Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1918-07-12
mo SP|K ENGLISH"
GETS RUDE JOLT
BEFORE CITY COURT
Judge Churchman Finds Proof IN
Row Hearing, That Foreigners
Know the Language.
KNIFE USER FINED Slo

In Citv Court this morning before
Judge Churchman all came out as 10
what happened leading up to the iiioNihE
picture staged outside Every Evening
office last Saturday night when s'anoeu
man chased another down fith S't'''
from Market, and y big crowd t"oh
hand in decorating he locality $ laItdscal,''
Not only was II interesting but 'Ie
hearing served a very uselui phFlSfS' ="
demonstrating that lots of foreigners VINO
declare they can speak no Engilsh' anu
insist upon having interpreters, are rea'y
u1Iite canable OF dong without thtll,
The court has laid down the ruling tha'
Intcrpretcrs shall not hc employed nntSs
II is absolutely impossible to get along
otherwise The principles involved
two, first. If foreigners do not Try ="
acquire the language when they come her''
the American melting pot docs NO, SIV'
it's purpose second testimony thr"uRh
interpreters rarely reaches the hear' o.
case with the dIrcctncss and iuliioSs oi
examination ~ English
The prisoner was Ennco Bernardo VINO
appcarx to have been III thus country
four or five wears hut has come IN con
tact chictl, with people ot hrs own ila-
tion His counsel Philip Garrett, saiu nc
thought il quite Impossible 70 gtC ai"i'E
without an interpreter and judge hhi'
man finally consented 70 permit one 70
serve bernardo. hut insisted that the
character witnesses he wouid S''ii','''''
must stand on their own linguistic legs
And before the hearing was over 'hr
prisoner and tho witnesses showed pretty
conclusiyey that they understood r,nk-
Lsh quite we'll enough to make themselves
n III -,
was said to them Bernardo himself seV-
eral times answered English questions IN
English before they were translated 10
him
The chief prosecuting witness was
James Duncan lie SAID that last
SATURDAY. night he and friend stopped
Tor few minutes IN saloon on Market
street above Fifth to get . drink, that
while at the bar the friend playtuly push
cd him and he bumped INTO bernardo,
who also stood ~ the bar bernardo
pushed him back and SAID something IN
his own tongue, 10 which duncan rcpiieu'
asking him II he was crazy.
A few minutes later Duncan and hls
friend went outside Bernardo turned
M in the street. and there the stahhing
took place. Duncan getting wound IN
the side. .Iamcs Fceiey, man who
happened to see tho cutting, SAID Bernardo
had been in front of Duncan, which,
according 10 the court. indicated that ne
had gone out and waited for Duncan.
After the cutting came Bernardo
flight down Market to Fifth and Shipiey,
where ne was caught
On his part, Bernardo said he had been
IN the saloon and that in the exchange
of words Duncan had saId something 70
the effect that he was = German and
could knock the abode Of His Satanic
Majesty out OF any member Of Ber-
nardo's nation Outside, he said, Duncan
and several Others attacked HIM and ne
used his pocket knife in self-fefence.
Judge Churchman didn't believe the
story and said 50, adJudging the prisoner
guilty. In view Of the good character for
peacefulness gwen Bernardo by half 9
dozen character witnesses imprisonment
was not imposed, hut fine Of 500, as
well as the costs in the case, was ordered
paid