One Year for Waples

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One Year For Waples.
The Bean of Baxter Street Banished from His Old Haunts.
Ernest Waples, the pride of Baxter street, will be missing from his usual haunts on that thoroughfare for at least one year, which was so decreed by Judge Armstrong, yesterday afternoon, when he adjudged him guilty of a charge of assault and battery on his inamorata, Julia Mason. Ernest fully expected more than he got from the Court, as he told Constable Voigt, when he was removed to the County Jail, that he expected to get two years. There were three charges against him for assault and battery, but he was found guilty on one only. The first complaint tried was the one made against him by Mary Douglass. When Mary went on the stand she said she did not want anything done to him but after threatening to put her in jail, she reluctantly answered the questions. She admitted that she and Ernest had an argument and that he struck her, but said he did not hurt her.
Ernest, in his own defense, denied striking her and said he only placed his hand on her. Two other Baxter street belles took the stand and their evidence showed they had a warm spot for Ernest and did not want him to be banished from their sight.
The next charge which he confronted was that of assault and battery on Policeman Donovan. Officer Donovan was not positive as to who did injure him and there was not much in this case. Waples was then charged with throwing bricks and glassware at Julia Mason, one of which struck Julia, causing her to have a hemorrhage of the head. Julia said she did not think Ernest hit her and could not tell who did strike her.
At this point Assistant Prosecutor Archer flashed up a number of letters from Waples to Julia, which had been intercepted. The contents of the letters showed that Ernest had struck Julia and he was posting her as to how to testify and save him from doing time at Trenton.
Just before Julia left the stand Judge Armstrong succeeded in getting her to admit that Ernest had struck her in the head with a tumbler. The Court then told Waples that he was a bad man in the community, and adjudged him not guilty of the charges made against him by Mary Douglass and Policeman Donovan, but found him guilty of assault and battery on Julia and sentenced him to one year in the State Prison.