Four defendants, all charged with practically the same offense, to-wit drunkness, faced Mayor Thomas in his court Monday afternoon. All admitted having imbibed a little too freely but none had been very boisterous and so the Mayor had a heart and let them off with the costs.
John Bunyan Congleton who, like the famous religious leader whose name he bears, had had considerable experience with courts and jails, was among those present and furnished much entertainment for the court audience. He appeared in court with his lengthy form bent almost double, leaning heavily on a broom stick and an expression of great pain on his countenance. There were two charges against John and it looked rather squally for him but he is a very resourceful person in courts and with the assistance of an eloquent plea by his counsel Mr. C.R. Wheatly, he was let down with $10.75, the costs in the case. One of the charges against him John denied entirely and the other was due to extenuating circumstances. He said that while walking around in the back part of he did know who, hit him in the back with a soft drink bottle and inflicted great injury and pain upon him. Fortunately a short time after a stranger met him and seeing the distress he was in, handed him a half pint bottle told him to drink freely. He emptied the flask and got considerable relief but also got arrested a short time afterwards. After hearing his statement the Mayor relented and rendered his verdict which seemed to meet with the approval of the crowd because most people are rather included to pity John than to blame him. He drinks too much but is a very industrious fellow when sober.
The other three tried by the Mayor were John Dixon, Tom Sadler and Carlton Parkin, all young white men. The evidence was that they were drunk but chief of Police Longest stated that they were not unduly disorderly and so they were left off with the costs.
From the front page of The Beaufort News, March 5, 1925
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