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About Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922 | View Entire Issue (Sept. 11, 1921)
Ml The Omaha Sunday Bee MAGAZINE VOL. 81 NO. 13. MAGAZINE OMAHA, SUNDAY MORNING, SEPTEMBER 11, 1921. 1 M TEN CENTS nn 99 uvli hUOVl ft r FEATUKKS; Is" 77ie Aeen police court magistrate, a mighty man is he, And, as for being wise, he is as wise as he can be; He's wiser than King Solomon, and he is faster, too, For he has more to worry him than Sol could ever do. Comedies and tragedies unroll in Omaha's police court a Peculiarities of woman are revealed Sonw "characters' know ths judge well. By JACK LEE. Solomon's reputation as a wise judge was established by a de cision emanating (ruin his court in a wi'll I now ii baby cao. llisttry give all the credit ol the settlement of that case to Sol- wlien wan willing to relin quish all claims to Iht rival rather than sec her baby cut in twain, kettlrd the case and was so over joyed t getting her baby back she didn't stop to reap credit. Thus the wi.se judge was made fatior-v In a present-day court, especial ly a police court, such as is con ducted every day in Omaha and in South Omaha. Solomon would have to show more speed than he did in the good old days. The decision in the baby case has noth ing on those made each day by Judge Charles E. Foster and Judge William Wappich. A Tell-Tale Tail. Take for instance the time when two women, furious as only women can be, claimed the same dog. The two came before Judge Foster, one of them lugging the dog. During all the testimony the woman hold ing the dog spoke the loudest and declared most emphatically her, tight to the dog. After listening to the claims of both women Judge Foster ordered . the woman to let the dog down on the floor. Ther order was observed: .As soon as the dog landed, with a bark of joy he rushed to the other woman and began to express his happiness in.,, tail '. ...wagging ' and . barks. ' . ' . ' "The dog belongs to this wom an," the judge said: The woman ..1.. I t 1- -1 -I . !. 1 X. 11.. fesscd that she had found the dog, taken it . home with her and had become so attached to it she didn't ' want to give it up. . Thus Solo mon's decision was tied right there. ' Horse Sense Necessary. It doesn't take much law to make a ' good police judge. This statement is made on the authority of two police judges, an ex-police judge and - numerous attor ney?. ; .' , , ; " J1' . "To be, an efficient police judge, a! man must throw all knowledge . of the law to the four winds and just. depend on the good old com mon sense with which he has been endowed,'.' says Judge Wappich. "Practically all cases coming in to my . court ;. settle themselves. There, is no great demand for legal ability. Of course . one must know the law and stay, within bounds but in the ordinary cases, old-fashioned horse sense comes in handier than all the law in Bhckstone.". ' Police courts as they are con ducted now are little different than those of 40 years ago,' a pioneer attorney of Omaha says. The misdemeanors have changed. For' instance, there are fewer street tights and assaults and - very few wile-beaters, or those who jumped board bills. With the k. o. of John Barleycorn, all those evils attendant have gone on the de cline. ' - " No Speeders Then. In the old davs there were no speeders. Once in a while some overheated ' cowhand just in on the prairie might have run his horse on the sidewalk or let out a few yelps and been hauled up. But now speeders and traffic ordinance violators are the common culprits. .".As Judge Wappich presides at South Side police court, it. is only fair that he should describe it. " "The South Side police court is in the old city hall. The court room is ideal and just a short dis tance from the jail. There are comfortable benches in the 'room for spectators, or those -who1 are to be ' arraigned. Everything is kept clean and neat. "Most persons have an idea that the South Side is bad because . there are so many - foreigners. There are fewer foreigners in po lice court than there are Amer icans, or citizens who have been naturalized for some .years. The ..ill. .1 ." if aFlY I IUICI(Jlltl3 U1CII UIIH.I at home. The Americans and for eigners who have been over here several years rush into - police rourtat the slightest provocation. It seems to be an American failing to want to get into court: " Respect the Law. "In the main, the South Side is made up of men and women of foreign birth or extraction. They are law-abiding, easy to get along with and respect the law. "I get them in once in a while for making liquor, or drinking too much. Once in a while they fight, but as a whole there are few very serious cases. "Most of my cases' involve traf fic ordinance violators. . "Good common sense has helped me more than all the law I ever Vuew. 5 9 Sill i MVwrwifmW:s' "There's just as much lawbreak ing as when I came here 30 years ago, only the misdemeanors have changed." A Sharp Wit..' Judge Wappich' lives up to his rule of throwing the law out.' the window and using common sense in disposing of his cases. He has a sharp wit which comes in handy at all times. Recently a' drunk came before the judge. ' .. "Good morning judge," , was the . salutation. . . t -v.