Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-02-01

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not more so than the ordinary city,
especially as to the latter class of actions.
Being the seat of Government, naturally its
population at all times includes many persons
of national prominence and when they become
involved in difficulties, the public of course, be-
comes interested, and the press, always eager
to supply the public with what it demands
gives full and lengthy accounts of all that
takes place in any particular proceeding before
the court.
For instance, there was the Breckenridge
Pollard case, which never would have been
given front-page space had it not been for the
prominence of the silver-tongued orator of
Kentucky. who was, besides, one of the best
known members of the House of Representa-
tives. Even then it is probable he would have
received less attention had it not been for the
statements made at the trial for breach of
promise, that the defendant Breckenridge inn
posed upon the friendship of soma of the fore
most people of his State.
The District of Columbia did not actually be-
come the seat of Government until the first
Monday in December 1900, the laws of Mary
land and Virginia still being in force in the
respective parts of the territory acquired from
those States, and this is how the people of the
District came to vote for Thomas Jefferson for
the presidency, in 1900, the first and only time
they have been able to vote for President of
the United States fact little realized by the
outside world.
ON February 81. 1901, Congress passed law
establishing courts for the District and
from that time on we have at least had our
own bench and bar, and, strange to say, the
first case tried under the jurisdiction of the
courts thus provided was that of the Common
wealth of Virginia VS.. Leap upon an indictment
for selling spirituous liquors Illegally, a very
familiar charge nowadays
trio
ton and execution of Patrick McGurk for MUIR
dering his wife, the last formality in carrying
out the law taking place somewhere near the
Garfield statue. McGurk, we are told, rode
from the jail then on the north side of
street, between John Marshall place and Sixth
street, to the place of execution, In a.. cart
much as did Mime. Du Barry and many others
who we're beheaded with the guillotine during
the French reign of terror in 1898, as depicted
in the play, Mime Du Barry" which came to
the National Theater a number Of years ago.
and in which Mrs. Leslie Carter took the char
acter of the mistress of Louis XIV, play re-
called no doubt by many an old theatergoer.
On January ID. 1913, Patrick" slave, was
hanged for assaulting white woman, the gall
lows being erected on D street between Third
and Fourth streets.
In the early days there seem to have been
just as many homicides and other crimes COM
mitted here as there are today, in proportion to
the size of the city then and now, and some
Of the punishments accorded appear, too, as
being ridiculously insufficient, as was the pun
ishment melted out to Isaac Norris, convicted
of manslaughter and fined $40 and given IL
months in jail. Indeed, they did queerer things
than this a long while ago, for in several cases
they evidently legally executed the prisoner and
then failed to keep a record Of the matter
In 1910 Nathan Turner, alias Collier, while
intoxicated, rolled on a child, which he evil
IDENTIFY did not know was in the bed crushing
it to death; for this he was assessed 81 and
given six months in JAIL Polly Bevens, for
granddaughter committed in 1911, was fined IS
and given one day in jail, which reminds US Of
the case of Miss Elizabeth M. F1agler who in
1896 was given three hours in Jail and fined
$500 for shooting and killing Ernest Green,
colored. It is said she actually served two
hours and Is minutes.
william Fitzgerald, convicted Of manslaugh-
ter at very early date, was fined $40 and kept
at Government expense for 80 days. Michael
Clark. mulatto, who killed his wife In about
1913, did not fancy the idea Of being hanged,
and escaped from the jail Just before that event
n take Dlacs. He never recADt1YFed