• Our Collection
• Store
• Membership
• Projects
• About
• Contact Us
• Shopping Cart

• Welcome Visitor  | Sign In

• Search
• Featured
• Cities
• Collections
• Keywords
• Persons
• Newsletter
• Subjects
• Popular
• 

THE JUSTICE SHOP – An Italian Who Claimed to Have Been Rolled at Palmer Bar, Was Out of Luck.

            Monday Constable Hawes, of the mounted Police, stationed at Palmer’sBar, brought in four prisoners – Frenchmen – on suspicion of having rolled an Italian named Bernadino Dominico.

            An examination was held Monday forenoon in the office of Justice Hutchison before Inspector of Mounted Police Saunders, and was entitled The Queen vs. Norris et al.  The plaintiff was possessed of a lamentable ignorance of the English language and a strong smell.  His evidence was given through an interpreter, and was positive only as to one of the suspects – a camp barber.  He stated that he had been at the hotel the preceding morning and bought refreshments for himself to the amount of 50 cents but strenuously denied having “called up the house” as the prisoners averred, which unfortunate misunderstanding left the $5 bill he coughed up in much the same condition as the Cristobel Colon after meeting the Oregon.  Failing to convince anyone that he wasn’t troubled with enlargement of the heart he pocketed his small change and large indignation and struck out for the bush to perform some laundry work; there, he alleged, he was followed by four men whom he could not identify except as to the barber, whom he swore positively – getting down on his knees, crossing himself and earnestly beseeching all the saints as well as his God to bear witness to the truth of his statements – attacked and throttled him, forcing him to his knees while another extracted from his trouser pocket $23 or $24 and some small change, in proof of which he showed where his trousers had been torn down at the side of the pocket.  Asked by Inspector Saunders if he could identify any of the rest as among his assailants he replied in the negative, affirming that his attention was riveted upon the man who had a lead-pipe cinch on his throat and whom he was afraid, with the assistance of the others, was going to kill him.  By not being identified and implicated by the unfortunate Italian, the barber’s companions were free to clear him by their testimony, which they did, the Italian having no one to corroborate his testimony in any degree.

            The defense set up the claim that the plaintiff was intoxicated and not in any condition to remember any one, or anything that might have occurred at the time the alleged robbery occurred.  One of the quartet – all are engaged on the grade – was certainly never intended by nature or education for a common laborer, as the skill and tact with which he conducted in behalf of the defense a cross-examination of the witnesses would have been creditable to any barrister, and showed that he was no stranger to courts and court proceedings.

            The proofs being insufficient to convict the inspector dismissed the case.