The Evening Missourian. [volume] (Columbia, Mo.) 1917-1920, 1918-09-05
D|STURBERS OF PEACE
ARE NUMEROUS HERE
Police Court Handles Many
Gases of This Kind In
a Year.
CRAP GAMES TOO
In Twelve Months 237
Charges We're Heard By
Judge Edwards.
CRAP GAMES TOO

More persons have been arraigned
before Police Judge NJ. l.. Edwards of
Columbia, during the past twelve
months on a charge Of disturbing the
peace by loud and unusual noise" than
for any other one offense Drunken
ness, speeding, gambling principally
crap shOotingD and stealing are the
next offenseS most common in the or
der named.
Bottlegging is not at all an uncOm-
mon Offense. Owing to the heavy fines
and harsh treatment the booze vendors
receive at the hands of the city Off
Gals, however, liquor selling is grow
ing less profitable and more hazardous
with each succeeding year. One man
was convicted in the Columbia police
court during the past year of selling
intOxicants. namely. one dring of whis-
ky to another man for 10 cents. He
was fined $500 and costs of the court.
237 Cases In One Year.
The police court docket of Columbia
shows 237 cases tried the past year.
beginning September l, 1917, or an
average business of one unlawful Of
Tense committed and tried a day, six
days a week. Fines, with cost, to the
sum OF $3,62460 have been imposed by
Police Judge Edwards in the past
twelve months, the largest being $500
and costs for bOOtlegging
All the fines imposed, of course. are
not paid. Ii man is unable to pro-
duce the amount of his fine he may
hibernate, that is, lay out" his fine III
the city jail. In this case he gets feed
and is given credit for his time at the
rate of one dollar day. Thus, if a
man is convicted of stealing three
chickens valued at $3.50 each and |
fined S33.25. including costs, as one
case on the court docket actually |
shows, he must stay in Jail little |
more than thirty-three days, unless |
he can beg, borrow or steal the mon
ey with which to pay his fine.
Fines vary in amount, owing to the |
nature and degree of the offense, but.
in general, the following fines are i'm
posed at the Columbia police court for
the three named most common Of
lenses: For disturbing the peace.
anywhere from 81 to 81 and costs. or
Imprisonment in the Jail not exceed
ing six months. but commonly So and
costs, or $13.25; for drunkenness, 81
and costs or 1925; for running a car
in reckless manner, all the way from
S. to $25 and costs, or more, but
most commonly S.. so or SIS and
costs.
Cost OF Conducting the Court.
The costs of police court proceed
ing in Columbia are $S25 if the de-
PENDANT pleads guilty, of which 1925
goes to the police judge, s. to the city
attorney and 81 to the marshal-pro- :
vided the man is convicted. OF these :
three officers, only the police judge $
receives a fixed salary. His fees are !
turned into the city treasury.
That Columbia has a way of getting
rid of undesirable citizens was brought /
out in a case last October when l
man was convicted of drunkenness in e
a public place and in public view and
lined S10S.25, including costs The
court withheld the fine on condition
he man left town and should not re-
urn within the succeeding twelve
months. Tramps, when arraigned be-
ore the police court, are frequently
disposed of in the same manner. c
-Four cases in which the charge was I,
ARRIVING of concealed weapons came y
before Judge Edwards court last year. c
Each time a fine of $5S25, including
,osts, was imposed v
Several cases of crap shooting" a
we're tried and fines of 1925, includ- c
ng costs, imposed upon conviction. C
Jne man was fined the same amount s.
or. resisting a peace officer. U
Neither the very cold nor the very h
warm months of the year seem to be es-
'eclally conducive to unlawfulness.
he largest number of cases are re-
'orted for May and June. The num-
YER of cases reported in September,
Sl7 were Is, October, 81, November.
y, December, 13, January 1918, IA
ases, February, %, March, II, April,
, Nav 2O luna u INV "a opd