The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1909-01-13
GOOD START AGAINST HOODLUMISM.
Mayor Hoffman Imposes a 500 Fine on
Several Young White Men.

Mayor Hoffman Imposes 500 Fine on
Several Young White Men.
Mayor Hoffman made fine start
Monday in the direction Of dealing
with laW-breakers and putting
restraining influence on hoodlum-
ism, and is being generally COM
mended for his good work on that
occasion.
On Monday Marion Mckee, Hook
er Ratcliff Oscar Ratcliff, Will
Rea, John McDavitt and Oscar
Schwem, six young white men of
this city, were brought into court
to answer to a charge of malicious
mischief committed in "Frogtown"
Saturday night. The affidavit on
which the parties were arranged
was sworn out by City Marshal
Smylie Blue and charged that on
Saturday night, the parties named
above "did wilfully, mischievously
and maliciously destroy, disfgure
and injure the real and personal
property Of w. H. Seavey and Liz
zie Grant, by forcibly breaking
the door and the lock thereon of
certain dwelling house owned by
W. H. Seavey and occupied by Liz
zie Grant as a residence, and by
breaking and destroying the chairs
and other household furniture and
property Of the said Lizzie Grant,
and also by breaking and injuring
and destroying the door and win
dows of another unoccupied dwell
ing house owned by W. H.
Seavey."
The raid was reported by Lizzie |
Grant Saturday night at the time |
of its occurrence to the police force
and Night Policemen Meter, Nc
Bride and Buchanan promptly re-
paired to the scene and arrested all |
of the young men named in the affi-
davit and lodged them in Jail.
On being arraigned before May
or Hoffman Monday. all of the de-
PENDANTS except Oscar Schwem
slgnified their desire to plead gull
ty to the affidavit, thinking to
be let off with a trifiing fine;
but His Honor couldn't see it that
way, and after delivering to the
transgressors wholesome lecture
on their reprehensible conduct, en-
phasized 1T by imposing a fine of |
$100 and costs in each case. There
being no evidence of an overt act
against Oscar Schwem, who had
pleaded not guilty, he was allowed
to plead guilty to drunkenness and
given fine of SIS and costs.
The Leader learns that if the evil
dence had been gone into fully it
would have shown that some sort
of negro frolic was being held at
the Grant Woman's house when the
party of young white hoodlums ap-
peared upon the scene, and that
they not only demolished the furni-
ture in the Grant woman's house
and drove out the occupants, but
broke out the glass and sash in this
and the vacant house adjoining and
were proceeding to visit other
houses in the locality when over
hauled by the police. A negro
woman in the Grant house is said
to have been taken up bodily by
all fours'' and carried out and
left in the unoccupied house which
shared in the destruction.
Not expecting such a heavy fine
at the hands of the Mayor, it is
learned that all of the party who
plead guilty except Oscar Ratcliff
have since given notice of taking
an appeal to the Circuit Court, but
if they ever get before Judge Will
kinson on the showing that can be
made against them. they may be
thankful if county farm sentence
is not added to the fines. In fact,
they are likely to have another
State case against them, as it is
alleged by City Marshal Blue and
Sheriff Greer that after being
lodged in Jail Saturday night, they
tore down partition door in the l
lower story used by the city as a
calaboose, smashed the glass out of
the windows and tore down the
electric wires and lights in that
Sheriff Greer laid a
complaint before the Mayor and
Board of Aldermen last night for
repairs of this destruction of prop
erty and committee was appoint
ed to look after the necessary re-
pairs today, as it was said the city
prisoners were in the dark and ex-
posed to the cold northern blasts
that entered through the demolish-
ed windows. 1t is expected that
Sheriff Greer will make an affidavit
if he has not already done so.
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