1945: THOMAS ST. JOHN SWORN IN

DURING MY MANY YEARS IN THE HARTLEY - SYLVAN AVENUE AREA, MY BEST FRIEND RIGHT UP TO TODAY WAS THE LATE DON SLABICKI. THIS PHOTO IS OF THOMAS ST. JOHN, FATHER OF THE THOMAS ST. JOHN AND HIS WIFE ALBERTA SLABICKI ST. JOHN, WHOM I REMEMBER WELL. "TOM" WAS A FATHER FIGURE AND I REMEMBER HOW HE USED TO LET US SIT IN THAT BIG BUS HE DROVE BACK IN THE 1940'S. DON AND I WERE "BABY SITTERS" FOR "LITTLE" TOMMY ST. JOHN WHO WENT ON TO BECOME A HAMILTON POLICE OFFICER, AND ALSO "LITTLE" RONNIE TOBIASZ.

1925: NO LIBERAL JUDGE HERE

"LET THE PUNISHMENT FIT THE CRIME!"

1931: BRING JUDGE SCHROTH BACK

I HAVE BEEN ADDING INTERESTING NEWS ARTICLES ON THE SOCIAL MISFITS FROM OUR LOCAL PAST INTO THE "CRIME, MORALS AND SOCIAL VALUES" FOLDER IN THE LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION. WE COULD SURE USE A JUDGE SCHROTH IN TODAY'S SOCIETY. BACK THEN IT WAS JUSTICE; PLAIN, SIMPLE AND AS THE WORD IMPLIES, "JUST!"

1869: EVEN THEN, VANDALS WERE A PROBLEM

FROM THE "MORALS AND SOCIAL VALUES" FOLDER IN THE LOCAL HISTORY COLLECTION:

WHAT IS IT ABOUT A CERTAIN SEGMENT OF OUR POPULATION THAT MAKES THESE ANTI-SOCIAL CITIZENS DEFACE OTHER PEOPLE'S PROPERTY? AS YOU CAN SEE IN THIS ARTICLE FROM 1869, THESE CITIZEN SLUGS, THEN AS NOW, DELIGHTED IN DESTROYING ANYTHING DECENT. THE DIFFERENCE? WHEN THE PERPETRATORS WERE CAUGHT, YOU CAN BET THAT THEIR NAMES WEREN'T WITHELD BECAUSE OF THEIR AGES. I WOULD BET THAT THE JUDGE DIDN'T GIVE THEM A 2007 "SLAP ON THE WRIST" AND REMAND THEM TO THEIR PARENTS.

1931: INTERESTING COURT SENTENCES

JUDGE SCHROTH TOOK THE PART OF A TEACHER WITH HIS SENTENCE OF A BOOK REPORT FROM ONE OF THE JUVENILES WHO BROKE THE LAW.

JUDGE SCHROTH'S "JERSEY JUSTICE"