Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1908-06-23
MIGRANTS PUZZLE
D|EHL AND POLICE
Many Fall Victims to Ordinance,
But Not All Land
In Jail.
JUDGE INSPEcTs THE PALM
Where Hand Is Horny from Toll, the
Honest Man Is Set Frcc--Profes-
SIGNALS Face Rock Pile.

When is a vagrant not a vagrantE
This is a question that daily confronts
Judge C. b. Dlehl of the criminal dlvi-
sion OF the city court and Assistant CITY
ATTORNEY Il. A. Rogers. If these ON
cials were to believe every policeman
who makes an arrest, charging the
prisoner with vagrancy, the Jail would
be crowded all the time. IL is d
question that requires fine discernmeh''
and vet 1t is not often that mistakes
are made
There is scarcely a day that from
one to 10 unfortunates art not ar
raiEned before the judge in the dlngy
and musty old courtroom above tie
police station on the charge of Vasrah-
cy. Yesterday afternoon there were
nine of these cases, the defendants all
presenting a woebegone appearance
Sometimes the accused are guilty OF
violating this particular ordnance
Oftimes they are not guilty ana inc
latter very seldom suffer.
THE ORDINANCE.
Under the revised ordinances, chap
ter 20, section 47O. every person, except
an Indian, without visible means of
living, who has the physical ability, ana
who does not for period OF ~ days
seek employment; any person VINO So
licits aims as a business every person
who roams from place TO place or
roams the streets at late and uhusuai
hours of the night; every idle ana dls-
solute or lewd person who lives in ana
"a n
person who is an associate of known
thieves, Is deemed guilty of Vagrancy'
Nearly every day the police make ar
rests on the charge of vagrancy ana
when placed on the witness stand 10
testify against the defendant usually
say they never saw the defendant work.
But because the arrestng officer never
saw the defendant work" is no proof
that the accused is guilty of vagrancy
Because person happens TO be seen
on the streets "at late and unusual
hours of the night" is by no means
positive proof that the person is
vagrant. There are many unfortunate
men in Salt Lake these days who are
hard working men but are unable To
secure employment They are without
funds and consequently are forced 10
walk the streets and sometimes ask for
assistance from friends. When this
class appears before Judge Dlehl he
always informs them that they may find
food and shelter at police headquarters
without suffering the disgrace of being
placed under arrest. IL person ac'
cused Of vagrancy be a working man
who happens to be hard up" the court
is usually quick to determine the fact.
The condition of the hands Is a tell-tale
sign.
THE PROFESSIONAL
The man who gets the sentence OF
from 80 to 60 days is the person who is
shown to be q professional beggar One
who will not work but who would
rather beg than perform honest labor.
The man who begs and makes the plea
he il hungry and then spends the
money given to him for whisky, gem
ally finds himself facing S0-day sem
tence on the chain gang.
Quite frequently a vagrant pleads
guilty to the charge with the under
standing that he be permitted to leave
the city. In this case, If the prosecu-
ton is willing, the accused is given a
few hours In which to leave the city.
The case is continued for sentence un-
Ill the next day and the defendant re-
leased upon his own recognizance with
the understanding that he leave the
city within a given time. If he Is
caught within the city limits after
that time, he is hauled into court and
sentenced. II he leaves town and re-
turns within a few days and is ar
rested he finds himself facing SEN
tence imposed by the court and has to
serve out the time.
There are now probably more than a
dozen cases like this on the docket In
THE police court. In another class OF
Migrants are those who sell "phony'
Jewelyr when they are not begging,
and men and women suspected OF be-
in% grafters and confidence sharps are
classed as "vags" when the police are
unable to make q more serious charge
against them.