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The charge against them was for fighting and disturbing the peace, and from the marks, wounds and contusions which they bore, it was evident that they had given but the half of itthat where the hottest of the fight was there must they have been.

"Gately," says the Recorder, "you are charged with having. been fighting and disturbing the peace."

"The divil a fight did I fight," says Gately, "though faith when the fighting was going round I got a child's share of it. Just let your oner be after looking at me eye; see how nicely it's soldered up for me; bad scran to me but it's so well saled (sealed) that I think if I was postmarked now I would be conveyed free of expinse to any part of the United States in this kingdum! And then take a look at my nose, your oner; isn't that a very purty nose for a dacent boy to have on his face of a blissid Monday morning? isn't it a burnin shame to have sich a nose? but it's no more like my nose-that is, my nose that is, is no more like my nose that was, than a French cotillion is like an Irish jig. And look there, sur," he continued, pointing to a mark under his ear, "there was a purty polthogue I got just between the lug and the horn, where the Connaught man sthruck his ass. O mille murther! it's meself that was assaulted in arnist."

"The watchman swears," says the Recorder, "that you were fighting, and that when he interfered you struck him and knocked him down."

"O, the divil burn him," says Mick, "I took him for a Fardown, and gave him a hand and foot that laid him as flat as a pancake, just to show him what a boy from the shart grass could do."

"Since such is your method of giving the hand," says the Recorder, "it is not at all desirable to cultivate your acquaintance; you will therfore have to find security to answer for an assault and battery before the criminal court."

On O'Grady's being called up he was about to enter into as long an explanation as Gately, of how he got into the scrape; but the Recorder told him that he might reserve any remarks he had to make in justification of his conduct, for a future occasion, as he too would have to appear before the criminal

court.

A TRIAL OF SKILL-THE RIVAL BOOT-BLACKS.

Ir dancing darkies have their trials of skill, why should not boot-polishing darkies have theirs? If the latter cannot kick their heels as high as the former, they can give the heel and toe touches just as slick, and can shine a little more so. Is not polishing the understanding more consonant with the usages of civilized society than indulging in break-downs ?-Most certainly it is. Break-downs are too common-too much an every-day occurrence at the present time.-Bank presidents have their break-downs, sub-treasurers have their break-downs, speculators have their break-downs, race horses have their break-downs, cabs and omnibusses have their break-downs, and negro dancers have their break-downs: the thing has become decidedly vulgar.

Having said so much in order to show that the world is just as much interested in a trial of skill between two boot-blacks as between two who essay to see which will rap his heels fastest against the boards and still keep time to the tune of a discordant fiddle, we will now speak of the rival Ethiopians themselves.

Two of the brotherhood were up before the Recorder yesterday. Each of them carried with him his insignia of office, to wit-a set of shoe-brushes and a supply of blacking which shone like their own faces.

"I wants law, massa Judge," said one of them, addressing the bench from outside the railing.

"Shut up, darkey!" said one of the peace officers.

"Well, I's a free nigger," said the descendant of Ham, "and I wants to be secured in the legal prusuit ob my purfession." "Has that negro any complaint to make?" asked the Recorder, who overheard his eloquence.

"I has, Judge," said the negro, putting the thumb and forefinger of his right hand in the wool that grew over his forehead, and giving his head a pull down as a mark of obeisance"I has, Judge, and I tinks it's a cause dat'll insist de sympertations of ebery one in fabor ob westified rights and orposed to de lebeling principels ob de age."

"Let us hear it," said the Recorder-" what is it?"

"Well, it's jus dis, massa Judge," said the black plaintiff:

THE RIVAL SHOE-BLACKS.

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"I's been 'stablished in de polishin' business in dis city seberal years and upwards, and widout meanin' to be personalised to dis gemman, (pointing to his brother darky) I tinks I stands at de head ob my purfession.

"And who disputes your title to preeminence?" said the Recorder.

"Why, no one 'zackly," said the complainant; "but dis here nigger interferes wid my out-door business, to de prejurdice of my nat'ral rights. If a gemman ob a Sunday mornin' calls boots!'-dats me he runs and gets de job 'fore I can get up to my customer. I wouldn't care so much about gibin him up de business altogeder, and retirin to pribate life, but I knows he haint got no genus for maintainin de dignity ob de purfession in all its branches.-He neber uses more dan two brushes, and accordin to my system three's a 'dispensible necessarification for de real polish, and den, in layin on de blackin, he makes anoder deririation from my practice: I uses de liquid fust, and den touches off wid de patent paste-he neber uses de liquid no how, and de conserquensation is, he can't shine."

