Omaha daily bee., 1906-03-27
BEFORE THE PEOPLES BAR
Meanest Man in Police Court Gets Thirty
Days in Jail
ROBS HIS CHILD TO BUY BEER
Takes rive Pennies Little One
Begged and Gets Liquor, De-
privinE Family of
MeaRre Help.

Thirty days in the city prison was the
gentle sentence imposed on the person re-
ferred to as the meanest man who ever
came into police court" thanks, for him,
to the leniency Of the criminal code Of
Nebraska.
ut is hard to imagine a man so mean
that he would take from one OF his chill
dren five pennies intended for milk and
buy beer with the money, and the money
received by begging at that observed
police court lawyer.
Yet such was the evidence offered against
Joseph Kruza Of 1915 Pierce street Mon
day morning, when the man was arraigned
before the peoples bar on the charge OF
drunkenness and abusing his family The
incident mentioned was only part Of the
testimony offered against Kruza, who was
sentenced by the police Judge to thirty
days in the county jail
Kruza has eight children, who are cared
for by the good people OF st. Peters parish.
according to reports Kruza has worked
for a few days at time and then spent
his earnings for drink. When the cravings
of the drink demon would pull at every
fiber of his body and he had no money
with which to satiate the monster he
would send one of his children out TO beg.
Last Friday evening little Mary returned
home, footsore and weary. with five pen
MES clutched I'm her hand Mary's first
thought was to give the money to her
mother for milk for the 2-year-old child
of the family. No sooner had Mary crossed
the threshold than the father grabbed her
by the wrist, took the pennies away from
her and hurried to the nearest saloon.
where he bought glass Of beer. That was
testified to in police court Monday morning.
ba
home drunk and abused his wife and chill
dren. Neighbors who had been watching
the proceedings thought II time to notify
the police. Detective Donohoe made the
arrest.
Before passing sentence on the prisoner
the police judge was anxious to know what
would become OF the family II the father
was incarcerated. 1t was explained that
Of1cer Harry Woodbridge would make an
other investigation Of the case and see that
the wife and children did not want for any
thing.
The arresting officers declared that Kruza
was the meanest man ever brought before
the local police court.
The only excuse Ernest Wilson could
offer for striking Miss Nettie Miles was
that she struck him first. That excuse was
offered before the peoples bar Monday
morning, but did not go farther than Will
son could have thrown a male Dos by the
caudaI appendsge.
Wilson and Miss Miles reside at 200 North
Twelfth street. Until Sunday evening they
| lived happily. but on last Sabbath evening
Miss Miles began throwing lamps, it was
! alleged Not being in the salmander busl-
ness, Wilson struck the woman a vicious
| blow on the face.
| Thirty days for Wilson.
| Charles Draper, the jail breaker played
a return engagement before the people s
bar Monday morning Draper is the boy
who breaks into jail for a living,
! "What do you plead" asked the city
prosecutor of Draper, Monday morning
Before even knowing what thu complaint
might have been Draper pleaded guilty.
II makes no difference TO Draper He be-
lieves i'm pleading guilty and expeditins
matters He believes in moving along the
lines of least resistance. And he does II
all with a smile. No frowns or sulking
for Draper.
Mr.. Draper was returned TO the county
Jail for thirty days. The charge was
vagrancy.