The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1908-08-09

Illegal registration This was the
charge which brought Joseph McGinnis,
aged nifty. before the magistrate sit
ting i'm one of the New York police
courts.
Around him were the witnesses, the
policeman who had arrested him. the
election officer who had challenged him
and his employer and his wife. The
latter was a little woman. much
younger looking than the prisoner,
neatly dressed. and very pale. Her
lips were tightly compressed. and she
looked anywhere save at her husband.
McGinnis was disheveled after night
in a prison cell. and was trembling with
the after effects of intoXicatiop and
with nervousness. He was a slight,
meager. short. bald-headed man, wear
ing the overalls of a teamster. His
head was sunken on his breast as he
stood near the platform in front of the
magistrates desk. and his fingers were
piucking at the buttons of his canvas
jacket.
Magistrate Dwyer was sitting that
morning. The registration was proceed
ing quietly, there were few arrests for
illegalities. and other business that day
was slack. Bluff. hearty. eood-natured,
suspected of undue political affiliations,
but much beloved In his district, MagIs-
trate Dwyer secretly pitied the poor
devil who had been brought before him.
and who. no doubt had intended to
vote right" at the coming elections
But the magistrate was aware that I'M
der the eyes of the deputy from the Of
fee of the superintendent of elections.
and at this time when the press was
suffering from one of its periodical
spasms of sympathy with pure poll
tics" and reform it would behOove
him 20 deal with the offender in the let
ter of the law. Besides the prisoner
did not belong to the magistrates home
district and none of the powers that
be I'm the world of ward politics had
signified any interest i'm the case So
II was in a severe voice that he called
the prisoner before him.
McGinnis started violently then ad-
vGncer and stood before the magistrat-.
humbly. He lifted his sunken, bleared
eyes and glanced quickly at the arbiter
of his destiny. and then his head fell
hack on his breast. and he remained in
an attitude of detection and submission.
His wife. who had been seated without
the railing, changed her place TO a
bench nearer the desk. and bent for
ward 10 listen. AS she drew her shawl
closer about her throat her hand shook.
Policeman Schwartz. mumbling me-
cnanlcallN the Oath 10 tell the truth,
the whole truth-and a concluding
mumble-gave his testimony He had
been at n registration booth in the
Eighteenth assembly district when the
prisoner entered and tried to register.
Deputy Burns had at once challenged
him. McGiunis being pointed out as ne
entered the booth by John Pagan, the
prisoners fellow-teamster in the en-
Fly Of Beeknan, IRE contractor.
That man has no right TO register
said the deputy. He is an ex-convict.
and ! challenge him The prisoner hus-
tied out lively. your honor. beating il
before ! could arrest him--me being in
the crowd at the time-an' ! didn't find
him until last night. He was drunk
at the time. In Hennessy's saloon.
That's all ] know, your honor"
Deputy Burns" called the clerk.
The election official testified that he
had been instructed 10 watch out for
illegal registration
''Oh. cut that short" exclaimed the
magistrate bruskly, having. as he would
privately say, no use for stool pigeons
of any kind" He continued: Tells
what happened"
This man. Pagan" said the deputy.
pointing to the informer. came to -
and said that he knew that a former
convict was going TO try to register.
Joseph McGinnis, he said. was the for