The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1903-03-26
Bloodf1eld's Negro Magistrate
Cannot Practice Law.
IN I II E PENlTENTlARY''
After His Term In the Penitentlary Was
Z Over His Political Disabilities We're III
Removed, But His License +
Was Superseded.

(spoolol to The Timcs. Dispatch. )


NEWPORT. NEW s, 5v A., March 25..--5
In tho Police Court this morning Police
Justice j. .. q. Brown ruled that Q. y.
Robinson, the negro Justice Of tho peace
Of Bloodfold, had no standing as q laW-5
yer In hIs court, and that he could not
permit Robinson to practice before MN.
rho matter was In court on a question
as to Robnson's right to practice law
raised by negro attorney. Prominent
white lawyers appeared in court for 10, h
Sides and the law on the subject was dis
cussed for two hours. Robinson was
convicted some years ago IN warwick
county OF embezzlement and was sent
to the & penitentiary. Judge Peek
superseded his license to practice
law. Later Governor Tyler re-
moved Robinson's political disabili-
ties. Tho negro has practiced law In
tho county since, 1t is stated, and no has
been permitted to take out q license by
the commissioner OF the reven,,e OF the
county. Flo was recently elected q
Justice Of the peace j.. Thomas New
some, colored lawyer Of the city. OBJ
jeoted to appearing in case in court in
d
Robinson, who represented the defense.
ana who, Newsome submitted, had not
the right to practice there, having been
debarred from practiclng In the county
court by reason OF his conviction of a.
felony. A bitter argument was made by
both Robinson and Newsone at the time
and Justice Brown decided to continue
the hearing Of the question until to-day. 4
The crowd of spectators was 80 largo
when the case was called that the JUG
tice retired to the Corporation Court to
hear argument of counsel In the case,
Justice Drown held that the removal Of
Roblnsons political disabilities simply re-
stored him to citizenship with all the
natural rights thereof; that the practice
of law was a privilege and not a natu-
raj right Of citizenship, and that, there
fore, the right to practice could not be
claimed by lawyer who had been con-
.vlcted Of n felony, whose license had been
superseded. and whose political disabii-
tics had afterwards been removed, unless
that lawyer should go about securing
that right as though his application
were m original one. lie ruled that
Robinson was clearly without. the right
to appear at the bar of his court, and
that he could not be recognized before
him as a practcng attorney.
IN THE COUNTY,
The cases OF April Robinson, Robert
Carter 1stelle Whiting and Lilly Epps,
who are charged with felonious assault
on the three sailors Of the German
steamship Albano, and with robbing the
seamen, will BIO heard In the Justices
Court In Bloodled Saturday. II the
cases are sent on to the grand jury 1t
Is probable that a special jury will be
empanelled to hear the evidence and
determine whether or not the prisoners
shall be indicted. The Warwick county
authorities have all along disputed the i
cityB right to try these cases, and when
the city released the prisoners they re-
arrested them. 1t has just come to light
that the county police have had in jail
all the time Robert Carter, the negro
who at first was believed to have es- 4
capped. lie was arrested after the city
police captured tho other five negroes,
tics on habeas corpus proceedings.
George Tlnsley was given eight years In \
tho penitentlary In the Corporation
Court and afterwards granted new
trial, whereupon Commemorative At
torney Robinson nolle prosecuted the
case. The county authorities rea rrested
Tinsley. but now It develops they have
turned Tinsley loose. saying that thcy
do not want to try him If the city wants
him to have a new trial,
"A new lodge OF Odd-Fellows will be
organized here Friday night, and 1t will
begin with 9 charter membership Of
any lodge In this section was organized
with, The following prominent Odd
Follows Will be present: Grand Master
w. D, Hill. Of South Boston; Grand
Marshal !. J, Mitchell. Phoebus; Past
Grand Wardens y. %. Northern and Il.
b. Tlerney. They will be In charge OF
tho meeting and whom officers are elect
ed Will Install them.
BASEBALL CLUB.
The Newport News baseball club has
arranged q game here with Maryland
Agricultural College April 18th, and
Riohmond G9ese e, viii probably come On
League meeting here to arrange schcd-
ule for the season, Tho artillery school
Mt Fort Monroe viii probably send Its
nine here to play the locals on the 18th.
A. game Is proposed with Cornell on tho
9th. but 1t seems that there Is move
ment to get the game by the artillery
school for the Fort. and there may be
n fight for It.
The Board OF Directors OF the Newport
News General Hospital has terminated
the affair In which nurses. superinten-
dent, head nurse and physicians were
involved. The resignation OF Miss Bar
ry, the head nurse, was accepted. The
resignation OF six nurses We're not no
cepted, and the nurses were reprlmanded
for talking too much about tho trouble. (
It Is understood that Miss Mabel Jones,
the superintendent, will resign. The
whole disturbance seems to have been !
created by the nurses on account of
rules that were laid down for them by
the new superintendent, which they re-
garded as entirely too severe.
Mrs, Regina Fitchett. aged eighty
years. fell In ditch In Hampton and
would probably have been overcome by
strangulatlon but for the timely assist
ance OF a negro, who, after effeoting the
rescue and seeing the aged woman safe,
quietly disappeared. The relatives are
trying to ascertain his name to express
their appreciation, but so far have been
unsu ccessful.