The Washington times., 1924-01-09
DC Utilities Companies to Be Investigated
WITH THE
ALIBI
ARTISTS
THE TRAFFIC COURT
IN CROSS SECTION
Read 'En1 and Worry
Being q Skeleton Record Of
Cases Tried In Judge
6chuldt's Tribunal
By DONALD McDOUGAL


Il Cases Tried In Judge
Schuldt's Tribunal i
By DONALD McDOUGAL.
Something Doing ON Main Street.
"A five-ton truck slammed .
delivery wagon at 9th and Penn.
sylvania avenue, where I was
directing traffic yesterday after
noon about 4 o'clock, your honor.
had just finished making q re-
port Of the occurrence when an
elderly gentleman left the load
ing platform and started toward
the sidewalk.
BOOb's CFOssrOad.
There was a wet place in the
street where the trucks radiator
was emptied, and he hesitated
there a moment. A Dodge sedan
crossed 9th street at about 40
miles an hour, hit the old man,
and knocked him up in the air.
/ pulled out my book again and
noted the sedan's license number.
The gentleman had come down
by that time, and landed on the
ra0latOr OF the OOOSe.
A Snappy Session.
The machine stopped then, and
some bystanders helped me to lift
the victim off. Then the Dodge
started up and I jumped In. The
car smelled like bootleggers'
convention, and reached over
and grabbed the defendants col
lar. He reached over and shut
the door. He speeded up with a
Jerk and sat down with a crash.
when / got my balance again
the speedometer was showing 20
and going up. Twenty-Five. thirty,
thirty-five-it reminded me OF an
auction sale.
The City Of Sudden Death.
'sI kept hands off the wheel be-
cause, at the speed we were max
ing. the least swerve would have
thrown us against other vehicles
or UP on the sidewalk, which
was crowded with people. A sud
den plunge into that throng
would have killed about as many
people as were mangled IN the
Knickerbocker crash, and dlon
want to go through anything ike
that again.
There was a lady on the load.
ing platform at Eleventh street.
and she was leading a little girl
about three years old. The little
one had a Christmas doll Rugged
in her arms. I felt relieved when
they stepped on the car track,
because / didn't know whether
the defendant was going to run
over the platform or not.
"A machine ahead Of US OBJ
structed the space between the
platform and the curb, and the
defendant swerved to the car
track. He was evidently figuring
on the pedestrians getting out Of
the way before we reached them.
In the center of the roadway the
child stumbled and dropped her
doll.
1.-The mother stopped to pick
up the toy, and saw us about
thirty feet away, and the speed
ometer was flirting with forty.
The footwork she displayed win
stand forever as a worlds rec
ord. Jack Dempsey never did
anything like it. I saw her leave
the ground as she jumped out Of
our way, dragging the child like
the tail of kite, but never did
see her come down.
THE speedometer was climbing
all the time-forty, forty-five,
fifty-"going, going" said tn NV.
anvf anA NNyhA~
bound Fourteenth street car
stalled in the middle Of the Av.
enue, I thought we were gone,
sure enough.
"The defendant appeared to be
a typical violator-pretty careful
where his own hide was concern.
ed, but none too particular about
others. He jammed on his brakes
and skidded into the street car
at about thirty miles an hour.
The whole time, from. when I
jumped into the sedan until I
began splitting gasoline out of
my mouth, was a shade under
forty seconds"
Boob. II have pleaded guilty to
the charges, your honor. and I
ask for mercy"
The court: II don't under.
stand how you can have the eff.
frontery to ask for mercy. You
violated every traffic regulation
that 1t was possible. to violate
under the circumstances, and en-
dangered the lives Of many peo.
pie. It IL a mystery to me why
you were not charged with reck-
less driving. Thirty days straight
jail sentence for driving while
drunk"
Won't your honor let me pay
a fine?"
Certainly. You can pay a fine
Of $500"
"Will your honor give me q
few days to get the money!"
II have already given you thir.
ty days. / regret that the law
does not allow me to give you
any more.
My sentence IL thirty days and
$500, then?"
THAT is part Of It. For speed
ing you can pay q fine Of $50;
for colliding with the pedestrian
and the street car, $40 each;
and tor disobeying the Oeelcor's