The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-04-13
Jimmy Singers Mistake
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Young Jimmy Singer, down on Cher
ry street. was only fourteen years old,
but had come to have great admlra-
tlon for the law. He knew that cer-
tain detectives took their whack. and
he heard a professional bondsman af-
firm that the police got divvy on all
his cases. AS for pool room men, gam
bers and pickpockets, Jimmy knew
that they owned the town. Now and
then there was a patrolman or detec-
tive who would not shut his eyes when
there was a case of pocket picking or
a con game. but complaint TO certain
politicians soon brought about trans
/, fer. At the age of fourteen Jimmy
was TO be apprentlced to cobbler. He
bolted from home in consequence. He
had made up his mind as to his future
career. He had decided to stand in
with the law.
Jimmy had no sooner boltcd than he
began to look around for job. II so
happened that a 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
appear in the lower courts quite often.
Jimmy made their acquaintance there.
He didn't catch them at any shyster
tricks, and he heard certain policemen
sneering at their straightforward way.
The boy didn't give the lawyers credit
for this. He simply took 1t that they
had n trick up their sleeves and were
the sort of men he was looking for.
In a month after he knew them he
was their Office boy. He didn't care
how humble the beginning as long as
the aroma of law hung about the place.
He didn't ever expect to be n 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 pointer.
The partners had been consulted about
n big case. If they could win 1t, they
had their start on the road to success.
The bar to the winning was certain
papers I'm the hands of certain citi-
zen. IL they had those papers, their
case was sure. Without them 1t was
no use to take single step. Jimmy
felt that the success of the firm would
be his success, while failure would
send him adrift 1t was perfectly nat
ural that he should sit up and take no
tice. 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 robbing the house. 1t
didn't take him five minutes to come to
a decision. 1t might be going little
further than the police when they per-
jured themselves or a little further
than the shyster lawyers when they
juggled case, but he would take the
risk. He spotted off the house. hung
around for q few days and then one
night effected an entrance and secured
limlnary experience in the burglar
! business, but he brought off this trick
like an old hand. He didn't even leave
a half burnt match behind for de-
tective to pick up and examine through
microscope and announce that 1t had
been scratched on the right leg Of u
red headed boy with cockeye at ex-
actly the hour OF midnight.
Jimmy had to lie to get the papers
into the hands of the firm, but that
didn't trouble him in the least. lie
had heard shyster lawyers lie IL thou-
sand times over. He claimed to have
| found them on the street. and the
young attorneys drew long breaths
| and declared that Providence was sure
f, ly with them. They won their case
and jumped into Easy street. Jimmy
Singer was not forgotten. He was
patted on the back and called a lucky
young dog and his salary raised, aud
but for his learning law so fast lie
might have held down his job indef-
inltely. After he had been at II six
| months he began TO give legal advice
and to express legal opinions around
the courts. In fact, he arranged TO
stand In with the police on certain
| things, but found too late that he could
not deliver the goods. This brought
| about strained relations and an ex-
posure, ana the law firm ana the
| student Of law had to part company.
From thence forward for the next
three years Jimmy travelled. He tray-
eled as a lawyer, as a plckpocket, as
a con man, and now and then bur-
| glared bit for change. No. 1t wasn't
burglary. Tho law says that entering
an occupied dwelling before sunset Is
only robbery, and Jimmy never let
thA snn filmdam him. At the end Of