The courier-index., 1919-12-19
HELD IN M0ckERY
Kangaroo Courts" Insti,u,.. 1. Australian convIcts,
'r'sor'rs at Botany Bay s,s. :. :. invented Idea to ReIl.v. ..s .' A'w "'sony sa,y .' Their Existence.
 Spread to United st,..s

Kangaroo court i. m
 which, however strange if uae rnDress'n sneiayman, is familiar to most as ,, pc s states $ marshals, post office I0s i0sasa ualtsd anu anu, the the, police forces of large Desap s,,.7 remarks writer in the petre', s. slues What 1t really stands for e,, is orn,ss' Ssss oy a post office inspector who pa'led ha a much experience with offenaas' aas had criminals. ''iuers and
 IL appears that in a numhsr :. larger prisons in this country ths VI as oners, from time to timo "e prls toned to hold what they call k.n,'''l assas' court, and that every notorious a'ssioe s'' inai in the United States ;s s'la'' not only familiar with the fern ''ss " has mo doubt presided often aa.s o., 0as as Judge or prosecuting attornsv ', this relation, or perhaps has been t,,.a ' for some of the numerous ,as 1 charges that are preferred aga,n.. those who have the misfortune s' to x haied before such tribunal "
 Such court Is held only in <. great prisons of the country. he,ss % entirely unknown in the country ,s,,s
 The institution of kangaroo oas-. -. seems to date back some 40 yes,s ' the United States.
 In the days when Australia =. . penal colony the convicts at Rot.,. Bay. by way of amusing themse,y,. and relieving the mOnotony of nrso. life. used to organize sort of moct court at which the shrewdest and ott. en the worst criminals of the hi ,,.. sided as judge. while others acted ]. jurymen. prosecuting attorneys, bail. ifs. criers and the like
 At such trials the prisoners wes wont to take on recent arrivals from England on all manner of mock charges. such as snoring too loudly washing their faces with soap, and . on. If 1t was found that among tho batch of newcomers, conyicts just from the old country, there were sey- eral who possessed money, court VII immediately convened and the ons suspected of having funds were haled up on the charge of having red hair wearing box-toed shoes.
 The trial was held with mock grah- ty and decorum. and in the end the prisoner would be found guilty and fined whatever amount he was known to have on his person for the ofenss charged. The money thus obtained would be divided among the old, long term convicts, who would buy tobacco and other luxuries with 1t, while tho victim of this form of extorton would have no recourse except to await tho time when he himself got chance to preside as judge or sit on the ]ur at the trial of some new arrival
 It was called kangaroo court because in those days the Botany Bay cenvlcu spoke of themselves as kansaroos' an animal very abundant, as eyeryOod! knows, in Australia.
 The institution. as well as the te'ln' travelled from Australia to Englanu' whither it was brought by returning Botany Bay convicts, whose terms aaa expired. It had short liIe ln luS land, however, where it was speeulu discovered by the jailers ana tulD,''' and broken up; but 1t was not i0us afterward that it found its way my the prisons of the United States wn''' it has remained ever since.