbor. She declared the story to be
! a. plot against her fair name, gotten uI
! out Of pure spite. Dismissed.
Frank Brownr-small and black ano
hailing from Washington. was arrested
as a vagrant He was told to go nome
and seemed glad to go. although MS
ideas as to the whereabouts OF ms nome
| seemed to be indistinct.