Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 05.pdf/276

 PUBLISHED MONTHLY, AT $4.00 PER ANNUM.

SINGLE NUMBERS, 50 CENTS.

Communications in regard to the contents of the Magazine should be addressed to the Editor, HORACE W. FULLER, 15^ Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. The Editor will be glad to receive contributions of articles of moderate length upon subjects of interest to the profession; also anything in the way of legal antiquities or curiosities, facetiœ, anecdotes, etc. LEGAL ANTIQUITIES.

KING JAMES I. issued a proclamation in which the voters for members of Parliament are directed "not to choose curious and wrangling lawyers, who seek reputation by stirring needless ques tions; " and in ancient times lawyers were not allowed to sit in Parliament.

THE following extracts from Felt's " Annals of Salem " give a glimpse of some of the singular punishments in vogue in Old New England : — "In 1637. Dorothy Talby, for beating her husband, is ordered to be bound and chained to a post." "In 1638, the Assistants order two Salem men to sit in the stocks on Lecture day, for travelling on the Sabbath." •' In 1644, Mary, wife of Thomas Oliver, was sen tenced to be publickly -whipped for reproaching the magistrates." •• In 1646, for slandering the Elders, she had a cleft stick put on her tongue for half an hour."

FACETIÆ. AT Harriett County (M. C.) Superior Court, a few years since. Judge Shipp presiding, the trial of a cause had been protracted till near midnight. The jury were tired and sleepy, and showed flag ging attention. Willie Murchison, who was ad dressing the jury, thought to arouse them; so he said, " Gentlemen, I will tell you an anecdote." Instantly the jury, the judge, and the few specta tors pricked up their ears and were all attention, as Murchison was admirable in that line, had a 32

fund of anecdotes, and no one could tell them better. But he then proceeded to tell one of the dullest, prosiest, most pointless jokes possi ble. Everybody looked disappointed. The judge, leaning over, said in an unmistakable tone of dis appointment, " Mr. Murchison. I don't see the point of that joke." " Nor I, either," replied the witty counsel; " but your honor told it to me on our way down here; and as I thought the lack of appreciation must be due to my obtuseness, I concluded to give the joke a trial by jury."

SOME time ago Col. John D. Templeton of Texas defended a man charged with stealing sheep which the evidence showed to be worth five dollars. The county attorney asked the jus tice to fix the bond at five hundred dollars; and that dignitary was about to do so, when Colonel Templeton suggested that a bond should be in double the value of the property involved, and the evidence showed the property to be worth five dollars, which would make the bond ten dollars. The justice indignantly turned to the county attorney and said : " I guess I know what the law is; I can't fix anything more than a ten-dollar bond in this case." The ten dollars was forth coming, and the prisoner has not been heard from since. As a youth Daniel Webster seemed somewhat opposed to physical labor, but he was quick at repartee. While mowing he complained to his father that his scythe was not hung properly. "Hang it to suit yourself, Dan," replied the paternal. The boy immediately hung it on a tree near by, saying, "There, father, it's hung to suit me now.''

THE following is said to be in the Statutes of the State of Oregon : " All traction engines and bicycles must carry two planks, eac,h 12 ft. by 12 in. by 3 in., upon which to cross bridges, and