The Nightgown Defense
A man is fined for failing to assist a police officer in Bismarck, Washington, citing the embarrassment of being caught in his nightclothes.
The story, cleaned up
A cleaned-up reading of the newspaper page: spelling and layout repaired, one story lifted off a crowded page. It follows the original closely but it is not a transcription. The original page is below; read it if a detail matters.
Because he refused to assist Officer Shaffer in making a double arrest in Bismarck last week, Sam Simpson was given a fine of $20 and costs yesterday afternoon by Judge Arntson of the police court. The man gave as his reason for not aiding the patrolman when called, the fact that he was only dressed in his night gown and could not appear before Mrs. Bundy, proprietress of a Bismarck lodging house. Sid Randall, who escaped from Officer Shaffer upon Simpson's refusal of aid, was fined $100 and costs for resisting an officer.
“The man gave as his reason for not aiding the patrolman when called, the fact that he was only dressed in his night gown.”
This incident highlights the historical legal obligation of citizens to assist law enforcement, a duty that remains largely obscure to the average person today, paired with the quaint social pressures of lodging house decorum.
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