The Washington times. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1902-1939, 1936-07-03
THE VOICE OF
Broadway
BY Louis SObOI-
A Night In Court!

4dCCO WOuldAA LII Vic bAehSh 4AlekS 10
terial gown, with defiance-others
with conciliatory pleading expires
sions-others with the blankness
indicative of minds which do not
comprehend or do not care to.
We sat with Magistrate Anna
Kross, at the saith Street Night
Court, and surveyed the platoon Of
10 men on trial-not for their
liveS-just Is men arraigned or
the heinous charge of having
been discovered sleeping on park
benches.
Officer RObb takes the stand.
There is something of defiance
in his voice, too. The woman
magistrate has been icy in her
yelled hint that the officer
might better occupy himself
than picking up homeless men.
Gust what is the charger" she
has demanded. "Are they
Migrants? Have they done
. something!
II see them sleeping on the
benches so / pull them in,"
. explains the harraSSed officer.
But on what charge-did
you examine them Did you
talk to them? Have they rec
Ords? I'm tired of having men
like these brought before me
with no charges against them
. we haven't the facilities for
handling them"
"The other judges" mumbles
the policeman, "they always
send them up for five days or
smething when l bring them
in"
"Yeah-the other judges
the easy way out. They don't
want to bother" accuses the
woman. 81 knOw-COmmiSSiOner
Moses wants the parks kept
clean-and he's a conscientious
man, 1 suppOSe-tOO cOnscien-
tiOus-but it's time we all knew
the parks were meant for all of
us-the air is free and the grass
is free arG the park benches are
free-tO the rich and to the
poor alike"
~ Officer Eobb shifts in his seat
It is evident he does not concur
Buns arr bumS-he is old in the
service-ne has had his experience
with these bench-sleeperS.
Magistrate KrosS faces the pris
onerS. Have they any money
have they homes-have they job?
1t appears these men are the
very salt of the earth. One thin
necked, lantern awed young
gentleman with a purple Easter
egg over his eye is indignant.
He has 2S cents-he is a seaman
he has > home. Vaguely,
= when pressed, he locates the
"hOme" somewhere in the Bow
"a cry. His name is Calhoun. A
Mister Deutsch has a home
> vaguely, too, in the BOwery-
seven cents in his pocket.
%. Were you asleep on the park
bench?"
- He grinS. eyes, ma-am, your
hOnOr-I just kinda dOze off
but I'm sittin' up-nOt layin'
E: dOwn-juSt kinda Sittin' up like
~ dOZin'." He makes quite a point
of having been sitting up.
A tall, blondish, thinnish-faced
elderly prisoner insists upon flash
ing a blue card. 1t indicates he
Is non-citizen with working
papers of some sort. He can moi
understand all this nonsense Of
being arrested for sitting on 6
park bench.
The woman magistrate is vitri-
.Olic. She turns to the reporter.
This is all silly. I'm going to
have to let some of these men
go-otherS I'll hold for finger
printing. We have no facilities
here for handling crowds like
this. We need a social service
clinic here-we need more as
SiStantS. Maybe in that group
in front of you are men with
long criminal records. Maybe
there's a murderer or two among
; them. But 1 have no charge
against them-except the vague
"OnC of vagrancy. And if they
have a home of any sOrt-if they
have change in their pocket
and unless it can be proved they
were actually sleeping on the
bencheS-I can't hold them"
: There are no serious cases in the
court. A fearful Italian mother
comes forward. She is plainly be
wildered. Her boy is being helc
on the charge of having stolen {
mans suit. The plaintiff, a fat
faced, dumpy young man, seems
apologize. His face droops il
despair when the judge paroles thu
boy in the care of his mother
until tuesday, when further hear
ing on the charges is to be held
"What 1 am going to dO?" he
walls. "That'S my only suit
look. I am in my shirt nOw-I
amt got no other suit"
YEARLY, the judge orders that
the evidence be restored to the
plaintiff with the admOnish-
ment that he must appear-in
the eVidenCe-fOr the hearing
Tuesday.
The policeman pressing charges
against a stocky, sinister lookins
Negro lad, is i'll at ease when h,
is sworn in. The prisoner ha'