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zackly, but I done knowed it was wrong. I done knowed I oughtn' take it, I guess."
"Of course you did. Of course you did. That's just it. You knew you were stealing, and still you
took it. Has the man to whom this negro sold the lead pipe been apprehended yet?" the judge
inquired sharply of the district attorney. "He should be, for he's more guilty than this negro, a
receiver of stolen goods."
"Yes, sir," replied the assistant. "His case is before Judge Yawger."
"Quite right. It should be," replied Payderson, severely. "This matter of receiving stolen property
is one of the worst offenses, in my judgment."
He then turned his attention to Ackerman again. "Now, look here, Ackerman," he exclaimed,
irritated at having to bother with such a pretty case, "I want to say something to you, and I want
you to pay strict attention to me. Straighten up, there! Don't lean on that gate! You are in the
presence of the law now." Ackerman had sprawled himself comfortably down on his elbows as
he would have if he had been leaning over a back-fence gate talking to some one, but he
immediately drew himself straight, still grinning foolishly and apologetically, when he heard this.
"You are not so dull but that you can understand what I am going to say to you. The offense you
have committed--stealing a piece of lead pipe--is a crime. Do you hear me? A criminal
offense--one that I could punish you very severely for. I could send you to the penitentiary for
one year if I chose--the law says I may--one year at hard labor for stealing a piece of lead pipe.
Now, if you have any sense you will pay strict attention to what I am going to tell you. I am not
going to send you to the penitentiary right now. I'm going to wait a little while. I am going to
sentence you to one year in the penitentiary--one year. Do you understand?" Ackerman
blanched a little and licked his lips nervously. "And then I am going to suspend that
sentence--hold it over your head, so that if you are ever caught taking anything else you will be
punished for this offense and the next one also at one and the same time. Do you understand
that? Do you know what I mean? Tell me. Do you?"
"Yessah! I does, sir," replied the negro. "You'se gwine to let me go now--tha's it."
The audience grinned, and his honor made a wry face to prevent his own grim grin.
"I'm going to let you go only so long as you don't steal anything else," he thundered. "The
moment you steal anything else, back you come to this court, and then you go to the
penitentiary for a year and whatever more time you deserve. Do you understand that? Now, I
want you to walk straight out of this court and behave yourself. Don't ever steal anything. Get
something to do! Don't steal, do you hear? Don't touch anything that doesn't belong to you!
Don't come back here! If you do, I'll send you to the penitentiary, sure."
"Yassah! No, sah, I won't," replied Ackerman, nervously. "I won't take nothin' more that don't
belong tuh me."
He shuffled away, after a moment, urged along by the guiding hand of a bailiff, and was put
safely outside the court, amid a mixture of smiles and laughter over his simplicity and
Payderson's undue severity of manner. But the next case was called and soon engrossed the
interest of the audience.
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