The Topeka state journal., 1907-12-27
JIMMY sLINGER,s MISTAKE.


~ street, was only IA years old, but had
come to have a great admiration fo1
the law He had seen the workings oi
III ever since he was a kid of six and
stole his first apple in front of the cor
ner grocery. The law was either a
club or a feather duster-according to
whether one had a pull or not. He had
seen a snatch-thief arrested on the
streets, but let go again at the nod OF
politician. In another instance he
nao seen the same man sent to prison
Ior year for the same crime He had
seen drunken man sent to the Island
Tor 60 days for being drunk on the side
walk, while the patrolman who had
gone through the mans pockets before
rousing him up continued to bask in
the sunshine of liberty
his rather had once stolen a push
cart that was lying around loose and
nad Deen sent away for many months
At the same time the lad knew that at
least 90 pool rooms were open in def
ance of the law and were being pro-
tected by those who represented the
law. A man in the same tenement had
robbed sailor of three dollars and
the judge gave him a lecture and the
ruII extent of the law A man in the
tenement across the street had robbed
q tailor shop, but when arraigned in
court a ward politician had whispered
to the judge and the Judge had found
this the first offense, and that the rob-
ber had once suffered from sunstroke
and suspended sentence.
Jimmy could have sat. down with Jo-
sfah F'lynt and told him of a hundred
other cases to excite wonder or admir-
alton. He followed the police and
haunted the courts and came to con-
slider himself well posted. He even had
q good deal to do with the shyster law
yers hanging around the various police
stations They were to be admired.
They would take from $25 to S10O from
a prisoner and agree to get him off.
Then they would walk into the cap
tain room and whack up and consider
the case closed unless another fee was
forthcoming He knew that certain de-
tectives took their whack and he heard
a professional bondsman affirm that
the police got a divvy on all his cases.
AS for pool room men. gamblers and
pickpockets, Jimmy knew that they
owned the town Now and then there
was patrolman or detective who would
not shut his eyes when there was a case
of pocket-picking or a con game but
a complaint to certain politicians soon
brought about a transfer. At the age
OF Il Jimmy was to be apprenticed to
a cobbler. He bofted from home in con-
sequence He had made up his mind
as to his future career. He had decid- |
ed to stand in with the law. The tin |
horns were all right in their way but |
the men who are making the money are |
the. police court lawyers. While the |
police whacked with them, they were |
dASO d DlI afraid OF JneTn. The Judges !
treated them with Difference and the |
politicians invited them out to drink
and made them birthday presents They |
were doing lots of queer things and |
doing them under cover of the law
Jimmy had no sooner bolted than he
began to look around for a job 1t so
happened that couple of young men
who had just graduated in law had
formed partnership, and hung out |
their sign. They didn't want police
court cases, and they didn't want to be
classed among the shysters but the
want of better patrons forced them to
Jimmy made their acquaintance there.
He didn't catch them at any shyster
tricks. and he heard certain policemen
at their straightforward way.
The boy didn't give the lawyers credit
for this He simply took it that they
had a trick up their sleeves and were
the sort of men he was looking for.
In a month after he knew them he was
humble the beginning as long as the
aroma of law hung about the place.
He didn't ever expect to be a leading
member of the bar but he felt that he
could pick up enough law to enable
him to do as others were doing.
One day the boy picked up a pointer.
The partners had been consulted about
a big case. If they could win it they
had their start on the road to success.
The bar to the winning was certain
If they had those papers their case
was sure; without them it was no use ,
to take a single step Jimmy felt that
the success of the firm would be his .
success while failure would send him
adrift. 1t was perfectly natural that
he should sit up and take notice. He
couldn't figure out how the papers were
to be got unless he got them. The only
way he could get them was by robbinS
the house 1t didn't take him five min
1tes to come to decision. 1t might be
going a little further than the police I
when they perjured themselves, or a J
little further than the shyster lawyers
when they juggled a case, but he would
AXE the risk He spotted off the house. |
1ung around for a few days, and then
one night effected an entrance and Sc
cured the papers. He hadn't much pre- I
iminary experience in the burglar busi-
ness, but he brought off this trick like | I
An old hand He didn't even leave a |
lalf- burned match behind for a de-
ective to pick up and examine through t
| microscope and announce that 1t had {