Page:Southern Historical Society Papers volume 18.djvu/49

 Sketch of Thomas F. Marshall. 49

erroneous decision on a certain point of law, and for this purpose he cited authorities from King Solomon all the way down, piling tome on tome, till the justice was ready to swear that he didn't care a button for all his books or Tom Marshall either. After Marshall had exhausted all his fund of argument and eloquence to no effect, he said: " Will your Honor please fine me ten dollars for contempt of court?" "For what?" asked the astonished magistrate. "You have committed no contempt of court." "But," replied Marshall, in his own provokingly ludicrous way, " I assure you that I have an infernal contempt for it."

A young limb of the law, named McKay, who had heard of this anecdote of Marshall, once attempted to imitate it, and was punished as all imitators deserve to be. He was employed to prosecute a man indicted for larceny before a committing court composed of three magistrates. On hearing the testimony they refused to commit the prisoner to jail. McKay concluded to take revenge on the magis- trates, and accordingly began the attack. " I wish your worships would fine me five dollars for contempt of court." "Why, Mr. McKay ? " " Because I feel a very decided contempt for the court." " Your contempt for the court is not more decided than the court's contempt for you," was the response of one of the magistrates.

Mr. Marshall took great delight in relating an adventure which he once had with the celebrated Tom Corwin, the swarthy senator from Ohio. Marshall had stopped overnight at Lebanon, Mr. Cor- win' s place of residence, and registered himself at the hotel as Mr. Marshall, of Kentucky. While sitting in the public room in the evening he noticed a neatly dressed colored man enter the hall, and, approaching the register, begin to read it. When he had reached Marshall's name he read it aloud, and asked the clerk " if Mr. Mar- shall was in the hotel." The clerk replied by pointing him to the gentleman in question. The colored man approached Marshall, saluted him very respectfully, and asked if he belonged to the Lex- ington family of Marshalls. Marshall was, as he expressed it after- ward, " somewhat put out by the familiar manner of the ' cullerd gemman,' " but answered civilly that he did. The colored man was delighted to hear it, and to meet him. " I had," he said, " the honor and pleasure of serving with Thomas F. Marshall from 1841 to 1843." Marshall thinking he had met with one of the old family servants who had " run away " from slavery in Kentucky to freedom in Ohio, was about to ply him with questions, but found no opportunity of "getting in a word edgeways." The colored man asked, in rapid