Show A tender handed tramp robert james Gor gordon dona a casual declined to break stone in return for food and shelter at tho the newcastle workhouse and doubtless much to the surprise of tho the workhouse authorities successfully resisted the proceed proceedings I 1 taken against him for that act of insubordination being called on in the newcastle police court to explain his refusal mr gordon who appears to be an educated man and is described as speaking logically and fluently asked the bench to consider what such work meant to a man manlike like him his hands would he said become quite lacerated and were he a clerk or a tailor the result would be that in search ing for employment afterward he would bo be unable to follow it in iu the case of a shorthand writer too ho lie asked how he would be able to write ISO words word pei minute if his hands were mangled in in the way w ay they assuredly would be after break ing a ton of stone ills his chances of gain ws ing work were thus minimized and he be submitted respectfully that accord ing to law the master of the workhouse did not use any of the discretion which the regulations directed him to use after the magistrates had bad consulted together for some time the chairman stated that the bench could not agree upon a decision and that the defendant would thus got tile benefit of the circuns circum stance personally he added he should certainly have punished him but his col league being of A different opinion they bad concluded to dismiss tho the case lon don news |