"What has your rival got to say to this very serious charge?" said the Recorder.

"Haint got noffin to say to it," said the defendant, who heard the charge with perfect indifference, and was showing his ivories with a half grin while it was being made-"I haint got noffin to say to it. I has got a massa, and you doesn't tink dis child is a gwine to elerbate himself to a lebel wid dis here free nigger? My massa'll back me agin him any day, eder for puttin de shine on a pair ob Wellington's or takin de shine out ob him-dat he will."

"Well," said the Recorder, "the merits of the case had better be so decided, for it does not come within the scope of my judicial duties.”

"Massa judge," said the complaining darkey,

"Clear out, you pair of animated blacking pots," said the constable, showing at the same time the negro boot polishers the door.

sir, till the minds of mankind are seen at a single glance through the telescopic lens of Briskman's new system of Phrenology." "Nonsense," said the Recorder, "all this has nothing to do with the charge."

“Well sir,” said George Briskman, M. D. “I'll prove it. Here for instance is my own head-it is not naturally bald, sir, but I have made it so that I might lecture with the greater facility on my new system-another sacrifice of mine, sir, to science you perceive, sir, how distinctly the lines are marked-" [Here he traced out the different bumps with the fore-finger of his right hand]—“ benevolence large-veneration very well developed-hope quite.prominent "

"That will do," said the Recorder, "we are not prepared now to hear a lecture on phrenology—what have you to say to the charge?”

"Will the court indulge me for a moment?" said the man with the new system; and without waiting to see whether the court would or not, he proceeded—

"Here, sir," he said, clapping his finger behind the ear of a big Irishman, who was by his side, and whose face was ornamented by a pair of black eyes and a bloody nose" here is another illustration of my new system. Why, sir, his bump of combativeness swells out like a mountain; nor, sir, is amativeness hid on the head of this individual-[He ran his fingers round to the back of the Irishman's head]—here, sir, the bump of amativeness is very large indeed-very largequite a protuberance!"

The Recorder, seeing, that the little man in the snuff-coloured coat was an enthusiastic disciple of Spurzheim and Gall, more sinned against than sinning, said: "Well, Doctor George Briskman, M. D., I shall let you go this time on paying your jail fees."

"One moment, may it please the court," said the little baldheaded man: "There, sir," he said, pointing to a Dutch boy, who was arrested for pulling cotton out of the bales lying on the Levee "there, sir, is an extraordinary head! How large acquisitiveness and constructiveness! no locality-—no eventuality and, except the watchman who arrested me last night, I never, in the whole course of my experience, met any one who has adhesiveness so large-O, that I had a cast of that boy's head!"

"You cannot take it now," said the Recorder: "Go out." The little man was shown the way out by a police officer,

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and as he went he said with exultation-" How wonderfully rapid is the progress of my system! How the dark clouds of ignorance are being driven from society by the bright sun of phrenological science! Happy age! Glorious era!"

The little man having been disposed of, the rest of the prisoners were taken up and disposed of in turn.

ON A JOLLY SPREE.

THERE was a large batch of "spreeing coves" brought up before the Recorder yesterday. They occupied the side seat within the bar, and looked like men going through the principal ordeal of sea-sickness. If not of the swell mob, they seemed to be of the semi-swell mob. The crown of one customer's hat hung out on one side, like the lid of a tea canister. The knot of another's stock was turned back under his ear. The coat of a third, he being half whig and half locofoco, had divided, and was split up the back centre seam to the collar. The 'ducks' of another seemed to have been paddling in the puddle, as all ducks will be. Each and every one of them was branded with the marks of dissipation. Their names, as they appeared on the watch returns, were John Smith, Bill Brown, Charley Jones, Jonathan Swiller, Patrick O'Shaughnessy and Duncan McPherson.

"Watchman McManus," said the Recorder.

"Here, sur," said Mr. McManus, making his way up to the bench.

"What have these men been doing ?" asked the Recorder. "O they were cutting up all kinds of shines," said McManus; "knocking over the ashes barrels, shying stones at the lamps, kicking at doors, and disturbing the peace of the whole city. I thought, your honour, they were out of their sinsis." "John Smith," said the Recorder.

"I assure you-hiccup-I assure you, Mr. Chair, that I never sung a song-hiccup but my particular friend, Brown, will favour the company; wont you?-hiccup wont you, Brown, old boy?" and here he gave Brown, who sat next him, a warm slap on the shoulder.

"Silence!-keep order in court," said several of the police

officers.

"Chair! chair! chair!" vociferated Smith, Brown, Jones and Co.

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