Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-09-27
.SKAT|NGNOT ILLEGAL
Accompanying Nuisance Con-
stitutes the 0ffense.
CASES IN JUVENILE COURT
Seventeen Year.O Old Boy Forfeits Col
lateral in Police Court.
DENIES HE WAS DISORDERLY
by Assistant Corpora
ton Counsel-Roller Skating
Not Under Police Ban.
CASES IN JUVENILE COURT
DENIES HE WAS DISORDERLY

| The fate of children who skate on
| Washington streets is hanging in the
| balance at the Juvenile Court, where
| two boys of sixteen years have been
| charged with unlawful assembly be-
| cause they happened to be part of a
| crowd of skaters. The two boys are
| Leroy Linkins of 210s l street north
| west and James Parrott of 1914 22d
| street. The case s to be decided by
| Judge De Lacy this afternoon. The
| complaining officer Policeman Thomp-
son of the third precinct, made the
| arrest.
| The boys said before court met this
afternoon that they We're not skating, al
though nothing salu about skating in
the information winch John VI. George.
assistant corporation counsel, made out
against the two boys
The matter is OF great interest at this
time. because OF Juage DE Lacy's recent
announcement that young people skating
after dark on the streets OF washington
would be liable to punishment for d4sor-
! derry conduct. When the papers in the
case OF the two boys on triai this after
noon were. first made out the boys were
charged with disorderly conduct. put that
was changed to a charge OF unlawful as
sembly.
Assistant Corporation Counsel George
said this afternoon that skating in itself
does not constitute an OffenSe in any
sense of the word. but that where
crowds of children cOngregate and make
nuisances of themselves. or where COM
plants have been made against them or
where they block sidewalks, they will be
prosecuted.
Denies There Was Disorder.
| Roger I4ansdale. the seventeen-year-old
| roller skater Who with his two younger
associates. Linkins and Parrot. was ar
rested last night, charged with disorder
ly conduct as result of Judge De Lacy's
recent announcement. forfeited IS col
lateral in the Police Court this morning.
According to young Lansdale he and his
two friends were skating on the asphalt
streets in the vicinity of Washington
Circle. What disorder there was, he de-
clared, could only have been laughter or
rapid skating
Dung Lansdale did not appear in court.
The policeman was there for few mo-
| ments to nile the charge and formally
swear to it.
No Orders From Police Department.
No orders have been issued by Mai
Sylvester. superintendent of police, re-
garding roller skating. 1t is not likely
| that there will be. Maj. Sylvester this
afternoon declared that to attempt to re-
strain boys and girls from the use of the
streets would, in his opinion, be a peril
Gus undertaking.
In all cases of children's offenses of a
minor nature said Maj. Sylvester. 1.-The
police have instructions. to report first
TO the parents or guardians of the chill
dren before taking summary action
The police have high regard and
feeling for the welfare of the children
and that which makes for. health is
their greatest welfare. 1t is to be re-
GREETED that children do not always
take the advice of policemen, or their
parents instruct them SO to do. for
there would De less trouble and fewer
accidents.
In congested sections of the city
the police have had little difficulty in
clearing the streets of crowds or
throngs of roller skaters, which was
children. The rights of the children
will be carefully preserved as will
those of other people, so far as the po-
lice are concerned.
The danger to life and limb makes a
serious situation for the children in
streets where they congregate in num-
bers and then 1t is that the police can
step in and dissemble or break up such
congregations.
las to the general restraint of children
from the use of the streets. to require it,
in my opinion, would be to enter upon a
perilous undertaking. There have been
no recent orders on this subject by the
| head of the police department"
Roller Skating Not Illegal.
A boy Of seventeen years or more need
have no fear that he will be sentenced in
the Police Court for roller skating, as
Gus A. Schuldt, assistant corporation
counsel, dismissed the matter with a few
words this morning, saying that he was
i
| and that a child on roller skates did not
look very terrible to him.
Skating in itself is not violation of
any law in the District of Columbia" the
prosecuting attorney explained. Il do
not think any information will be made
out against a youth in this court, where
all he had done Is to skate on the streets
| at night
There are cases where skating consti-
tutes a menace to people the street
| at night When hundreds of skaters take
possession of smooth sidewalk and SIM
| ply crowd pedestrians on into the street,
that is another matter, and constitutes
| unlawful assembly, which is punishable
in the Police Court.
j But skating-Just skating-is not
crime, and no policeman ought to take up
his time and mine trying to make out
case If the boys have been complained
against, or warned to keep away from
certain neighborhoods because they both
err people, 1t is a little more serious.
| But skating is not q crime"
Considered by Commissioners.
The preceding board Of Commissioners
had the matter of skating under serious
consideration at one time. The subject
was brought up by the injury to an ell
derby woman on East Capitol street,
where crowd of several hundred skat-
ers had taken possession of the grano-
lithic pavement on East Capitol street,
south side. between LIST and I'd streets.
1t was finally decided that the power
of the Commissioners to make q regula-
ton prohibiting skating was considerably
in doubt An effort was made by some
one to call a skate a vehicle" and put
| q child on skates in the same class with
a wagon, but that failed. and after much
talk on the subject the Commissioners
! nHi Slxofa