Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1918-07-02
1.-THE CRACK IN THE BELL"
A STORY OF POLITICS IN PHILADELPHIA
By Peter Clark MacfarLane
CHAPTER XLIII (Continued)

Victor did not say that Sylvy was
| beautiful, pure, innocent and wonderful.
| The Judge had already discerned that,
and the hard look that came into his
nature reacted to the implication in VIC
tors indictment against Maldono.
Jacob Aurentsky resented that
| creatures attentions" continued the at
torney. "as his daughter resented them.
Ss you would have resented them. and
| thereby he incurred the enmity Of Joseph
Maldono. within three hours thereafter
a charge. of receiving stolen property
was arrested by a Philadelphia police Of
| ticer. held in a Philadelphia police sta
ton. threatened, sweated and frightened
through half night with the fear of
long term of Imprisonment, to escape
which he was urged to sell his little
grocery store at forced sale. That sale
and the mans scanty savings, all told,
some $500. were extorted from him by
round him that night in Jail, and when
this money had been divided. part of 1t
to Joe Maldono, and part of 1t to the
Philadelphia police magistrate. that
magistrate dismissed the case and Jacob
Aurentsky had been beggared. That was
| his reception by the American institu-
tions of which the District Attorney
spoke so feelingly to the jury.
The effect upon this ardent but un-
| fledged patriot was what we might have
expected it to be. A man of his narrow
experience of life, with his limited vision.
he concluded that America was no better
than that despotism from which he had
come. He became sour, embittered and
distrustful. Efforts of Mr. jeremiah T.
so much time in the last two years to
| try to be neighbor to the humblest citt-
zens of Philadelphia-to help Aurentsky
and punish the men who had robbed him,
were met with rebuffs.
Now, in this state of mind. your
honor, another and more distressing
calamity overlook Aurentsky. a blow
that struck him far deeper than the loss
of his money and his little store. 1t was
the loss Of his little boy. lizzie. as he has
called him just now when so pathetically
revealing fathers heart-broken grief.
lsadore died as hundreds of the children
phia, cut down by bad sanitation, poor
housing and other unhealthy conditions
of residence against which enlightened
citizens have battled for years and in
some respects still in vain.
But Jacob Aurentsky took this death
less resentfully than you and l might
because of his own ignorance. That
grief softened him; 1t ate out the bitter
turned him into doCile lamblike crea-
ture. and for several weeks it appeared
as If Aurentsky was permanently a
changed man. willing to try once more
to restore himself and his family to COM
fort, and willing, even. to give this great
new Republic another trial before he con-
demned it utterly"
Robinson paused as If for breath and
a sympathetic sigh ran round the court
room, which he interrupted by resuming
with:
"On the day on which Jacob Aurent-
| sky committed the crime Of which ne
victed, he went out happily upon his
| business of itinerant merchandising.
True. his little Isadore was gone, but
Aurentsky Is religious man. He had
accepted the consolation of Almighty
! God. and he had cherished a hope of i'm
mortality. Moreover. he was resolved
to do his duty like a man by his chill
dren and his faithful wife. But that
day. about o'clock, in the afternoon.
something happened, something that
with hate: but this time, instead of being
a vague hate. widely directed against the
| inanimate United States of America, 1t
was a clearly defined hate, and it was
Buckingham" and Victor turned and
pointed one long finger toward where
| Buckingham sat, apparently as fasct-
mated by the thrall OF the attorney S
The thing which happened was that
Aurentsky met the doctor who attended
his son in his last illness, and that doc
tor finding Aurentsky cool and collected
would not let him tell him at the time
when his grief was fresh. He told him
that his little son, lsadore, had beer
virtually murdered and he told him
how"
Robinson, keenly sensitive to the dra.
matte values of the situation, paused ant
let his eye wander round the room. pas
Court and jurors. searching every race
among the crowded and breathleSs spec
tators. searching for single one. and a
last appearing to find him.
THAT man is here this morning, and
ask that you, your Honor, before passing
| lie yttilt of
!, call this physician to the bar of th'
Court and hear from his lips the stor.
which he, as matter OF duty, told u
Aurentsky on that unfortunate day.
Doctor Owenbaugh! !" announced Vic
tor.
Doctor Owenbaugh sorted himself on
of the massed spectators and came for
ward bald, round-faced gentleman
with small. shrewd eyes that twinkled II
a kindly fashion from behind glasses.
You attended little Isadore Aurentsk
In his final illness?" asked the Court
peering over his spectacles at the doctor
| Yes, sir"
will you describe for the Court tn
condition in which you found your pa
tlent with regard to the healthfulness o
| the place in which he lived?"
| The doctor detailed the situation, tn
rickety, made-over hive of humanity
with it's three floors, its five families o
a floor. and the water carried to the tor
about uncovered to absorb the pestilen
tial germs af1oat in the air.
The doctor was revealed by his nara
tive as a soft-spoken. conscientious mar
exceedingly careful of his facts, but a
he added one black detail upon anothe
his cheeks became flushed and his utter
ance tnged by the heat of suppresse
feeling
"Then, in your judgment" anticipate
the Court, unable to strain cut of hi
voice the emotions this and Robinson
narrative had aroused. "the death of III
tie Isidore Aurentsky was directly trace
able to the unhealthful condition of III
house in which he was forced to live
Undoubtedly declared the phys
clan with the ring of conviction in h
tones "In my Judgment that hous
is a death trap to its occupants. Cor
ditions there are breeding typhoid germ
enough to infect a whole city"