The Richmond palladium and sun-telegram. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1907-1939, 1909-08-06
The Memoirs Of
[ARAhaiLallGi11t1lZRD

BY
ROBERT f1ERRICk
nm %%ssc1zkiS1e2Iks ea, S4sr

CHAPTER III.
THE HARRISON STREET POLICE COURT.
A night in jat,-A rapid hrc jud0e-Ihs
yo,tng lady u not so positive - The
psychology Of justlcs-Whats the mat
ter trtth Jasonriues-T tell my story to
his honor
@1HERE was a greasy bench at
one end Of No. II, where l sat
myself down. feeling that
~ had come to the end Of things
In Chicago mighty quick. A measly
gas jet above the door showed what .
sinking hole I had got myself into l
could hear the gambling party across
the way, laughing and talking. taking
their lot rather easily. Pretty soon a
man was put into the cell next mine.
He kept grooming about his head MY
head" he would say. ''oh, my head!
My head. oh. my head!" until
thought my own head was going
wrong.
wondered what had become Of Hos
letter. Apparently he had cleared out
when he saw his chance friend getting
into trouble. Perhaps he thought
had been working with our smooth &C
quaintance all along. Then I thought
what fool had been to give my real
name and home to the desk sergeant
Tomorrow the wise ones down in ia
sonville would be calling Van Har
rington bad names all over again and
thinking how clever they had been.
Some bad smelling mess was showed
at me for supper. but I had no stom
ach for food. good or bad. The Jail
Quoted down after a time, but
couldn't sleep. My mind was full of
the past. Of everything that had hap
pened to me from the beginning. Only
forty-eight hours before l had been
tramping my way into the city as
keen as a hungry steer for all the
glory l saw there ahead of me under
the bank Of smoke that was Chicago
Boylike. had looked up at the big
packing houses, the factories, the tall
elevators that I passed and thought
how one day I should be building my
fortune out OF them as others had
built theirs before me. And the end
Of that bOyish dream was this bed in
a Jail.
The next morning they hustled US all
into court. was crowded into the
pen along with some Of the numerous
Smiths and Joneses who hadn't been
able to secure bail the night before.
These were disposed Of first in the
way Of routine business, together with
a few DRINKS and disorderlies. There
were also in the pen some sickly look
ing fellows who had been taken up for
smoking opium in a Chinese cellar, a
woman in whose house there had been
a bandage over one eye. He must
have been my neighbor OF the bad
head.
The courtroom was pretty we'll jam
med with these prisoners. the police
officers and a few loafers. The air
smeled like a sewer, and the windows
were foul with dirt. The judge was
good looking. youngish man. with a
curling black mustache, and he wore
| diamond studded circlet around his
necktie. Behind the judge on the plat
form sat the young woman whose
purse I was accused Of stealing and
her father. She saw me when I was
brought into the pen, but tried not to
let me know it. looking away all the
time.
When I arrived on the scene, the
| Judge was administering an oath to q
seedy looking man. who kissed eagerly
the filthy Bible and began to humble
something in q hurry to the judge.
Eyes, l know that pipe dream" his
honor interrupted pleasantly. "Now,
tell me the straight story Of what you
have been doing since you were here
last week"
"You insult me. Judge" the prisoner
replied haughtily. I'm an educated
man. a graduate Of a great institution
| Of learning. You know your Horace.
| judge7"
mot 50 well as the revised statutes
Of the state Of Illinois," his honor
snapped back with what thought was
a lack Of respect for learning. 1.-TWO
months. Next!''
| "Why. judge?'
| There was a litter in the courtroom
as the graduate Of a great university
was led from the pen. His honor
wearing the same easy smile. was al.
ready listening to the next case. he
fecked OF a stray particle Of SCOT that
had lodged on the big pink in his but
tonhole as he remarked casually:
lis that 20? twenty-five dollars II
will be City the next time"
The Judge nodded blandly to the
prisoner and turned to my neighbor OF
the night the man who had had &c
| much trouble with his head. I was get.
ting very uneasy. That smiling gentle
| man up there on the bench seemed to
have his mind made up about most
| folks beforehand. and 1t didn't seem to
be favorabiy inclined this morning.
was beginning to wonder how many
| months he had me down for already
| It didn't add to my peace OF mind te
see him chatting genially with the ole
/ gentleman and his daughter as he lis
| tened to the poor criminals at the bar
/ His honor went on disposing OF the