-"Good morning, you're charged -with being drunk." "Well your honor, I'm down and out," and then the prisoner went on to tell a long tale of woe. He was still a bit under the influence of "moonshine.". ' , ; The judge listened . very care fully and when the prisoner, fin ished he said. "You may be down, but you're not out. You won't be out lor '30 days." t ' ; - : Trial By Jury. . . In the early days of the Omaha police court law, was almost ;un-. heard , of. Anybody could run for the office-and it depended on the number of votes he got whether he was qualified to fill the posi-;-tion or not. In those :days any person haled into' court could de- mand a trial by jury and get it. , His standing in politics also bad a great bearing on his case. Whenever a man demanded a' , jury trial a jury was ' impaneled. " This jury usually stayed in until the cases for that day were dis posed of. Some years later the Shoemaker bill stopped the trial by jury and the cases were settled by the po lice judge. When cases before the court were of serious nature, they were held to the district court, and the practice continues. Going or Coming. V Que day when Judge Will Learne was '. presiding a man charged with being drunk was brought before him. "You're charged with being drunk, disorderly and refusing to fight." "It's all a lie," the prisoner de clared. a "All right," said Judge Learne. "I'll fine you for fighting." They tell one on the present Po lice Commissioner Henry W. . Dunn when he was a police judge. A drunk was brought before ' him.' '. " ".'- ' - ' ' ... ' -" "Where did you get that snoot ful?" the judge queried. " "Well, yeh see," said the pris- ; oner, "Oi didn't have much in me shtumic If Oi'd had more in me slitumic I wouldn't have so much in me snoot." There were no automobile po lice patrols in. the old days. A vehicle pulled by .horses served to haul in those arrested. ; . Often times a policeman had-to carry in , his prisoner bodily.' ' i '.' J . One time a clever fellow, was ar- ! raigncd before Judge Gordon. ! After listening to the charges . against him the fellow threw up his hands, let out a yell, began to . froth at the mouth and collapsed in . what seemed to be a terrible . "Take him out," cried h judge. -' "I don't want him to die? fit imtefK The prisoner was taken outside ' and in a few - moments . miracu lously recovered. It was . learned ' later that the fellow" had faked his fit. "Fainting Bertha" was another, one who got by with a lot of clever stufl'before she was found out. , . ' Fainting Bertha. Bertha used . to select some , prominent corner of the city on which to throw a faint. Of course men would rush to her rescue and carry her to sonic nearby drug -store. After receiving a few minis trations Bertha would recover. Later the men and even physicians who attended her in her .illness would report to police hat : they had been robbed of their watches , and pickpockets. Bertha , was just a clever "dip" working a rather smooth racket until it was stopped by police. - ' . There are "attorneys" . . who pfactice only in the police court. Recently a fellow was arrested and on his person was found an attorney's card which had been slipped him by the attorney as, he was being led into the police, sta tion. '" The present court in the new Central station is a great imprpve i ment over the court at the old en gine house. That place was a dis grace to the city. It was dark,' smelled of horses, had no win dows and men aed women of all ' colors were jammed together in one hugh squirming, smelly mass. The "bull pen," built to hold 12 men easily, usually . held three times that many. ' . The new court is large and clean. The "bull pen" is large enough to hold 60 men. - . Police Court Characters. : j In the court room the men and women are segregated and there Is , plenty of fresh air and light. The judge and city prosecutor,.Frank ii. Dineen, prosecute the cases. There are police characters, rnen and women, who have been in pa- , lice circles for years. -.-.When they are arraigned they greet the judge ! with great familiarity, just as an old friend would greel another. As the old characters die off or move away, new ones take their places. One time several men in jail re fused to take a bath.; It was known . they were "inhabited." Judge Foster ordered someVpf the officers to get some sheep. 