Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1909-10-04
SYMPATHY BEATS LAW
Man Commits Crime Because
Family Is in Distress.
WIFE ILL, CHILD SUFFERING
Husband and Father Unable to Pro-
cure Employment.
SECURES MONEY BY FRAUD
Situation Becomes Known and
Former Employer, Who Lost Cash,
Makes Successful Plea.
SECURES MONEY BY FRAUD

There is Joy in one little home today
A sick woman is having medical atteh-
ton. poorly clad baby is dressed warm
ly and is getting good. nourishins food
and husband who for week or more
has searched for work. and failing, COM
mtted crime is not in JAIL but is work
ing for the very man from whom he so'
money under false pretenses
Sylvester Straylor has been married
about four years. He has a daughter
aged three and lately he and the child
and Mrs Straylor have lived in one room
at 1916 O street northwest. The room was
parlor, bedroom. kitchen and dining
room. The wife is i'll and has been for
several days and caring for the baoS
girl has been impossible during these
days of illness.
Sylvester Straylor had returned from a
daily search for work, tired, heartsick.
with that look of despair which engraVes
deep lines on the face of a man when ne
sees his own slowly slipping away from
him through starvation and III care, ana
he not able to help them.
After an all-day hunt among the build
erS and the contractors whom he knew,
the husband would come home to nurse
his wife and to attend to that little girl
who was becoming pale and thin. a doctor
came and declared the woman must have
such-a d-such medicines. must drink
warm milk, must have certain meats. and
then left a prescription; but there was no
money.
Fails Again in Quest.
Saturday Straylor visited a place where
contract named Melton was conduct
ing job of work. Straylor had worked
for Melton, was good hand and Melton
liked him, but there was no work. Stray
lor begged the foreman for employment,
pleaded with him and the tears were on
his cheeks when he offered the foreman a
good-sized portion of his wages II he could
only get some work and some money to
take to that sick woman and that little
brown-haired girl on o street; but there
was no Job for him.
StrayIor overheard the timekeeper max
in: up his weeks pay roll. There was one
bricklayer, named Moore. who was not on
the job Saturday and whose pay was to
have been 5000, and Straylor was
tempted beyond his strength. He went
away and returned with an order bearing
Moores name and stating that Moore was
sick abed and would not be down. Stray
lor got the money.
He Uses the Money.
He bought stockings for his wife, some
wooden stockings for the little girl. some
butter, and some of the very best meat
he could get. He also paid for shave
and a haircut for himself. and bought a
package of cigarettes Altogether he
spent about 81. He gave his wife $40 of
the money, told her he had borrowed it
from a friend. and put the rest In his
pocket. and started to make fire in the
very small stove.
But Moore, the bricklayer, showed up
for his money, and there was row
raised around the place. The timekeeper
let the police know what had happened,
and Detective Burlingame started for
that little room on o street He found
them all there-the wife, with bottle of
medicine that part of the money had Sc
cured: the husband making coffee. and
the little girl i'm a brand-new frock-a
diminutive little one-piece dress 1t was.
But they looked sick and poor and
pinched. Everything told the tale of
hard knocks and bad luck.
Warm-Hearted Detective.
When the detective told the man and
woman what he had come for the woman
threw the $40 on the floor. saying. Ill as
she was, she could not take a cent of
it, And the detective took money from
his own pocket and gave 1t to her.
All that came out in the Police Court to-
day. Judge Mulowny heard it, and
scolded Straylor into a pitiable state OF
fear He scoded him for taking the
money, berated him for spending any of
it for a shave and haircut and cigar
cites; told him to shave himself: and
then the contractor, Melton, went on the
stand and told the judge to let the man
off If he could. Straylor walked out free,
under personal bonds, and in five min
utes Melton offered him a job-and not
only that he let him keep some OF the
money for the taking of which he was
arrested.