Newark evening star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1909-1916, 1914-05-28
FEARS SWORDOF
JUDGE De MEZA
But Seunas MacManus Says
Some Things About
Courts Ruling.

The Evening Star has received TIE
following communication from Set
mas McManus. the author and story
teller. who lives at "a Crescent eye
nue., Plainfeld, \. J.:
Dear Sir:
Because Of some ambiguous and
some erroneous reports regarding my
arrest, which went out last week. dee
injury viii be done me in the minds e
a multitude who do not know me per-
sonally. ] want 10 ask Of you the
/ particular favor Of your publishing
the letter inelose. which letter. be-
sides giving some material facts that
we're omitted from the news reports.
also conveys 10 the public The most
/ highly amusing verdict ever delivered
from the bench, even in jersey.
IF Ibid not know. as 7 DO, that
have suffered much harm from mi.s-
taken ideas conveyed by the meagre
or ambiguous accounts in the press. !
would not press you 10 dc me this
great favor.
81 shall be earnestly thankful 10
you for the helpful kindness.
Yours faithfully,
"SEUMAs NacMAN U.s.
The letter inc1osed reads.
.Seumas MacManus's sentence:
ITO the Editor;
Dear sir-Will you let me FIX pub
lie attention upon a verdict that Is
going to be famous in future centuries
and in worlds yet unmapped even by
Mr.. Roosevelt. After a number OF
praiseWorthy burglaries had been
4
I town of Plainfield (where [ am lem
porarily hanging out my shingieJ, a
policeman, bent upon yindieating the
efficiency OF the force, saw me, an
eminently OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES person
returning from the Dostoffice one
| night, cross the quiet tree-shadea
avenue on which I reside. directly 10
! the house that has the honor of hold
ing me, then saunter up and down
in front of my house "a highly suspj-
cious action TO which ] am prone)
pause once or twice in the path a.
poetic eestacy) and resume the suspi-
cioos exercises again. From the saad-
ows opposite, the vigilant guardian Of
the law suddenly pounced upon his
prey, demanding where the pr
lived df he lived anywhere1 and what
was his name. The humor Of the sit
uation so amused me, that the police,
man considered the majesty Of the
law, as represented in his august per
son. vilely outraged. l joked my per
sistent companion up and down the
! block, his temper got the better Of
him. and he arrested me. For charge.
he was able TO recall the morning
after, that 1 had called him in loud
and profane language a qualified fooi
the profanity being expended on the
| Qualification. The real fact is that
had forgotten to name him so.
His chief, when he found what mad
happened. in the kindliest, most gen
tlemanIy spirit, and with the most
| praiseworthy object, tried to have the
| thing quieted, but, in the interest OF
| justice, I refused, and insisted upon
| the matter going into open court.
TT is fortunate that I did so. For
/ 1t has resulted in legal history being
enriched by q verdict which for acu-
men and brilliancy, takes precedence
1 Of any legal announcement in the
worlds history from the days of Dog
/ berry TO those of Plainheld police
! Judge DeMeza-a verdict that win
| outrival and relegate to obscuritv
! even the famous one of the Arkansas
| jury, who found the prisoner guilty
of murder in the first degree. because.
though he hadn't killed the victim, he
had a year before stolen the foreman's
gray mare. This wonderful verdict
which will command the admiration
| and awe of legal luninaries yet un-
born, and which is destined to go
down to dim posterity in the bright
annals of Jersey Jurisprudence. was
I find you not guilty of disorderls
conduct. as charged. and the case IS
| dismissed; but continued the grave
gentleman on the bench, as you
should have given your name to the
officer, I find you guilty of indiscre-
| ton and suspend SENTENCED
Now, where is that audacious fell
low who said that fiction was stranger
than fact7
''Tremblingly sitting under the sus-
pended sword of DeMeza, the wise
and wonderful, am, yours faithfully.
"SEMUS MacMANCS"