The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1915-04-26

| OF VcW
! l counted finding good many people in
| the court room. TO my surprise | saw only a
half dozen. They included the Judge. the lawyers
the convicted man and myself. I could hardly be
lieve my eyes. Could city so soon become in
different to the fate Of this man? Or was it merely
tired of the case
| Cities grow tired very easily you must have
| noticed.
| The conference with the judge soon over
The strolled past me, apparently Indifferent
at ease, free air
| | assured myself that the situation was comic
| But somehow | didn't feel like smiling.
| A few weeks later thought about that scene
| was in another court. There big crowd
| Several interesting cases One OF these
| was that OF boy OF about 20, who had been
| found guilty OF robbery. A man had been kind
to him. had given him little money to buy
things he needed Then he had robbed the man.
The kindness preceding the robbery, that was a
distressing feature.
| And yet. couldn't help thinking of the human
nature in the situation. Haven't you ever done
| kindness to people and then had them pay YOU
back with unkndness? Haven't you found that
| some Of the very people you helped were the ones
| who were quickest to make more claims on you
| Haven't people who once accepted kindness from
you treated you afterward shamcfullyo
OF course they have These experiences pro-
vide some Of the hardest discipline of life
| Not that justify that boy. Far from it. But
| saw That he was not distanty related to people
| know. people who would be furious if they were
| called criminals anything OF the sort
When the judge told him to stand up for
sentence | had chance to look at him closely
| He was understood, but he had what seemed to
| me to be pretty good face. When any one who
| is convicted criminal seems to YOU to have a
| pretty good face you may be sure that he really
| has. Your mere knowing that he is a criminal is
almost certain to create prejudice
The judge sentenced the boy to four years in
| prison.
The boy sat down. l kept watching him
could not see in his face the least sign of feel
| ing 1t wore look that might be described as
casual. His checks remained ruddy After a few
| moments he looked ndifferently around the room.
| Then he spoke few words to the man beside
him. and he smiled. A little later I saw him. for
an instant cover his face with his hands
Perhaps he realized. / don't know
saw a man beside the boy draw out some
| handouts. He carclessly slipped ono over his
own wrist. Then the boy held up an arm to
| receive the other.
The two rose together and walked out of the
courtroom.
| The crowd paid attention They were used
| to that sort OF thing.
For the moment | felt as though | had been
| carried back to the Middle Ages
The other offender wore no handouts on the
day when | saw him in court. He was not chained
| TO guardian OF the law. He was so much at
| ease as nc strollcd out that he seemed hardly to
appreciate his liberty any more than you do or
| than | do
When spoke OF Rese things to a cynical law
yer OF my acquaintance. he said contemptuously
Don't you know there is only one crime in IN.
, calendar"
whats that" | ask&
Why the crime of being poor