Saturday, 22nd November 1913: Judge Broyles Explains Why He Fined Woman, The Atlanta Journal

Search for:

Reading Time: 4 minutes [602 words]

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.