Judge — March 25, 1882 — page 6: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

4 Any Tae Lascing te ony sete Corcwnot! Can rete ferres Gar A Hier or Oraee Aire LAT) fess Tile AT OUR POPULAR FARCES. Our Societies for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children. ORTED BY “ED. JIN THREE PHRASES.—PHRASE FIRST, (CHARACTERS: RESPECTABLE MECHANIC. of RespectanLe Mect Orric RDI, of te 8, P. CC. CouNseL GERRYMANDER, S. P.C. 0, Sartext Potice Jopce. NE.—Police Court, High-toned murderer having just been sent to a prison cell (with all comforts) for ten days. Sariext Pouice JuDGE calls next case, Counsel Ge the. P. C.C. Bap Boy, Son ymander,—The c: that of inst Respectable Mechanic, and, sir, it’s a case which I hope you will deal with severely, This man, this monster in hu- man form, not fit to be called by the sacred name of father, did actually strike, beat and chastise with a leather strap his own son, until the yells emitted by the poor lad roused up the whole neighborhood. Yet the boy, anxious, though scarred by a father’s hand, to shield that father, refused to make a com- plaint, and was only forced to by our Socicty. Sapient Police Judge.—Ab, indeed. (To Respectable Mechanic.) What have you to y, sir, in reference to this charge? Respectable Mechanic.—I own that I did whip Johnny, but he deserved it. He stole my watch and pawned it, so he could go to a picnic. Counsel Gerrymander,—It was a Suni school picnic; all of his associates were going, but his father refused to buy him a ticket. Sapient Police Judge.—Why did you not buy him a ticket? Respectable Mechanic.—Could not afford to. Sapient Police Judge.—Yet you can afford LEG QUESTION | to have a watch. My son, step up here | want to ask you a few questions. Reply truthfully; you need not be afraid of your father, for the Court will protect you. Did | your father beat you? Bad Boy.—Yes, sir (snivels). Sapient Police Judge.—With what? Bad Boy.—Strap, sir (snivels). Sapient Police Judge.—Has he donc it often before ? | Bad Boy.—Reg'lar every d Counsel Gerrymander,—Think of that, your Honor, Pause and reflect upon the enor- mity of the statement. In this era of civi tion, the golden age of the Republic, it is | stated that a boy is actually beaten by humanized, brutal father once a ular,” and yet we scoff at the dark ages, | What can be the proper punishment of such an unnatural parent? Respectable Mechanic.—But, I had cause to chastise the boy. Ie is lazy, idle, | a truant from school, and, as I have stated, a thief. Sapient Police Judge.—How old is he? Respectable Mechanic.—Sixteen, your Hon- or. Old enough to know better. Sapient Police Judge.—Sixteen; child. r a mere Counsel Gerrymander.—Precisely. Yet upon this mere child’s person he uses a strap— aheavy leather strap! Officer Skeardi, you beheld the strap when you made the arrest? Officer Skeardi.—| did, There were reddish marks upon it, evidently of blood. Respectable Mechanic.—It was not blood. The red spots, if red they can be called, were occasioned by age, or, as it is called, foxiness. Sapient Police Judge.—Hem! likely tate. Respectable Mechanic, I sentence you to five years’ imprisonment at hard labor. Respectable Mechanic.—My God! cannot a man correct a willful child? And my family, Judge—I have five others besides him depend- | naught to do with your private affairs. | Temove this | years old, but still so ing upon my efforts for their daily bread; what will they do without me? Sapient Police Judge (severely). — You should have thought of that before. I I your family starve it is the fault of your own unbridled passions. Respectable Mechanic.—But. my son, what will become of him? Sapient Police Judge.—We'll place him in a reformatory. Respectable Mechanic. —Where he will meet with criminals young in years, but old in crime, from which he will be released only to become a pest to society. Sapient Police Judge (sternly).—Officers, an, Another word and you will get an increase of sentence! PHRASE SECOND. Scene.—Parlor of Fifth Avenue Mansion. Cuaracters, — Mrs, BEJEWELE COUNSE GERRYMANDER. Mrs. Bejeweled.—Glad to see you, Mr. ¢ — | rymander; and how is the work of your noble society getting along? benevolent work it is. What a sweetly pure How proud you must | be to take part in it, and to be its president, too. By the way, you must excuse my non- | attendance at the ketuledrum the other after- noon. Counsel Gerrymander.—We missed your society very mnch, Why were you ai Mrs, Bejeweled,—Mabel is sick, very s so the doctors Counsel Gerrymander.—Y our little daugh- ter Mabel? Mrs, Bejeweled.—Yes, ay? She is only ten iety requires a good You know our position in the social world. She had to appear in the Chil- dren's Carnival at the Academy, which re- quired a couple of weeks of incessant rehear- sal, not to speak of two public and fatiguing performances; then she was forced to go to five children’s parties and a juvenile masque- rade the same week, not. to speak of her ap- pearance as a water-sprite in an amateur performance of the “ Upperton Coterie,” at Chickering Hall. Really I had to foree Ma- hel to go, because she felt sick and had a headache. Really Iam afraid it did not do her any good, for her costume as a water-sprite was necessarily light, and she fainted just after her from the stage. Probably she was not equal to the exertion after her obliga- tory social duties of the week. She has been in bed ever since, which is awfully provoking, as I wanted her, in company with several other little girls, to precede the bride at the Van Ras er-Van Dych wedding to-mor- row. deal of her. Counsel Gerrymander.—Too bad. By the , did you sce of the last great act of our what was it? l Gerrymander.—We have arrested mother, Italian, who sent her two. little girls, aged twelve and thirteen, out into the streets to sell oranges. ‘Truc, the mother was partially paralyzed; but just think of it! sending two little girls out into the fresh air and bright sunshine to sell oranges! It was comicbooks.com