Los Angeles herald., 1907-03-16
.RECITES CASE IN
GARBLED YIDDISH
EXCITED HAT BLOCKER TELLS
HIS TROUBLES
Judge Not Convinced by whlriwInd
Arm Talking and Finds Small
Damages for the Conn
plainant

"Oh, yoi, yoi, yoi, sucha da beezeness
dot eet Is. Firsta / gotta da beezeness.
now 1 gotta de what you Gala do
lemona. oh, vol, dot Yiddisher sholl
llf to see da day ven he can by dc
polisher get da buma deal"
The wall OF Herr Riflkind, who con-
ducts a hat blocking business on East
Fifth street, could be heard piercing
the atmosphere in the corridor outside
Justice Stephens court room yesterday
afternoon while the angry man de-
livered himself of some hard-boiled
language.
Herr RIfl1ind has become famous
lately. He started up a small hat
blocking business in little corner-in-
the-wall place on East Fifth street
some months ago. He needed twelve
different size hat blocks and he only
had eight, so he arranged with his
friend, Herr Laventhal, the halter, to
lend him four hat blocks, for which
he alleges he put UP $40 security. That
was on October 18 and trouble began
to brew shortly after. First Laventhal
sent man over to get the hat blocks
that had been loaned. RiflSlnd saw
him coming and put hats on the blocks
and would not let the man take them.
When Laventhal had tried several
times to get the hat blocks and failed
he became angered and said he would
and he instituted replevin suit. and
Deputy Constables Bartels and Holman
went to his store to get the blocks.
With the aid of two police the officers
managed to get the blocks away, but
not until Riflkind had yelled murder
and fire and hurled great chunks OF
Yiddish at their heads.
Judge Refuses Case
| The case has been postponed several
times and has at last been settled.
Justice Stephens refused to hear the
case. He was at one time attorney for
Rifkind when the halter had had two
fires at his establishment and the Judge
refused to listen to the case. Justice
Caney of Norwalk came in to hear
the proceedings and the court room
was filled with men and women eager
| to hear about 1t. Laventhal and his
clerks testified to Riflzind getting the
hat blocks and refusing to return them.
Rifkind watched the proceedings
eagerly and he noted that each witness
when he was sworn raised his right
hand to take the oath.
| LEND for me tiamond, lend for
me tiamond," he exclaimed excited
| ly, and as soon as his friend handed
| him the gem he put the ring on his
right hand and polished the stone so
it would look bright. When he stood
to take the oath he turned the back
of his hand toward the audience and
winked in an expressive manner.
| The witness stood up to be sworn.
"You must swear" said the court, and
Rifkind looked at the women present
and became nervous.
"Vor Wy sholl make schwear here
for, judge" he began, but the court
refused to listen.
Makes "Schwear Arid"
"Stand up and be sworn said the
court, and the witness stood up with
a look Of resignation on his face.
| do I got to make a schwear," he
said dismally.
| EYES," said the court.
| Arid" said the witness, resignedly,
as he raised his hand, "Godo hawl."
| Then at the look of panied surprise
on the courts features he added. as
though he had not already given a
proper oath.
| '"Tam."
| 'Leaf me tawl it to yuh, judge" he
| began. dot mawn, he comes into my
place and he says dot for mawney he
wants for to loanda mea the blocks
and 1 says to him What for 1 sholl
do you q favor-nopoty for me does
sumpting-no.' And / says to him,
jawdge, I says 1 will do diss. and /
gif heem from my pocket oud ten
dollahs und he goes away. Und he
comes pack to me thuh fearst week
vrum Ogtobear und he says by me dot
sholl gif him the hawt blogs und
I told it to heem dot on dose blogs
vas hawts Und he says, L god dose
blogs py vorce.'
"Und den comes to me dot Holman
und Bartels vich l tink by amyselelf
ees hired loafairs to rop my sdore.
Dey said dey vas boliceamen und I
told it to dem dot sholl not pellet
him.
"Und ven he tries to crap dose plocks
up I tried for to stob dem and dere
vas much droubles py de door on de
oudsie un de bolices break ub de
crowds und don't get Stumbling for
noting"
Talks with Hands
| Incidentally at that juncture the wit
ness, who is one of the most expert
| takers with mis- hands, became excited
and started to wave his hands in such
a manner as to make it dangerous for
the court and one of the officers threat
ened to put the handouts on him.
"Don' put dose banda cuffs on me-"
dose cuffs on me sholl choke, sholl
| gif oud mid de BREATH"
About that time the court decided
he had heard enough evidence and he
found for the plaintiff $3.50 damage,
and as the crowd waited down the
street there was whirlwind of dust
as the hands of excited takers waved
in the air and the last sentence Of the
disgusted Hebrew came drifting back
on the wind:
'Ioafairs, roppers, loafairs."