The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-07-26
S0UEALS FROM BASEMENT
THEY TELL OF PUNISHMENT IN JU-
yENILE COURT CASES.
Judge stubs Keeps Attorneys Out
and Tries Hard to Reform Way
ward Youngsters.

u
the city prison building yesterday after
noon he would have supposed from the vast
array of well and ornamentally dressed
women-friends, relatives and neighbors of
the cuprits-that it was a matinee piano
recital and they were all waiting for the
first number. The attraction, however. was
six little boys sitting in a row in front of
the judges table. their faces shining from
the recent scrubbing. with soap in their
ears, arrayed in their Sunday suits, as
! though ready for confirmation.
Prosecutor Collins opened proceedings by
calling loudly the names of Harry Duke,
Artie Duke and Eddie House The three
stood up. fumbling their caps, and pleaded
not guilty to a charge of stealing two BUSH
| els of potatoes from a car consigned TO
| Banks. Clark & Co, of Cleveland, o. The
/ judge called for all the witnesses in the
case to rise and be sworn, and he had pro-
| ceeded as far as do you solemnly swear"
when he stopped and requested Artie Duke
to take his finger out of his mouth and Ed
die House to hold up his right hand the
palm of which proved to be covered with
coal tar. After they were sworn proceed
ings were interrupted for a moment by a
tall. gaunt figure of a man wearing several
Prince Albert coat and carrying a huge
cane. He went up to the judges table and
informed the court that he would appear
for Mrs. Duke in behalf of her boys. He
was informed by the judge that no attor-
neys were permitted i'm the court in behalf
of the Juvenile prisoners, as he and Mr..
Collins were neither Furnishing nor prose-
cutting, but merely correcting and directing
/ IF w rd
children and when attorneys appeared in
their defense it Stiffened their neckS and
/ backbone for further degradation. The at
tOrney started 10 argue the point, but he
was directed by the bailiff of the court to
go way back and be seated" Artie Duke
testified in direct way that he had been
informed by Eddie House that the car door
was open He had taken about two pecks
OF potatoes from the ground near by. Ed
die House testified that he had climbed
through the open door of the and Just
at that moment a barrel of potatoes fell
over and lot of them spilled out on the
ground Harry Duke testified that he had
nothing TO do with it, as he was sent out
TO search for his brother and was discov-
cred by the patrolman. Mrs. Duke was
then called TO the stand She said that she
had had no trouble with her boys that they
stood well in school and had never been
arrested before. Harry Duke was released.
Artie Duke, after a kindly, characteristic
little lecture by the Judge was sent to the
basement to be fiogged by his mother in the
/ presence of an officer of the court Eddie
House, whose parents were not present.
and who appeared very surly, was given
over to MatrOn Reisner with directions to
be detained until his father arrived when
| he would be given the same punishment as
his cOmrade Artie Duke. The little process
sion filed out of the room and after the
friends, relatives and neighbors Of that
particular case had departed from the au-
dience the case of Eddie Echels and Buddie
Clark was called, charged with throwing
stones and breaking the windows of a
house on South Noble street An attorney
attempted to appear in behalf of the Clark
boy, but his reception was the same as that
of the other man. officer Haley then took
the stand and placed stone the table
about the size Of a gamblers diamond
which was introduced in evidence He fur
Their testified that when he went 10 arrest
Buddie Clark the boy was upstairs i'm a
was wanted by an officer he climbed out
of the back window, slid down the shed
kitchen roof and got away.
ECHO OF JUDGES DECISION.
At this point the audience in the court
room heard the echo Of the judges decision
IN the preceding case. for the screams of
one of the Duke boys issued forth from the
basement windows and found their way up
into the courtroom. Mrs. Echels testified
that she had never had any trouble with
her boy, except once. when he was arrest
ed. You remember" she said to the
judge. about year and a half ago when
he took the chicken and you made him
take the chicken back to the woman again"
IL seemed from the testimony of the moth
er that Buddie Clarke was q good boy, eX-
cept when he got into bad company He
attended school regularly and worked
whenever he had a chance and that he had
been spanked only the night before. Bud
die was then asked TO stand up and tell
what he knew about the case He stood IN
silence a moment. finally his eyes filled
with tears and he burst out in loud sObs.
Why did you throw the stone, Buddie?"
asked the judge kindly.
II wOZ throw-in', throw-in' rock at q
bird" sObbed the boy.
The judge delivered another little char
aCteristc lecture, which about az fol-
lows Now, Buddie, YOU look like a smart
boy and you ought to bend every effort
10 be a little gentleman. Your mother
says you get along well at school and that
you are a Woodworking boy: the trouble
with you is you have been in bad company.
and In throwing stones you might put out
one of your companions eyes or XIII him.
This is the sort OF thing that makes Grim
inals and II would be horrible for a nice
boy like you 10 BE- brought In court charged
with murder Now, l am going 10 let you
go and / never want 10 see you in this
court again
The Echels boy was sent 10 the basement
TO be logged by his mother. and all the
friends. neighbors and relatives OF that case
left the audience. At this junctuTe a court
officer appeared with one OF the Duke boys.
followed by the mother. and informed the
court that Mrs Duke had done her work
we'll. They were followed by Miss Reisner.
the police matrOn, who IN short OF
breath as she had had a tussle with Eddie
House getting him into the cage
The next case was that OF four very small
boys. Sheldon Dinson. Max Courtwright.