4ip from the "stock yards in South. Omaha. When. the sheep dip arrived all ' the men who refused' to ;bathe or get rid . of their population were dipped in the sheep dip. , ;. jiThis stopped .the "strike." vJTh'ere are : 'cases .' calling for tears in police '.court', and often times words of kindly admonition from the judges have turned boys and girls from the downward path to the straight and narrow. Saved from Disgrace. One young lad, now a prominent , business man in an Iowa city, was saved from disgrace by a few kind words from Judge Foster. Judge . Wappich has saved husbands and wives .from separation by his kindly advice. Family disputes are common and here a knowledge of family life is necessary. One of the strange incidents in police court cases is that in which a wife has her husband arrested for beating her. It is a rare in stance when the wife appears to prosecute her charges. She nearly 1 always comes ; into court and pleads for her erring ' husband, even at the expense of appearing before the judge with a black eye.. Just now Omaha is overrun with ; "moochcrs," "panhandlers," "con" men and others of the same ilk.. The reason as explained by Judge Foster: . - . , ; . "Omaha is one of the few large cities where men or women in jail do not work. All they do is to eat , and sleep and tell stories. It is a regular . paradise, for men out of work and in need of eats. .The new jail, especially with its mod ern jail equipment, attracts the old timers and they go out of their way to get 'jugged.' To clear up this evil Judge Fos ter advocates a rock pile where men may make "little ones out of big ones," the crushed rock to be placed on boulevards and roads in the city needing- repairs. It would take $100 to buy tools for the men and they could earn their keep. - "Others not in favor ot this scheme say there should be a work house. To erect a decent work house where' any trades could be applied it - would take1 $500,000. This . would be foolish waste of taxpayers' money," the judge says. The police court at Central sta tion has not always been located at Eleventh and Dodge. The new city jail at Eleventh and Dodge streets where police court patrons, before and afterwards, often are furnished meals and lodgings. it' 1 v J nnKn ' vu. m w wt-nm''tft'"lf'tmil'l'lf,''ll''F!Qm '.. C . ' .' !, ivf.j-" -.if, v.y.' v. jW-'-VV -'..'. I ' ,., 4 ' i'.v K I ' .f : i . -f . . . I t .,JI . .frig ' " ' - . . r . ...... r V ' . : 7 8 S 10 II 12 13 TS, U : 1 -I 8293031 . ' 1 .'; (3 Ik t . mm i mm rri 0 At Marcell the South Side police court. Left to right t Sergea nt James Sbcahan, Judge W. F. Wappich, Prosecutor John and Ccurt Offic-r Jams P. Grcce. In the rear: - Officer Joe Potach, left, and Captain John Briggs. mmWSSM&smmmmimm2mwmmmmmmmm WW IHIIIIWIiWIMI I WIWHMI ' 1 IJ88" 'Bring 'cm on." The Central police court force ready for action. Left to right: Prosecutor Frank Dineen. Judze Charles . Foster, Officer C M. George and Court Sergeant Johnny Holden. , .v; In 1880 the police court was lo cated in the basement of the coun- r ty and city building located where the Paxton block now stands. Pat O. Hawes, was the judge. From there the court was moved to the northwest corner' of Thir teenth and Hatney streets over'a ' "saloon. It remained there only three weeks. Judge Gtistave ' Ben- ' eke presided. . Later rooms- were1 fitted up in the place on Sixteenth street now occupied by the Lin coln cafeteria.1 From there it" was moved to the Exposition building on Fourteenth and Davenport. All city offices were in the building. Judge Louis Berka presided. . At that time the city was paying $1,000 a month rental for its of fices. ' . ;t:he';:G;RA.g i - . . . . I WILL admit that the Kid broke it to me gently. He slid into the room, shut the door, and blushed. Then he asked me if he mightn't Tiave $250. "Two hundred and fifty dollars!" I' gasped. "Why, Kid. that's a heap of money to have all at once." . "I know it," he counters. "What yon want with it?" " "Spend." he came back evasively. "On wfA?" He blushed again and fidgeted from one foot to the other. "Nawthin special. Jus a dia mond!" . , I got slowly 1 out of my chair, crossed the room, took the Kid b both shoulders, and shook him. "For yourself?"' I asked sternly. "Nope." -- "Kid you've run foul f a skirt!" The muscles of his shoulder rip pled under my hands and he met my eyes squarely. , "I sure have," he affirmed. "Oh! chee. Mr. Joe, just Vait'H you meet ker. She's the grandest dame. An' well, I guess I should 've told you before, but it seemed kinder funny me having to run to you before I'd ever said a thing to her." "That's all right, Kid. I'll manage your fights not your love affairs. What's her tnonnikcr?" . "Rose LaBelle." "Huh?" .r "Rose LaBelle." V . "You mean that?" "Mean it? Sure I mean it. Watcha think I'd kid you for? An' she's as pretty as her name." . Whether it was the woman's name, with its trade-mark of the chorus, or whether it was a hint of antagonism in the Kid's manner a sort of strat egic defenses I don't know. At any rate. I