Evening Republican, Volume 16, Number 214, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 6 September 1912 — HAPPENINGS IN THE CITIES [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

HAPPENINGS IN THE CITIES

Shylock’s Insistency Beaten by a Black Portia

Birmingham, ala.—Notwithstanding the fact that the United States Constituion declares that no one shall be imprisoned .for debt, the effort is sometimes made to use the police court as a collecting agency, generally by a creditor preferring a charge of obtaining goods'by false pretences or embezzlement. There was a reversal of this procedure the other day at the police court when Elsie Allen, a tall, gaunt negro woman of forbidding aspect, was arraigned on a charge of disorderly conduct based on her efforts to collect a- debt of 20 cents. The old woman acted as her own attorney in the case and in the ability to ask rambling questions easily came up to any of the distinguished practitioners that. daily haunt the city forum. The principal witness against the amiable Elsie was a Xanthic colored maiden of elephantine proportions named Molly Maybray. Molly’s statement was to the effect that she had purchased 20 cents worth of peaches from the angular Elsie, and that she Intended to pay for them sometime

before the winter holidays. According to Molly’s testimony, Shylock was not more insistent for his pound of flesh than was Elsie for her two dimes, the aforesaid Insistency resulting in an attack on the fairy form of the corpulent Molly. * “Do you want to question Hie witness?” asked the judge at the conclusion of the statement of Molly. “Does ah want to ax any questions?’* snorted Elsie. “In course ah doss. Didn’t ah gin yo dat basket er peaches fur 20 cents?** "Ah reckon so.” . “Di<| yo’ pay me dem two dimes when ah axed yo’ fur ’em like er lady?’’ * “Laker lady! To’ said if ah didn’t pay yo’ Would frow er brick at ma head.” “Did yo’ gin me dat change?” “Ah done tole yo’ ah didn’t have no money.” “Yo* ain't payed me twell yet, Is yo?” “No.” ' ‘ “Dar yo’ is,” said Elsie, triumphantly addressing the Caledonian on the bench. “That will do” commented his honor, “you are discharged, but you must not undertake to collect any debt by such forceful methods.” Elsie glared at the judge a moment and said; “Ah bet ah gets dat 20 cents befo' dat yaller nigger is er day older."