Saturday, 22nd November 1913: Judge Broyles Explains Why He Fined Woman, The Atlanta Journal
The Atlanta Journal,
Saturday, 22nd November 1913,
PAGE 2, COLUMN 1.
Miss Austin Took Law Into
Her Own Hands and Broke
It, Says Recorder
Editor The Journal:
There seems to be
some misapprehension about the case of the young woman who was fined the other
day for beating a white chauffeur with her umbrella on the public streets of
the city.
This case was
written up in sensational style as that woman being fined for defending herself
from a masher. Whereas, it was a very different case. The evidence showed
that a white chauffeur, driving a taxi-cab for a living, and located near the
corner of Luckie and Broad streets had hollered out to Miss Austin as she
walked by his place of business: Taxicab, taxi, want a taxi? Miss Austin
testified that for several months this man had annoyed her and other girls by
calling out in this manner every time she passed his place of business, but
that he had never attempted any other familiarity. On this occasion as soon as
he spoke to her she let in on him with her umbrella, striking him over the head
several times, and causing a large crowd to gather to watch the fracas.
I thought it very
doubtful if the chauffeur intended any familiarity with the young woman, but I
fined him a small amount for annoying her by so persistently calling out to her
taxi, want taxi? whenever she passed by.
I fined the young
woman in a still smaller amount ($3.75) for taking the law into her own hands
and creating an unnecessary disturbance and excitement on the street. I say
unnecessary for she could easily have gotten a policeman, in a few seconds, and
had her annoyer arrested. Instead, she preferred to take the law into her own hands
and create a scene. We have policemen and courts to punish people who violate
the law.
Two wrongs never
make a right. It was wrong for this chauffeur to annoy Miss Austin and I fined
him for it. It was wrong for Miss Austin to fight him instead of calling a
policeman and I fined her for it. I am sworn to uphold the law and I intend to
keep my oath whether the offender be a man or a woman. There are too many
violations of law now in our city and all over our country. Our citizens should
help to uphold the law. When one person sees another violate the law, he should
call a policeman and let the offender be punished by the law, instead of taking
the law into his own handsthereby violating the law himself. And it is no
excuse if this second breaker of the law happens to be a woman. Respectfully,
NASH R. BROYLES.
November 22, 1913.
PAGE 2, COLUMN 4
FELDER DENIES REPORTS
ABOUT
MORSES PARDON
Atlanta Lawyer Says He Did
Not Threaten to Expose
Tafts Friends
Thomas B. Felder, Atlanta lawyer, characterized
as tommy rot the stories appearing in New York papers to the effect that in
obtaining the release of Charles W. Morse from the federal penitentiary here,
he threatened to make public the real story behind the Morse prosecution.
According to the New York stories, Mr.
Felder was the real agent in securing the presidents pardon for the New York
Banker and that in doing so he threatened to bring sensational charges against
men who were close to president Taft.
A fabrication out of the whole cloth,
is the Atlanta attorneys comment on the New York stories.
Morse was pardoned because he had an
incurable kidney disease and the fact that the mental state exercised a
potential influence on this disease and if kept in prison Morse could have survived
only a short time.
Morse still
has the disease and is living only because he has the most skilled medical
attention and religiously follows the direction of his physicians in matters of
diet and exercise.