frowned a bit. and then; "When did yon meet her?" His eyes dropped. "Last Friday night." "Hmph! Eight days', acquaintance. and buying her a piece of ice al ready, ch? Good progress, I call it Kind of rushed her off her feet, huh? Love at first sight?" - "I- guess that's it," stammered the Kid in answer. . . ;. - "And of course your bein' light weight champeen of the world, and having a fat bankroll, didn't affect her none? She loves you for your self alone?" , - . Innocently the Kid met my gaze once more. -"Yep." "You sure?" "Cert Why she says so!" That's the Kid all over. Honest, if some grifter told him politics was straight he'd swallow it. -He's the most trusting lad I had ever seen. I - found that out before I started managing him; in fact, it was the how of our getting together. Y' see. in them days I was doing news pa rer work. . I ain't never been much on thej flowery word . stuff, but I know (a thing or two about the prize ring, and they, had me covering the big fights for them. I'd hustle back to the office after, a scrap and tell a rewrite man how it all happened, and then he'd . write it into shape so's the puMic could read it intel ligent like, and my name Would be stuck over the top. ' t . One ' night this here Kid . Riley fought a scheduled 10-round battle with Battling Roberts, the excham pion, and finished him in the 10 rounds. It was . at the Southside Athletic club, where all his other fights had been, ' and me. being . in with the officials there just happened, to drift around when they, were pay ing off. I saw them , slip the. Kid fifty as his share. . At that time. I didn't think the Kid was a world-beater, but I imag ined that he got at least two hundred! arid fifty for a 10-round bout, and I -called him .aside and asked him about it. . That boob explains that he'd made his start at the Southside and that tven after he got into the finals :lass the, manager had explained to him that he owed a debt of gratitude to the club, and so he oughtn't to ask more than fiftv. Besides, said that bully, the Kid ftughtn't to fight nowhere else, i Honest, it didn't seem possible that -a guy could be as 'ignorant as him. "You need a manager," I says, "the worst way. I'll act on a fifty-fifty basis if you want ' But, Kid I'll have to be your guardeen, too. You let me arrange your fights and handle your money and I'll make yon rich. You're young (he was then just turned 20) and you've got the stuff. Maybe I can make you champeen some day." - " - . i So -I get a lawyer chap to drawl up the articles, and the Kid and me1 affixes our scrawls and the deal .is j closed. Right about then the Kid's stock has been boosted about a mil lion per cent by beating Battling Roberts, and tne manager of the Southside comes along and wants to match him with One-Round Ma loney. According to our written agree ment, the Kid turns .the manager over to me. " The mogul allows he wants ythe Kid to go for 10 rounds, against Ma!oney,and I says sure I'll let him do it. - That's fine," enthuses the man ager, producing a -.contract. ' "Ten Bencke, rounds, and he'll get fifty, win. lose or draw." . , I pretended to be .surprised. "I guess I tlidn'tget you right," I says. "You mean two hundred and fifty!" .. . . : The long and short of it was that the Kid went on and won by a knock out in the sixth round, and pulled his two-fifty. He almost croaked when ' (Tara to Tsm Tmm, Mm Oh.) Many Moving Days. Attorney Ed F. Morearty,' then city attorney, introduced a. resolu tion in city council declaring that the rent was. too high. The city then moved its 'offices to 1405 Jones street and the police court convened in the basement of the old Goose hotel, v In 1898 the city bought an old' school .house at Eleventh and Dodge streets and located its offices, jail and "court room there. .- s , : The police court remained there until 1920, when it was removed to the engine house at Twelfth and Dodge streets until the new Cen tral police station was finished. Now the police court is back to its old place in a new building which Judge William Wappich characterizes as "an architectural monstrosity and which appears on the inside as though it might have been planned by some high school lad." ; The following men, have been judges of the Omaha police court: Patrick O. Hawes, 1880; Gustave 1882; A. M. Stenburg, 1885: Lou's Berka. 1907: Lee Hels- ley, 1890; S. I. Gordon, 1896; Brvce Crawford, 1906; Charles E. Foster, 1912; J. M. Fitzgerald. 1912. and Judge William .Wappich, 1921. When South Omaha was taken in as a part of Greater Omaha the South Side police court wa in cluded in the transaction. Police judges alternate between Omaha and bouth Side court every nrontU, i n h M t ab 1 bf tt r nv f al ,'tc Vil yr c. a 1 not I onl eel 1 1 C An e ttf r.l iheJ iplL M4 era net tteJ vhf era trc , sro ( n le i.. !tt ie -io r p t be ' vie th th ol ok. n aeif i he th rtrf ouf r