The Spokane press. [volume] (Spokane, Wash.) 1902-1939, 1909-03-15
THE new COMMANDMENT

established positions. From theil
doors temptation is walled off
Judge Austin explained all thi.
and told why he believe in the pro
stationary system.
When the people in the silk
stocking district want to remove
debris from their back yards they
do not use silver ladies', but pitch
forks and spades instead" said the
Judge
For the same reason / hav ap-
pointed as probation officer Louis
Wittenburg, big hearted man who
all his life has mingled with the
poor and lowly. He knows their
temptations and how to sympathize
with them"
| Wittenburg, up until the time of
his appointment, was a slum sa-
| loonkeeper. He is being bitterly
opposed by som eof Toledo's best
people.
When the judge had concluded
his remarks. Mrs. Fred Becker, the
| wife of paroled prisoner, arose
timidly, gulped several times at the
hard lump in her throat. and then
in a quavering voice asked if she
| might speak. Indeed she might.
Handclapping and pleasant, ap-
proving smiles drove away her
fear.
She told how a desolate home.
her home, had been made happy
by the reformation of her husband.
She told of her love of that man
and of her joy, now that he had
I found himself. He was good to
| her now they were comfortable
Life held a promise, and she was
oh, oh, so happy.
There was tense silence as she
spoke, and for several minutes
many present wept softly, mingling
their tears with the hot tears of
thankfulness which streamed down
the cheeks of the glad little wife.
Another probationer. a beautiful
girl still in her teens, arose. Tim
idly she told how she had been left
an orphan when but nine years of
age. Cast upon the mercy of
strangers who had no mercy, she,
at the age of Is, was turned adrift
in the streets.
Il had no place to lay my head"
she said. For three nights and
three days l had not a bite to eat
and l slept in a vacant house.
When | applied for work no one
would take me in. l felt that |
would soon die. / met woman on
the street and she told me that if l
would go to a house, where there
was red light over the door,
would be taken in. This woman did
not deceive me, l knew what she
meant. But l was hungry | went
to that place and a woman opened
the door. l told her that I wanted
food and she game me a smile, the
first smile had seen in weeks.
She took me in. l do. not have to
tell you the rest of my story. In a
very short time | did not care what
became of me. At last a man made
me steal for him, and l was ar
rested for that crime. This god
Judge, Mr.. Austin, was kind to me.
He suspended sentence and helped
me get a job. That was over a
year ago. Now l am a good girl,
and l want to be always"
And the girl sat down and buried
her head in her arms and quietly
cried.
Say, fellows" shouted Piggy"
Mulley, at this juncture, as if to
dispel the shadow cast by the girls
story, Denny says he wished he
could be sentenced to this feed
house for six months"
The jest brought the sunlight
back into the faces of the guests,
and the girl wiped away her tears
and also smiled again.
Nearly everyone spoke after that.
There were pathetic words from
the lips of old men, grown gray in
sin, and now turning new pages
with trembling hands. There was
the optimism of youth from such as
Mickey" AMI Piggy" Good jobs
they would get and, after awhile,
marry and settle down for life. So
the talk ran on.
After while Tony Nasse
cleared the table and the Judge
and his guests went out into the
night
For better or for worse-which?
FEDERAL LIABILITY CASE.