Evening star., 1925-06-28

his masculinity was not much
in evidence, it is true: he
would perhaps better be de-
scribed as a person" but he
undoubtedly came under that general
heading and was so classified in the
court record. He was a small. some
what shriveled, somewhat wrinkled
American. who had been living along
for probably 80 years.
His body looked as if il had been
left by accident in his suit the last
time it went to the tailor's and press
ed out with hot, heavy irons to its
present sharpness. His face was
merely a face. 1t was the kind OF
face that makes up crowds. gray in
color, with ears that shrank back
against the head as if fearing the
clamor of the city, and with the tired.
tired eyes of one whose forebearS
have been underdogs for 5000 years.
Brought into the dock between two
towering Celts in executive blue he
seemed like the representative Of a
long extinct race, a very tagged out
caught poaching on a buttercup in
Central Park.
What's your nance"
stuart
Stuart what"
Charles David Stuart"
The clerk recorded it without COM
ment in the book of little crimes and
great mistakes.
'Age?"
Thirty"
''Occupation?"
Might cashier"
The clerk paused and looked at the
Judge. The judge yawned
'Wha's charger" he asked.
THE charge is"--the clerk looked
down at the notation in his hand
the charge is that he pushed a lady
in the face
Pleads guilty."
Yes"
The preliminaries were not disposed
or. Charles David Stuart, looking
very harmless and uneasy. was on
trial for assault and battery.
The evidence disclosed. rather to
the judges surprise, that the lady
whose face had been pushed was not
the defendants wife.
On the contrary, the victim was an
absolute stranger; the prisoner had
never seen her before in his life.
His reasons for the assault had been
two-frst, that she talked during a
theatrical performance, and, second.
that she kept jogging the back of
his chair with her knees. When this
had gone on for some time he had
turned around and without any warn
ing pushed her severely in the face.
Call the plaintiff said the judge,
sitting up little in his chair. Let's
hear what she has to say
); = y !:
THE courtroom, sparsely crowded
and unusually languid in the hot
afternoon. had become suddenly alert
Several men in the back of the room
moved into benches near the desk and
a young reporter leaned over the
cler's shoulder and copied the de-
PENDANTS name on the back of an
envelope.
The plaintiff arose. She was a
woman just this side Of so. with a
determined, rather overbearing face
under yelloWish-White hair. Her dress
was a dignified black and she gave
the impression of wearing glasses;
indeed, the young reporter, who be-
lieved in observation, had so de-
scribed her in his mind before he
realized that no such adornment sat
upon her thin, beaked nose.
1t developed that she was Mrs.
George D. Robinson of Riverside
Drive. She had always been fond
Of the theater and sometimes she went
TO the matinee. There had been two
ladies with her yesterday-her cousin,
who lived with her, and a Miss
Ingles. Both ladies were in court.
This is what had occurred:
AS the curtain went up for the
first act a woman sitting behind had
asked her to remove her hat. Mrs.
Robinson had been about to do SO
anyhow, and SO she was a little an
noyed at the request and had re-
marked as much to Miss Ingles and
her cousin. At this point she had
first noticed the defendant, who was
sitting directly in front, for he had
turned around and looked at her
quickly in q most insolent way. Then
she had forgotten his existence until
just before the end of the act, when
she made some remark to Miss
Ingles. when suddenly he had stood
up, turned around and pushed her in
the face.
WAS it a hard blow" asked the
judge at this point.
"A hard blow" said Mrs. Robinson
indignantly. II should say it was. L
had hot and cold applications on my
nosesall night
=. "On her nose all night" This echo
came from the witness bench, where
Two faded ladies We're leaning forward
eagerly and nodding their heads in
confederation"
Were the lights on?" asked the
Judge.
No. but every one around had seen
the incident and some people had
taken hold of the man right then and
there.
This concluded the case for the
plaintiff. Her two companions gave
similar evidence, and in the minds
of every one in the courtroom the