The Washington times., 1935-08-02
JUDGE BACKS
LASH|NG FOR
WIFE BEATER
BY JOHN SNURE, Jr.


Fred Hartman invoked a statute
Of 1882 and sentenced Edward
Dryden to bare his back to &c
lashes of the whip for beating his
wife, he was convinced that law
precedent and decency were with
him.
More than IS years before he
went to the picturesque com
munity of Snow Hill, he had
served as justice of the peace in
Baltimore in the administration
of the renowned Governor Lord
Lownes. In that time he had
tried almost 5000 cases.
His law has been cleaned from
the books of Maryland University
and the State. He boasts that ne
was graduated from a Chicago
correspondence school so that ne
would be more familiar with his
work. And he believes in the Law
of the old school, tries his cases
and convicts under it as he
thinks right.
To him all offenses should lie
punished.
Of them he says:
eff John Jones does an act
that is wrong, he should be
punished in the same way that
Bill Smith would be punished
for the same OffenSe."
His Record Clear.
He boasts that his records are
among the finest in the State
that his personal history is I'm
furnished and that politics O.
parentage play no part in his
tiny court.
His is the court Of the small
town magistrates court where
he whites away the quiet hours
playing solitaire on an ancient
desk from which bangles tobacco
can serving the needs of the Smok'
er or chewer.
The creaky floor of the one
room office is old and worn, and
in one corner hole has been cut
or gnawed.
In his judicial dignity he has
decorated the walls with a few old
prints and several signs which
give advice of many kinds.
One sign reads:
''NO Smoking"
Another demands:
"You will please remove your
hats"
A third warns:
Splitting on the flOOr-$1
fine"
In two prominent places hang
two other signs for a patent rem
edy. They advertise a panacea
for ''bruises, scalds, decorations,
cuts, etc."
Salve Is His Product
Hartman makes this salve him
self and says it contains wonder
full curative powers on which he
is willing to wager five dollars,
with anyone who is willing to bet
that it will give relief in five min
uteS for some of the more init.
mate ailments. He introduced
the Salve to Snow Hill but wants
financial backing to make its use
more prevalent.
A tall, middle-aged man with
gray hair and beard, his looks
belle the i'll health that he con.
tends has been his possession.
He is a Republican almost to
the point of fanatacism and con.
dennis many of the Democrats of
the area as "low." He was ap.
pointed to his job by Governor
Harry o. Nice-"Harry," he calls
him-so that there are two jus.
tees of the peace in the town.
Hartman contends that there is
not enough business for him and
the Democratic Justice, w. w.
Price, but says that he will con.
tinue to run his own office at all
costs.
Democrats Denounced
Vehemently denouncing the
Democratic officials of the town,
including Sheriff Ernest West,
Hartman contends that if he told
all he knew about them there
would be a riot" He says that
politics play an important part
in his court because the "other
side" injectS it into hir affairs.
And he intimateS that "the other
side" persuaded Dryden to ap.
peal from his sentence to the
whipping post.
Before he imposed the penalty
OF 20 lashes on Dryden, Hartman
consulted Thomas F. johnson
Democratic States Attorney, and a
man the justice calls my pro-
tege."
He had known johnson for a
long time before the able young
prosecutor became the youngest
States Attorney in Maryland at
the age Of Is years" in the last
election. And the dark haired
johnson, obviously a man of in.
telligence and a person who re-
minds one of a Southern youth of
culture of the days of Lee and
Jackson and Calhoun despite his
modish dress, advised Hartman
that he could invoke the penalty
OF the whipping post.
So it was that Hartman, with
the Maryland Code in hand, John
sons advice in his mind, and firm
in the belief that some atonement
should be made for wife-beating
sentenced Dryden to be dashed.
No Color Line