The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1920-03-27
TOPEKA STATE JOURNAL
Information Bureau
FREDERIC j. HAsKIN. Director.
Washington, d. c.
DEFENDING THE room.

an innocent stew in the midst of your
assembled family, a detective suddenly
appeared on the scene and arrested
! you on the charge of having shot and
probably fatally wounded a man. Sup
pose that this revelation came as a
complete surprise to you, but that
upon being dragged to the hospital
where the injured man lay, you were
| identified by him as the guilty party.
Suppose then, that your only alibi was
'he word of your family, with whom
| you were quietly playing checkers at
the time the man was shot, and that
this alibi was not considered sufficient
by the guardians of justice. What
would you do?
| This is what happened to a young
workman here, not long ago, and he
found that he could do practically
nothing. If he had possessed a large
bank account. there would have been
several favorable courses open to him,
but his possessions consisted only of a
wife and three young children.
The wife did what she could. how
ever. Accompanied by her children,
she went to the nearest branch of the
New York Legal Aid society, and told
| her story to one of its attorneys. The
attorney made her tell it several times,
and, at last convinced that she spoke
the truth and that her husband was
innocent, he decided to take the case.
1t proved to be a difficult one. The
injured man had told his story, and he
intended to stick to it, but after a des-
perate fight, the Society's attorney was
able to pick sufficient flaws in it to
convince the jury that the workman
was not guilty.
Fortunately for those who are I'M
able to afford the advice and assis-
lance of expert attorneys, a very eff
cient Legal Aid society exists here,
III.
every year. Begun as a German So
ciety for helping German immigrants
secure justice, in 1876, it has since
grown into a large organization, with
five branches in various sections of
the city and a sixth one in Brooklyn,
which recently had to be closed for
lack of funds. For the society, of
course. is a philanthropic affair. 1t
does the best it can as long as private
subscriptions last, but its activities
must cease Immediately as soon as
these are exhausted.
Unlike most charitable organiza-
tons, the offices of the New York Le-
gal Aid society are dingy, poverty
stricken suites in the most inexpensive
buildings the locations possess. The
headquarters on lower Broadway, con-
sists of about three small rooms,
crowded with moth-eaten furniture,
legal documents, attorneys, investiga-
tors and clerks. all getting in each
others way, while the reception room
provided for the clients in a space
five feet by four containing two an
c1ent and battle-scarred benches,
which are usually crowded with for
lorn-looking applicants for justice.
The other day, the first applicant
summoned for consultation by the at
torney in charge was widow in
burst into loud sobbing as she at
tempted to repeat her story. The at
torney already knew a part of 1t. She
had been in the office a few mornings
before to complain that her husbands
family would not let her attend his
funeral. He had died at his mothers
house. and the mother-in-law who
had not been on good terms with the
wife for some time, refused to let her
come to the house. Now, however.
she was in receipt of a bill for the
funeral expenses, which the mother
in-law was quite willing for her to
pay.
"The undertaken. he want his mon
ey, and he make a row" she told the
attorney. What shall I do?"
Nothing" said the attorney brief
ly. IF he sues, just come to US. Next
case. please"
The fearful widow was ushered out.
and the next applicant "A small boy of
twelve. wearing entirely too worried
an expression for a boy of his age.
u
attempt at a smile.
How'd it come out?" he asked,
striving to keep his voice steady.
I'All right, Tony, all right" said the
attorney reassuringly. you can stay
right on with your grandmother"
Tony, the attorney later explained. is
a young mariner whose great-grand-
father kept a boathouse on the Harlem
river. and for the past four or five
Somewhere in the offing Tony had a
father who made his existence known
by occasional grumblings, but the
storm did not break until the ancient
and his great-grandmother were left
in sole possession. Then the father
suddenly appeared on the scene with a
writ of habeas corpus for his son.
The Legal Aid society was consulted
in regard to the case by a customer
of Tcny's. ana it's attorney was on
hand to speak for the great-grand-
mother at the hearing before the
judge. But it was really Tony him
self who settled the case. After listen
ing patiently to the learned discourse
of his fathers counsel on the common
law rights of a father. Tony said in a
weary voice. ASK the judge If he ever
heard of a great-grandmother running
a boathouse!" The judge looked at
the helpless, excited old woman seated
beside Tony and decided that If he
ever did. a great grandson would be
needed to help her.
The cases handled by the society
rarely entail the collection of large
sums of money, but the attorneys
realize that to the poor a small sum is
as precious as a large amount Is to
the rich, and they will haggle just as
valiantly for ten or fifteen dollars as
an uptown attorney argues for a thou
sand. As all but about one-tenth OF
the total number of cases are settled
out of court, most of this haggling is
done in the offices of the society. One
of the most desperate bouts of this sort
occurred the other day in the society's
Harlem branch when Sam a tailor.
appeared to contest the complaint of
young woman who declared that he
had ruined a new evening dress, pur-
chased with the savings of many