Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 02.pdf/49

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34
The Green Bag.

cary, with force of arms, did wilfully and in a vio- I posed persons to the jurors aforesaid unknown, be lent manner run to and fro, and kicked up and 1 ing rioters, routers and disturbers of the peace of down in the common highway and street within our said Lord the King, on, etc., with force of arms, the said county and town, called the High Street, 1 at the town, etc., unlawfully, riotously, and routously did assemble and meet together to disturb a certain ball of leather, commonly called a foot ball, unto the great annoyance and incumbrance of the peace of our said Lord the King, and being so assembled and met together, did then and there said highway, and to the great disquiet and dis turbance of the good people of this commonwealth unlawfully, riotously kick, cast and throw a certain passing on and travelling in and upon the same, foot-ball in and about the said town, and then and and in contempt of the laws, etc., and to the evil there wilfully, riotously, routously made a great noise, riot, disturbance and affray therein, in con example of others, and against the public peace." tempt, etc., to the evil example, etc., and against the In early times among the English, the great peace, etc. And the jurors, etc., do further pre foot-ball festival of the year was Shrove-Tues- sent, that the said defendants, together with divers day, — though why Shrove-Tuesday, Heaven other evil-disposed persons to the jurors aforesaid only knows, unless there was supposed to as yet unknown, on the said, etc., with force and be some resemblance between the state of arms, at, etc., did unlawfully assemble and meet some of the players after the scrimmage and together, and being so assembled and met together the pancakes they had eaten at dinner on did then and there wilfully kick and cast and that day. Chitty (2 Chit. Crim. La., 494) throw a certain foot-ball in and about the said gives an indictment drawn in the year 1797, town, near the dwelling-houses of divers liege sub by a very eminent pleader, for the purpose of jects of our said Lord the King, and also in divers suppressing the ancient custom of kicking streets and common highways there, to the great damage and common nuisance of all the liege sub about foot-balls on Shrove-Tuesday at Kingsjects, of our said Lord the King, residing in the ton-upon-Thames. We give it in the hope said dwelling-houses and passing and repassing that some of our American officials will have in and along the said streets and highways, to the the courage to prefer a similar one against evil example, etc., and against the peace, etc." players in our towns. "Surrey. — That A. S. B., late of, etc. (and other defendants), together with divers other evil dis

These fellows evidently played according to the Rugby rules.

IDENTIFYING TH EVES IN AMONG the visitors who have been at tracted to the Paris Exhibition are gangs of professional pickpockets. In the arrangements, however, these unwelcome guests were not forgotten. A special detec tive force was organized to look after them. The French system of identifying prisoners, coupled with the prompt and severe punish ment meted out to them, has struck terror into the ranks of professional pickpockets. One of the first things done when the French police arrest any one is to measure him and see if he is not in their books already. The

PARIS.

measurement and identification department in Paris is in the Palais de Justice; and our correspondent had an interview there the other day with M. Alphonse Bertillon, the inventor of the anthropometrical system. M. Bertillon was operating in a large square room. There were shelves on one side con taining thousands of cards, with the photo graphs and records of criminals. Several assistants were busy taking measurements to add to the collection. "My system for identifying criminals," said M. Bertillon, "was adopted by the