Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1915-01-29
SEEK LIBERTY TO
LOOK FOR WORK
Assemblage in Night Police
Court Is Actuated by Fervid
Desire to Nail Jobs
COURT USUALLY AGREES
Petty Offenders Escape SEN
tences by Promises to Con-
meet With Employment

1t is an earnest Industrious assem-
blage of workingmen, or of men whose
intense desire it is, at least, to work
and do nothing else the livelong day,
that gathers occasionally of a night
in the office of Chief of Police w. j.
Seaman Tuesday night, for instance,
you might have asked Axel Lake,
Axel Ranstrand, Pat Driscoll Ed
Swanson, George Buchanan or George
Miller what each wished most to do
and the answer would have been,
"Work."
In fact, the query was put to every
one of the sextet by Police Judge
Snider-not exactly in that form, it
is true; for the mere presence of
the men in Seaman's Office, somehow,
seemed to have imbued the court with
the idea that they did not want to
toll. Hence, the court was apt to
ask why the individual did not work
or when he was going to work. 1t
amounted to the same thing in the
end, however, for the most incredu-
lous must have been convinced from
the fervor of the answers, that the
two Axels, the two Georges and Pat
and Ed lacked but one thing to make
their happiness complete-a job.
Axel Lake, charged with having
been drunk and disorderly, was assess
ed SIS, and like fine was imposed
upon his friend, Axel Ranstrand, who
had interfered, according to the
charge, with the arresting officers.
That cleared the stage for Pat Dris-
coll.
Mr.. Driscoll, If the police blotter
might be believed, had dallied with
the wine cup. Actually, of course, he
was looking for a job when he was
arrested and it was an unimportant
detail that he had picked up few
drinks and flask during his search
So Mr.. Driscoll, in a mellifluous, melt
ing brogue, assured Judge Snider, who
heaved a sigh and let Mr.. Driscoll
go. There was corollary to the arti
cles of immunity, attached by the
court, to the effect that Mr.. Driscoll
should start for Polson's camp by the
next street car.
That left the two Georges and Ed
Swanson sitting on the horsehair sofa
that serves as the prisoners dock
in the Aberdeen night police court.
Swanson, young Swede of prepos
sessing and cleanly appearance, was
charged with drunkenness and he
cheerfully admitted the truth of the
charge. 1t cost him $40 but, the fine
paid, Swanson was free to chase the
job awaiting him outside.
OF the two Georges, Buchanan was
the most enthusiastic in his desire
for a job. In fact, the police, when
they arrested him, declared Buchan
an had carelessly interfered with the
negotiations that would have resulted
in his immediate connection with re
munerative employment. Buchanan
wore a gray beard, which he combed
with his fingers as he talked, and he
was polite in the extreme, even wher
correcting delusions on the part of the
police as to his movements, or in
ertia, in Aberdeen, which had inspir
ed the placing of a charge of vagrancy
against his name on the police blotter
But the neat gray beard, the rest
lessly combing fingers, the smooth
plausible tongue were alike ineffa
cious. Infected, possibly by the al
legged vagrant's manner, court and tes
tifying officers refrained from stric
lures over the defendants past record
His explanation of begging on the
street, that 1t was joke. and Of hit
connection with q recent theft of 9
pair Of shoes, that 1t simply didn'
exist, was not contradicted; but Blu
chanan was suffered to 90 only on thu
strict understanding that he depar
from Aberdeen on the Owl train.
Miller, too, wore beard, but it prob
ably was due to Observation-Disclosures
He looked as II he had forgotten tt
shave for the past few days. Th'
court limited that he was in DANCE
of forgetting how to work, as well
Miller simply couldn't understand hov
the police obtained the impression tina
he had beaten local lodging houses on
Of his room rent. He remembers,
working for a spell some time aroun,
the November elections and agrees
with the court that II he looked .bi
harder he might find another Job. o.
the whole Miller seemed pretty wei
content with a-sentence for vagranc!
LOT 15 days.