Evening journal., 1906-07-23
FIRST BLAST FIRED
FOR Law AND DECENCY
Continued from First rage)

it is also o practice Of this coutt to per-
init the defendant. when woman. to re-
: main IN the matron's room and care unt
3 the time Of calling her case. As for The
conspiracy which the writer OF the art.c.o
! insinuates exists 30 this court for the
( protection on brothels in this city ] will
say that 1 would no sooner enter into a
conspiracy for the protection Of suca
! places with the keeper than , would with
tho writer OF the article. and the latter,
am free TO say / would never do The
! whole article seems to be an attack upon
the court and its officers because they
/ viii not take part in an attempt 10 prose-
cute "A resident and property owner cf
/ this city by another resident and l now
feel that 1 did take the proper action
/ when members of the Negro family came
/ TO me after court and said they would
compel the people, presumably referring
to the defendant, to pay them 5000 for
their dwelling house. Approaching that
they had made a mistake IN making such
n statement. they followed me two
squares up the street. telling me they
did not mean what they said 1t seems
TO me that your honor would be justined
In bringing the writer Of this article
| before this court on the charge OF con-
tempt IN writing such an article"
Judge Cochran said he approved tho
statements made by Deputy city Solicitor
Rice lie had intended making state
ment, but would not do so because Mr.
Rice had expressed his views He gave
notice that newspaper reporters, whether
they were lawyers or politicians, who mis-
represented the court. would be imprison-
ed for contempt. He said that the lawyer
referred TO by Mr.. Rice was. as he under.
stood St, counsel for the people who own
tho adjoining house and was using the
Municipal Court as a club 20 force the
defendant to buy his clients property at
a price fve times higher than its original
purchase price. He said he did not pro.
pose to have his court used as a club in
any manner
Nigro Makes Sworn Statesment.
In answer TO this defense Nigro
makes the following sworn statement:
Il have been a resident Of Whining
ton for several years and am now, and
have been for some time. I'm charge OF
the boot-blacking stand at the F., b
& w r. r. station. / have a wife
two sons aged 16 and 10 respectively
and a daughter IL years of age All
my earnings and savings, about three
years ago. / invested IN the property
No. 233 Tatnall street, intending tc
make IL a home for myself and family
AS I was able to do so, / improved II
from time TO time, until II is now pro-
vided with all the comforts a man OF
lmy station could be expected have.
We lived there In peace and quiel
until about the month Of April Of this
, year, when a woman by the name OF
, Edith Grant obtained possession of
the adjoining house. 231 Tatnall. which
she began at once to use for immora
purposes. So brazenly did she and th'
I women In her house conduct their traf,
fic, that I and my family felt that W,
could not endure the shame and dis
: grace brought upon us by such neigh
= bors. From the windows men wer
halted and called at one both side
4 Of the street Men and women woul
4 go into the house, sometimes sober an
Z so out drunk, and sometimes go 4
there drunk and come out still more SC
be heard plainly In our house bolster
Gus dancing, drunken songs, and tn
rattle OF a piano. accompanied b,
drunken men and women. was constan
and continuous almost nightly, unit
two and three o'clock in the morning
I have in my home an aged mother VIII
I has been very IN and Il Is impossibl
b for either her or my family 10 get an
S rest or sleep until things have quiete
. down IN the house next door.
y Feeling that my home was bein
q desecrated and my property damage
by these dlsgraceful conditions, mad
= complaint TO the Police Department
which resulted IN a raid Of the hous
and the arrest OF II men and womer
including the proprietress. Edith Gram
g In open court May 10th. she pleade
e guilty 10 two charges. one OF sellin
n liquor without q license. for which sh
{ was fined $1,000 and costs and for keep
ing a house of ill-fame. for which sh
was fined $4,000 and costs. The pay
ment OF the fines and costs made n
impression whatever upon her. and Z
n defiance Of the law the place was M
the same as before.
Another complaint was made. an
she was arrested on May S0th. pleade
guilty 10 keeping a disorderly hous
and was fined $4,000 and COSTS Sh
stlll paid no attention whatever TO IN
law. and ran her establishment IL pos
slble. more openly than before. Afte
y tolorating II for several days. anotht
% warrant was sworn out, and the nigi
OF the day IN which IL was done. tw
. half drunken men, making "A mistak
In the house, undertook to force the
way into my house, and when my vii
- resisted them she was abused an
cursed IN the most scandalous manne
While they We're stlll on the steps il
sisting upon entering, two OF N
d' friends came up and when they n
monstrated with the would-be intrus
~ ers. they were assailed with the mo
rs vile and abusive language. and just
IN one OF the fellows was attempting
y draw his pistol or some other weapo
; Onicer Dutton came up and arrest,
e. the two men. The next morning, June
I think IT was, the third charge again
l6 the Grant woman was to come befo
I'd the Municipal Court I and my wi
and other witnesses had been summon
~ ed IN that case, and also In the case
r. the two men who were arrested Il
32 night before by officer Dutton VIII,
r. in court that morning, the proseoutil
officer, assistant solicitor, Herbert
on Rice, came up 70 me and in presen
Of witnesses pleaded with me 10 n