Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 18.pdf/570

 THE LIGHTER SIDE land offered to remit the fines on condition that the parents administer corporal punishment in court. Their mothers eagerly grasped the rods and proceeded to earn what one of them called " the easiest $5 of her life." Getting Used to Being Indicted. — Arthur Evans, general counsel for Swift & Co., the meat packers, blew along Pennsylvania Ave nue. "Hi there, Arthur! " shouted a friend. "Where have you been?" "Oh! " said Evans, " I've been down in Nashville getting indicted with the Fertilizer Trust. Got to be a habit with me now. Every town I drop into I find the hospitable citizens waiting to indict me. All the rage." — Xcw York World. A Cross-examiner Foiled. — Several years ago an old lady by the name of Morrell, living in Lisbon, N. H., was summoned to court as a witness against one of her neighbors. It was her first experience, and she thought it was a terrible thing. Her voice quavered while she was giving her testimony, and her whole body trembled perceptibly when she was cross-ex amined by the opposing counsel, who hoped to break down her evidence by showing loss of memory. "How old are you? " was asked. "I'm almost seventy; shall be next birth day," she replied. "You are not very well, I see; you seem ner vous and excited. Is your memory good?" "Not very," she answered. "You can't remember as well as you used to, can you?" "No, I can't," she replied; " and so I don't •dare tell a thing only what I know is so." Needless to say her evidence was not im peached. — Boston Herald. Look Out for " Sadie C." — A news item in a Waterloo, Iowa, daily says: " Because of in juries received while riding with Charles E. B., Miss Sadie C. has brought suit against the former for $10,000. Defendant was paying Miss C. company at the time, and had invited her to accompany him for the drive. Plain tiff alleges that the harness was defective and that her escort had no right to drive such a fiery team." — United States Review.

535

From Missouri. — An amusing occurrence took place in Conconully, Okanogan County, Wash., last week during the term of the supe rior court. An alien appeared before the court asking for citizenship papers. When asked by Judge Steiner where he was born, he replied that his birthplace was in Missouri. Thinking he might have misunderstood the man the judge asked the question again and received the same reply and a ripple of laughter went over the court room. Investigation proved the truth of the assertion. He had been born in Mis souri, but a few years ago had taken out natu ralization papers in Canada, and was now seeking to again become a citizen of his native country. Mystery of the Jury Solved.—Judge Moore, of Augusta, who is related to ex-Mayor Luther R. Moore, of Saco, was telling his experience with a jury while he was trying cases in Kennebec County some years ago. He appeared as coun sel for a man who had been indicted for a minor crime, and as he opened the case he saw a man on the jury who had been a close friend of his for years, and he decided that the juror, be cause of past friendship, would stand by him in the case on trial. Finally the case went to the jury. For hours they fought and argued in the jury room in an effort to agree upon a verdict. They came in for instruction, and were again sent out by the judge, who asked them to agree, if such a thing was possible. All night the jury argued and wrangled, and on the opening of court in the morning reported a disagreement and were dismissed. Judge Moore hunted up his friend on the jury and asked him why he could not swing the men into line. "Strangest case I ever heard of," said the juror, " and we ain't found out yet about it. After we had talked the case over awhile we balloted. There were eleven for acquittal, and the twelfth man did not vote. We talked it over for awhile, balloting again, and it stood just the same, the twelfth man refusing to vote. We asked every man how he stood on the case, and they all favored acquittal, and I'll be hanged if, when we voted, it was'nt eleven for acquittal, with the confounded twelfth hog refusing to vote. We kept it up