Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 05.pdf/550

 The Hall of Four Courts. Woolsack. He was thirty-seven years a Counsel in 1872. He was Mr. Gladstone's barrister, having been called in 1855, and in Solicitor-General in 1883, and sat in the that time had earned a reputation as the best House of Commons as member for London opinion in the Four Courts. He was never derry in the following year. He was Attor a really brilliant advocate, his speech being ney-General in 1885-86, going out with his slow and with a curious falling inflection not Premier on the Home Rule Bill. He will likely to impress an Irish juror; but he was probably make an even better chancellor very sure, and had a marvellous grip of his than counsel; and no higher praise than case often inconvenient to his more showy this could be given him. The Right Hon.

opponents. When his facts had f ~ "* Lord Chief - Justice O'Brien will always be all been marshalled, his witnesses skilfully I' known in Dublin as "Peter." " Peter the treated, the judge pro pitiated, and all things Packer" was the name given him by the in order, Mr. Walker Nationalist press in was at his best. His plain, artless story was the days when, as very taking, and the Attorney-General, he quiet undertone of "packed " juries in sympathy for his oppo order to gain afairtrial. The country folk then nent as a well-mean were not fond of Peter, ing but misguided and the newspaper zealot not ineffective. teemed with testimo Mr. Walker's plain, unvarnished tale made nies to his innate wick him popular with the edness, and to the in iquity which allowed judges as a tribute to their perspicacity him to decline the help of such friends of the and the value of their, prisoner as seemed time. Hence, judges being somewhat too eager to RIGHT HON-. A. M. PORTER. human, Mr. Walker exercise their rights Master of the Rolls. ' as jurors. Most men was sometimes said know the story of the to win more than his fair share of cases, and to increase the work lady who wishing to plead in person was of the Court of Appeal. It was said of him, asked if she had no friends to help her obtain too, that he had never been known to press counsel, and who answered that all the friends a point too far. So long as there seemed a she had in the world were in the jury-box. chance of bringing the court to see the Mr. O'Brien knew that story, as he knew error of its ways, no man was so quietly per most things about the Irish peasantry. It is sistent; but he could gauge its endurance well known that several times at the Special to a nicety, and then refrain even from good Commission was that prince of cross-exam iners, Sir Charles Russell, foiled by some words. Mr. Walker was born in Westmeath in unlettered Galway peasant with just enough 1832, and was Trinity's best classic and a of legal learning to look on a cross-examiner gold medallist in his year. He joined the as his natural foe. The peasantry could boast Home Circuit in 1855, and was made Queen's few such victories over " Peter." Even now