Useless but Entertaining
that's not my fault, and if the blue tunic attracted the mason's attention the dyer, not I, is responsible." "That's good logic," said the judge; "let the dyer be called." The dyer came and pleaded guilty. "Take the wretch," said the judge to the thief, "and hang him from his doorpost." The people applauded this wise sentence and hurried off to carry it out. Soon they returned and reported that the dyer was too tall to be hung from his doorpost. "Find a short dyer and hang him instead," said the judge with a yawn; "let justice be done at any cost."—Law Student's Helper.
THE JUSTICES GREAT READERS Members of the Supreme Court probably take out more books from the Congressional Library than all the members of either the Senate or the House of Representatives com bined, says the Washington correspondent of the Boston Herald. Chief Justice Fuller is a great reader, and hundreds of books on a great
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varietyof subjects are sent to his houseevery year. Justice Holmes is a great student and reads much in French and German. MY PAPA My papa is a lawyer man, He tells me lots of things At night when he is smokin' an' A blowin' big smoke rings. He laughs an' says, "My boy, ha! ha! When you're a man you'll see The reason why your nice mamma Is my life mortgagee. He uses awful words, I just Can't find the meaning for, He says I'm cestui que trust And he the obligor. He talks so much I fall asleep, Then wakes me with a nudge An' says his talk must be too deep, I act just like the Judge. H. R. B.
The Editor will be glad to receive for this department anything likely to entertain the readers of the Green Bag in the way of legal antiquities, facetux, and anecdotes, i
USELESS BUT In Smith v. Fuller (Iowa 1908) 115 N. W. Rep., at page 915, Deemer, J., said: "No pre sumption can make a woman the widow of two living and undivorced husbands." —Law Notes. A colleague of the late Henry W. Paine approached him on one occasion with the offhand inquiry, "Mr. Paine, what is the law on such and such a subject?" The famous counselor took out his watch, studied it a moment, and shook his head. "I don't know," he answered. "The Legislature hasn't adjourned yet."—Boston Transcript. "Pray, my good man," said a judge to an Irishman, who was a witness on a trial, "what did pass between you and the prisoner?" "Oh, then, plase your lordship," said Pat, "sure I sees Phelim atop of the wall. 'Paddy I ' says he. 'What?' says I. 'Herel' says he. 'Where?' says I. 'WhistP says he. 'Hush!' says I. And that's all, plase your lordship." —Christian Register.
It was a clever lawyer in a Boston court recently who took advantage of the nautical knowledge he possessed to work upon the mind of a juryman who did not seem to show much comprehension of a case of suing a street railway for damages. The dull member was an old sailor, who, though doubtless very keen of perception along some lines, was, nevertheless, rather slow in his understanding of the points in volved in the case being tried. The lawyer noticed this and made his strike with this par ticular man. Approaching the jury box he addressed himself to this one juryman and said:— "Mr. Juryman, I will tell you how it hap pened. The plaintiff was in command of the outward bound open car, and stood in her starboard channels. Along came the inwardbound closed car and just as their bows met she jumped the track, sheered to port, and knocked the plaintiff off and ran over him." The sailor was all attention after this ver sion of the affair, and joined in a $5000 verdict for the injured man. — Gloucester (Mass.) Times.