Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 03.pdf/574

 Rh "' Only one thing, your honor," replied the foreman. ' Was the prisoner's attorney retained by him or appointed by the court? '" "'The prisoner is a man of means,' said the judge, 'and hired his own attorney.'" "I could not see what bearing the question had on the evidence," continued the perspiring lawyer; "but ten minutes later in filed the jury, and what do you think the verdict was?" "What? " asked his companion. - " Why, not guilty, on the ground of insanity."

At a term of the Butler County (Kansas) Dis trict Court, a young law student made application to be admitted to practice. The judge appointed a committee of three to examine him, as is usual in such cases. The student passed the examina tion, and was duly declared a full-fledged lawyer, to the surprise of some of the older members of the bar. "How was it? " asked one of them. "Well," replied one of the examining com mittee, " we asked him about two hundred ques tions, and he answered every one of them truthfully." "How was that? " queried the older member. "He simply answered by saying he did n't know, and he told the truth every time. As truthful lawyers are very scarce in this district, we concluded it would be a good thing to admit him, even if he did n't know any law."

A short time ago an old negro was up before Judge Guerry, of Dawson, charged with" some trivial offence. "Have n't you a lawyer, old man? " inquired the judge. "No, sah." "Can't you get one?" "No, sah." "Don't you want me to appoint one to defend you?" "No, sah; I jes' tho't I 'd leab the case to de ign'ance ob de co't."

If Distance lends Enchantment to the View, and the View refuses to return it, will an action for damages lie?

535 NOTES.

Perhaps the most disgusted man in Somerset County is a Justice of the Peace, who is the owner of a fine garden, the pride of his heart. The other day he was informed that an unruly cow had wrought desolation in his Eden, and he at once ordered the animal sent to the pound. Then he went up to view the wreck, and after noting the vacant places where the beets and corn had been, the trampled-down squashes and cabbages, and the demoralized pea-vines and sunflowers, and ascer taining, as he supposed, the owner ol the cow, he made out a writ against that individual, containing, so the Fairfield " Journal " is informed, fourteen dif ferent and distinct counts, including trespass, forci ble entry, malicious mischief, nuisance, riotous and disorderly conduct, and assault and battery with intent to kill. It was then that he learned that the trespasser was his own cow, and his ire cooled as he meekly paid a field-driver for getting her out of the pound. — Lewiston (Me.) Journal.

About forty years ago a young master-builder who was superintending the erection of some im portant buildings in Boston boarded at the Marl borough Hotel, and his friends were greatly aston ished to find him indicted for petty larceny. On his trial, the clerk of the hotel testified that one morning, while he was still in bed, the defen dant came into his room and took down his watch, which had hung by the wall, and carried it away. The clerk supposed it was all a joke, and on going downstairs soon afterward, asked for the watch, and the defendant denied that he knew any thing about it. Mr. Choate appeared for the defendant, and cross-examined the witness, who admitted that the defendant had, so far as he knew, an excellent repu tation and had been personally a friend of his, and that he should not have dreamed of his commit ting such a crime if he had not seen what he had, and if the defendant had not denied knowledge of the matter. He was apparently asleep, and allowed himself to appear so, to carry out what he supposed to be the intended joke. Of course he was very reluctant to think that a friend of his own could be a thief. After pressing him on this point at some length, Mr. Choate asked if