The Washington herald., 1906-10-21
Kansas City Judge Sympa-
thize With Offenders.
GOOD WORD FOR ROCKEFELLER
Thinks the Poor. FriendIess stand
ard Oil Man Prosecuted ny Press
Deals kindly with CrlminaIs-HIs
Efforts 10 Reform Them.

John W. WOnord, the veteran jurist OF
the Jackson County criminal bench, has
joined the ranks of the defenders Of John
D. Rockefeller.
Judge WOffOrd had JUST sentenced six
prisoners to terms IN the penitentiary
Fred Chapman. convicted Of burglary and
grand larceny and given three years by
the jury. was the first TO stand up. Judge
wofford looked at each prisoner in the
class OF six. and then said:
Chapman. hate to send you to the
penitenuary. Since I have been here in
this court have fallen into the habit OF
getting on the side Of the under dog
can't help 1t. My sympathies are al
ways with the under dog. and I actually
have to restrain myself from climbing
down off this bench and helping him cut
when I see him fiouadertng around down
there and the rest OF them jumping on
him and fiaying the life out of him.
why, I'm even on old John Rockefel-
| lers side. He's the under dog. Yes. sir
I'm on poor old Rockefeller's side. 1
feel sorry for the poor old fellow He's
got my sympathy because he's the I'M
der dog. He may be an old scoundrel.
I
body is pecking at him. Every para
grapher, every editorial writer. every
newspaper man in the country is peck
ing. pecking. pecking on poor, friendless.
deluded old John Rockefeller. Hes got
no friends; he's followed the same course
that you have, Chapman he's done
wrong, and society is against him for it.
on RockefeIIer's side.
The fact that he's got no friends
and everybody is pecking on him makes
him the under dog. and / can't help
being on his side. Some folks are always
'agin the government as the saying is;
am always against the side that has the
advantage l am always for the under
dog. Now. Chapman. my being on your
side unfortunately won't do you any
good, because the law requires me TO send
you To the penitentiary ! DO not make
the law When you come back from the
penitentiary, start over again and SO
live that you won't be the under dog,
but be a good citizen.
Enter a sentence Of three years for
the prisoner. Mr. Clerk"
John ". WoffOrd sat as Judge Of the
Criminal Court IN Kansas City. Thou
sands OF evil men, with evil faCes-mur-
derers. highwaymen, burglars, thieves,
and crooks of every type-have gone in
long procession before him. Thousands
Of them he has sent to jail and the peni-
Tertiary. Many he has sentenced To the
gallows. To thousands he has given q pa
role, the one chance that made honest
men OF them.
Judge Woff0rd's services on the Crlmi-
mai Court bench have brought him a
fame that is national He mas an easy.
hand way of imparting bits OF philos-
iophy about everyday life that has come 70
be a feature Of the newspaper reports OF
the Criminal Court proceedings in this
b city.
He recently paroIed a one-legsed negrc
simply because he looked straight At the
judge and talked in n clear voice.
That's the way ] like to hear man
talk" said the judge 10 him. You
haven't many legs. but you have good
voice Some men who come before ms
talk like q humble bee IN a barrel
Bm-m-m-n-you can hardly hear en-
I'm going to forgive you because you arc
short on legs and because you speak VI
honestly You are discharged.
whisky Cause OF Crime.
Judge Wonord declares that whisky i,
the greatest cause Of crime. In sentenc-
while drunk. the judge saids
a favorite hiding place of the devil j.
in whisky barrel quite often he put.
on women's clothes. paints his checks and
drags men down But threc-fourths Of al
the criminals who come before me have
! fallen through whisky.
Last month Judge Wonord had before
him a young man who had pleaded guilty
TO stabbing a man while drunk.
: The greatest evil that now affects this
, country is the abuse Of whisky ne said
Every day men are swimming TO thC
peaitentiary through whisky. How car
: any young man expect 20 be any account
/ in the world when he swaggers around
with his hat cooked ON one side. Il knit,
] and pistol IL his pocket. and his stomach
full of whisky? No gentleman ever car
ries a pistol In this civilized community
! Why in God Almighty's earth men tot,
! pistols around for is more than I can see
/, The judge often paroles man upon hi.
, promise to never drink again.
! Judge Wofford is especially hard upoI
men who have deserted their wives anC
children.
Nine times in ten when husband anl
: wife fan out its the fault Of the man. ho
5 says.
$ Recently man pleaded guilty to theft
, He had a wife and children al home. bu
. he stole Il silk skirt and gave 1t To Z
woman barber. with whom he was III
fatuated.
Yes, yes. I know" said the Judge II
sentencing him. Il know the kind OF (
woman she was. She had painted checks
: and wore high-heeled shoes like Suits
She was the kind spoken OF in the Bible
whose feet take hold upon hell ana whis
{ Ky: women and divorce are the grca
evils; they all so together. When you Sc,
! a married man fooIing around with othel
: women. you can know for sure that hi.
poor wife is At home laboring for him anC
his children
Has a Big Parole Glass.
e Judge WoTord now has a parole elias.
5 Of young men. lie never paroles a mar
f who is upward of thirty years old.
Q NO man Of thirty ever reforms" h,
says
In his parole class ne has often a
! many as 100 young men. each one OF
? whom has been convicted in his cour
and has been given another chance b.
the Judge The first Monday of eacl
court term this parole class appears be
: fore Judge Wofford. and then he spend!
!. a whole half day questioning them, prais
: ing those who have kept their pledges
and done we'll, censuring those who hav,
/ been derelict. discharging those who d,
thinks have fully reformed: p.ttlng int,
jail the ones who have fallen beyon.
hope, and giving good advice to all.
Upon these days the old Judge is AWAY,
at his best and he Tadiates wit. humor
and pathos.