New Britain herald., 1916-07-27
RAG PEDDLERS FINED FOR STEALING GOODS
Charged With Taking Dozen Pil-
 lows and Some Bed Clothing

Characterizing their excuse as ''too nimsy for even a hot weather story" Judge James T. Meskill in police court this morning found Louis Cutler and Benjamin Goldberg, both rag peddlers guilty of theft and fined each $10 and costs. The men were arrested yes- terday afternoon by Officer Fred Wagner on complaint of Mrs. Eliza Attorney Albert A. Greenberg repre- sented the accused.
 The peddlers were charged with stealing twelve pillows valued at $1 each and a comfortable, valued at $2, from Mrs Atkinson's house at 57 Lin- coin street. The articles were owned by Mrs. Theresa Horton and Mrs. Isabel Ives. Mrs Atkinson testified that she has sold rags to Cutler pre- viously and yesterday he came to her house to buy some moro articles she had for sale. She said she took him into the attic at 57 Lincoln street and showed him a quantity of rags and papers and 0 couple of chairs, which sho sold for $1.5O. She said she did
 
 warned them not to take some pillows and blankets that were not hers.
 She said she also warned them not tC so into a small attic room where there were some pillows, as they be- lOnged to another party. When the men left with their purchases Mrs. Atkinson said Mrs Horton and her nine yoar old son were just entering the yard and the boy saw one of his mothers confortablcs in Goldberg's bundle. He told his mother end Goldberg gave it back. Mrs. Horton said the articles stolen were hers and the pillows were In the attic room where the men would have had to enter ir order to get them. The comfort ! able, she said. was folded up and l lying on the attic stairs. l
 Officer Fred Wagner arrested the ] two men in Gotkins junk shop at 47 l Willow street, where he found the l goods.
 Cutler said he stole nothing and took only what Mrs. Atkinson sold him and watched him bundle up. 1 Goldberg said the same thing and de- clared they took only what was sold | to them. Asked how it was that he 1 came to have the comfortable that l was folded up and lying on the attic stairs, Goldberg glibly remarked that | as he was going down stairs with his l bundle he accidentally dropped it and 1 in picking up the scattered rags he 1 thought he must have accidentally | picked up the comfortable as well. It | was this excuse that the court termed l too flimsy.
 Judge Mesl<ill advised Lawyer Greenberg that he did not care to | hear him make any statement in be- half of his clients unless he wished to 1 argue some points The lawyer wanted | to argue and declared that the case | appeared to him that if there | was anything wrong at all it was only a mistake. He thought, however, that it looked as though Mrs. Atkin- son had sold the men the articles and then changed her mind and wanted to back out of the bargain so she called in the police He re- marked that his clients had taken l the goods directly to a junk dealer to sell them, "as junk dealers do every 1 day. it showed they were innocent, else they would have kept them Hidden until the affair blew over.
 In passing Judgment, Judge Mes kill remarked that the statute pro- vides that all junk dealers must keep their purchased goods at least five days before disposing of them, so if the dealers sold them before that time the reason was sometimes obvious.
 Fined for Striking Baby.
 James Marchesi, a store keeper who owns the house at 10 Franklin street. was fined $3 and cost for strik- ing a three year old baby, Joseph Zadiowski. Children testified that last evening Marchesi came home and as the baby was playing in the front yard struck it severely across the face and head with a folded newspaper. Mar chest said that he is trying to obey the board of health by keeping his yard clean and sanitary and the Zadi- owski children throw rubbish about Last night, he said, the little child threw a broken bottle on the walk and he told him to carry it away. AS he did so he said he tapped him light ly on the head With his paper Judge Meskill told Marchesi that he has no right to punish a child and he