THE RODERICK CASE
The would-be desperado, Roderick, who threatened the life of Mary Roberts, in a house in Broadway, on Thursday night, was tried and convicted in the Police Court, yesterday morning, on three Separate charges. The first charge was carrying a concealed deadly weapon; he had a pocket full of them - a Bowie-knife, a short-handled hatchet, and a hat full of bed-rock, with a trace of quartz in it. The second charge, of assault with a deadly weapon, was sustained by the testimony of the complaining witness, Mary Roberts, who swore that Roderick seized her and aimed a blow at her with his Bowie-knife, when Providence provided her with invisible wings. She said she knew she had wings at that moment of her utmost need, although they were not palpable to her imperfect mortal vision, and she flew away - she gently soared down stairs. Judging by the woman's general appearance, and her known character and antecedents, this interference of Providence in her behalf was remarkable, to say the least, and must have been quite a surprise to her. The third charge was of malicious mischief. It was shown in evidence that he wantonly destroyed furniture belonging to the woman, worth one hundred dollars. The prisoner was ordered to appear for sentence on all three of the charges, to-morrow morning. Roderick killed a man once. He is rather a bad looking man, but probably not nearly so dangerous as one might suppose from his lawless conduct. He has bad habits, similar to those of many a professedly better man, and he carries an armament better suited to a fortress than a well meaning private citizen. All these things are against him, and he de serves to be punished for having them against him, and for breaking furniture that did not belong to him. He was not anxious to kill the woman, though, or even do her a bodily injury, as his opportunities for doing so were ample, and he threw them away. He might have made a good sensation item for the newspapers, and he carelessly threw that opportunity away also. Roderick is a useless incumbrance, any way you take him.
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