Evening star., 1927-10-02
dG.I1


plays with them is bound to break
one now and then. And il he gets
caught in he comes with the cfoWd
TO Madame Justices house party.
These are rather informal affairs.
The formalities of court procedure
are gone through. it is true. but hur-
ricdly and carelessly. There is no
need of the psychological effect
which is the design of judicial ritual
These are, of course, laws of the
same family as laws concerning
murder ana robbery. But IN them
the dignity Of the family has de-
generated almost to the vanishing
point.
TAKE a typical Saturday evening IN
l. Traffic Court. Those in the seats
-uolicemen, defendants, witnesses
and mere curiosity seekerS-hafel!
edge themselves into standing po-
sitions when Judge Macdonald enters
and takes his place under the maroon
draperies surmounted by the spread :
winged eagle. "ONez. ONez. oNeZ---.
the clerk drones the ancient ritual OF
seats of Justice. the same in Trafflt
Court as in the highest tribunal IN
the land. very languidly.
This clerk. by the way. adds vel
come touch of color to the scene. she
wears a bl ilhant red dress and smiles
plca sanity. The judge himself smiles
this is pleasant business before him
compared to that of listening 10 the
sordid, pathetic stories of the undef
world which come before police tfi'
bunal. He is not very enthusiastic
about spending the evening here, bu'
since he has come. he will make the
best of it and try to have all the
guests leave III good humor.
Nearly every one acts as his or her
own LAWYER. There are no technicali
ties to be argued over. Ninety-nine
per cent of the defendants are guilty
and they know it. 1t isn't any refec'
ton on their characters nor worth ly'
ing about. SO business proceeds eXpe
ditiously. If it didn't. Traffic Court
wouldn't be a practical institution.
The first to come before the bench
is a neatly dressed colored girl with
a sparkling jewel in her black hat and
her blue serge suit trimmed with
W hite. She looks like an efficient ste
nographer. She is accused of driving
through a safety zone on Eleventh
street. She didn't know she did it, she
tells Judge Macdonald. until the mo.
tor cycle policeman ordered her to pull
up to the curb and told her about it.
Really, she doesn't think she's guilty.
1.-THE judge studies her face intently
Tor a moment, and she looks him in the
eye He is satisfied. That face is
quite different from the type he looks
upon during the routine of a Police
Court day.
>1% ;~>I- sn-o lou Il l.
he says, smiling kindly. "Ill take
your personal bond"
The colored girl leaves the room
smiling. 1t has been quite an adven-
ture, and she will exaggerate it bit
when she tells her friends at the
y. w. c. A. about it. She has been
in the cave of that old dragon, Law,
and got out without a scratch.
Next comes dapper young fellow
in a tweed suit, who looks like col
lege student or clothing store sales
man. The policeman had caught him
cutting corner.
How much money have you got
with you?" the Judge asks sternly
Put your hand in your pockets and
find OUT
The dapper young man finally
scrapes together So out of his various
pockets and shows it to the judge.
It's worth more-a lot more" says
the latter, but I'm selling things
cheap tonight. Hand 1t to the clerk. -
Then comes a great. burly colored
man. His shoulders measure a good
yard from end to end. He has an
American Legion button in his coat
and stands at attention before the
bench like private before a colonel.
He is frightened because the charge
against him is that of driving a fur
niture truck while under the influence
of liquor. But, after all, the evidence
against him isn't very strong.
so you had been drinking beer this
afternoon" the judge asks.
No, your honor, no suh," protests
the defendant
Not a single bottle?"
Just one bottle Of near-beer, your
honor"
Take his personal bond" snapped
the Judge as the clerk called out the
name of the next culprit.
This is a spectacled young Oriental,
dressed immaculately. He has run
through a safety zone. but protests
that he didn't know anything about
such things.
"A safety zone" says the judge, sis
n SdHCtudIy lOI pcucStI ldIIS. I1o YOU
know what that means? Don't do it
again. 1t will cost you three dollars.
Thank you" says the Oriental. and
starts to walk hastily from the court
room
Hold on there, China boy-three
dollars" thunders Judge Macdonald.
X
THEN came a girl who probably
teaches a class in Sunday school.
She had sweet face, with red cheeks
and spectacles, and she carried in her
hand a book of Swinburne's poetry.
She was nervous and frightened. Her
offense was that she had parked dou-
BILE in front of a store while her COM
panion went inside. She protested
that there was no other place to park.
Let me tell you story" said Judge
Mac Donald kindly. "Only the other day
| had in my car another judge in this