The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1918-01-29
WOULD USE RICH
AND POOR ALIKE
Judge Howe of Vermont
Fines Poor Smuggler 81
in New York
WOMAN REQUIRED
TO PAY MINIMUM
Rich Women Previously Had Paid Fines
and Avoided Going to Jail, and Judge
Howe Saw No Reason Why Poor
Should Not Do Likewise.

So man. Brattleboro people had an
opportunity to observe Judge Harland
b. Howe during his conduct of the Wal |
dron sedition case here that the fol
lowing story from the New York Times
of SATURDAY. will doubtless be of I'M
usual local interest:
II believe in ar equitable, conscien-
tious, and religious administration of
the law. | do not believe that there
should be one rule for the rich and an
other rule for the poor. l am not in
clined to treat the rich one way and the
poor another.
Judge Harland B. Howe OF the Fed
eral District Court of Vermont, uttered
the words quoted above from the bench
in the Criminal Branch of the Federal
District Court of New York yesterday
afternoon. The occasion was the enter
ing of pleas of guilty by French wom-
an in modest circumstances, and poor
French steamship steward to an lndlet-
ment which charged the smuggling into
the nlted states OF ftHch lace
valued at about $l20.
The case was called Unexpectedly,
| even to the Judge Immediately follow
| ing the adjournment of the German
| ship-bomb plot trial. The judge was
about to leave the bench when Deputy
marshals entered the courtroom with
the defendants. The woman was Mime.
Erncatine Perrin, charged with receiv-
ing tae smuggled lace. The man was
Vincent lie Bellequic of the crew of
the French liner Espagne, who brought
the lace into the country.
Neither of the defendants speaks
English. Nine. Perrin was accompanied
by her young daughter and seemed
utterly ut a loss as she faced the
Judge The kindly attitude Of Judge
Howe, however, soon put her at ease.
r. As for the steward he did not appear
TO realize what was going on. He also
had d young daughter, who is employed
as nursemaid. with him. For two
weeks, friendleSs and unable to give
bail, the steward had been in the
Tombs, and the expression on his face
was that of man fearful Of his fate,
Assistant United States District At
tornev Joseph A. Burdeau, who repre-
scented the government, briefly outlined
the facts in the case to Judge Howe.
How much was the lace worth that
these poor people are charged with
smuggling into this country?' asked
Judge Howe.
about 700 francs, that is about
1920 in our money Mr.. Burdeau an
swcrod.
For q full minute Judge Howe wait
ed before he asked the next question
lie is in appearance the typical juris
of the old days, even to the moderately
long hair. His accent is all of New
England, and his attitude that of kind
? IL consideration and mercy.
How poor are these people, Judg
4 Howe asked.
He was informed that Nine, Peril
: was in very modest circumstances, tina
r she had only been in America q fey
months, and that she had recent
q opened q small lace shop in West Sixty
I second street, where she sold lace
a made by peasant women VINO hay
= sought refuge in Paris from the region
+ Of France devastated by the Germans.
J. As for the little black -mustache
$ toward, Judge Howe was told that tn
only thing that stands between him an
/, deJtitution is the $40 a month he get
5 from the French line as a steward. II
has a wife and five children dependeu
', on him, the youngest q baby boy {
three months.
e ~ should like to be advised in IN
d ease. What do YOU wish me to do?
j" asked Judge Howe.
y Mr.. Burdeau politely replied that /
did not consider himself called upon /
advise the judge.
"WeH, replied Judge Howe, "a,
= vice has been given to the judge in tt
.. cases of ricA persons who have bee
brought up on smuggling charges, s
why not in a case like this: Do vc
not think that the same rule shoul
apply here? What did the fines il
g posed in the eases of those rich wome
who were in this court some weeks as
amount too
10 The eases Judge Howe had in min
q. as it subsequently, developed, we
II those of Mrs. Whitney Warren al
m Miss Evelyn Byrd Burden, both
in whom pleaded guilty to smuggling goo
J.. into the country. Mrs. Warren W