Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1915-12-01
POLICE FEED STARVING
TAILOR AND FAMILY,
THEN ARREST HIM
Kindness Softens Stern Hand
of Law When Bluecoats See
Sad Plight of Man Ac-
cused of Larceny
NOTHING TO EAT, NO FIRE
Serving of Warrant Deferred Until
These Painful Deficiencies Are
Repaired

A man who had the good luck to have
an overcoat and the even better luck Of
having the money to get it pressed occa-
sionally took it to tailor to have 1t fixed
up. When It was not delivered he had a
warrant sworn out for the tailor's arrest
and two policemen, Stauffer and Royle
cheerfully went to the home of the tailor.
whose name is Antonio Napoleon, to ar
rest him.
There they knocked on the door of the
little house at 5l20 Pentridgc street. Ma
poleon came to the door.
"Are you Napoleon" asked Stauffer,
briskly.
"Oh, yes" said the man, who looked
haggard. and he let them in without re-
grets about the fix he was in. But the
policemen saw things that made them
delay the business of capturing the un-
fortunate Napoleon and conducting him
to a cell On the floor, for instance. they
saw six children huddled together under
a blanket to keep warm.
1t seems that the tailor who made
clothing for other people had not been
able to provide clothing for his children.
Mrs. Napoleon sat on u chair. listess,
her hands in her lap. The family had not
had a meal for "a hours 1t was neces-
sary to arrest the husband but Srauffer
nAu Olncf lnlnBS 70 40 lliSt. foT eAHln-
pie, to get coal. There wasn't n scrap
of coal in the house, which was precisely
the same temperature as the outer air.
So the policeman bought several buckets
of coal and made n fire i'm the kitchen
range. around which the children, who
used to be out playing all day before
their father failed at his tailoring, imme-
diately assembled, holding their hands to
the small stove, which soon began to
a fylO pf n
Stauffer piled on his coal.
But while this was going on tho other
policeman was not idle. Roylc was out
buying something to cat. He got milk,
because the youngest of the tailorS six
children Is only 8 months old and is
sick from lack of proper food. He bought
also bread and canned soups aud all the
things he could think of that heat up
quickly when placed upon a stove.
Soon there was n meal i'm the kitchen
OF the NapoleOns. in the rear of the little
house on Pentridgc street The two po-
licemen presided. and ladlcd out the
soups and crackers to the children-the
five that can walk are between . and
2 years of agC--whie Mrs. Napoleon
grabbed the milk and fed the silent baby,
who was too weak even to whimper for
his food.
There was enough for the tailor
Napoleon to eat, too, for the policemen
were feeling flush and had spread them
selves, and after that they talked about
the decline in the tailoring business and
how u man like Napoleon, try as he will
to get along in life can fail, most
miserably and forlornly, and not have a
friend to turn to, and yet must live on
TO see his children starvc and huddle like
rats I'm an old blanket to keep warm.
There was a silence.
well, l suppose We'll have to go" said
Stauffer, and brought forth the warrant,
H,l, coll hot Ant,
was accused of the larceny of an over
coat, as bailee, and Napoleon laughed and
went out with the policemen into the
street, where, whew! how the wind blew
through his rags. lie was taken to City
Hall to face the charge last night