Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 25.pdf/562

 The Editor s Bag Astonished upset by Camden, Me. and completely Job Herrick. this turn of affairs, she remonstrated. Court was not in session; it was ab surd; it could not be done; besides, "Judge, you will please to remember that this Court is a proper and legitimate subject of contempt at all times!" Nevertheless he paid the fine. THE SALIC LAW DEFINED THE following agreeable lines, which are reproduced from the columns of the Boston Globe, were written by a Maine lawyer who has long been one of our own subscribers: — Salic law was Teutonic, A statement laconic, When thought — without mention, When brought — mere invention, And from our present view Like Topsy — "just grew." What its origin was Has been frequent cause Of legal presumption, And studied assumption; But as far as e'en heard, Only guessed front the word. 'Twas not thought of much Until women, as such, On reigning were bent By right of descent, Which vain man, quite elate. Invoked Salic law to abate. It was ages ago, And woman, although Assigned quite to the home Found her way to the throne; And Salic law had no naming When women began reigning. And the law to this day Men invoke the same way, Excluding women from voting, On which many are doting, And that's how we get The mad suffragette.

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HAPPENINGS IN COURT A

REMARKABLE illustration of how well the 10,000 soldiers at Texas City, Texas, behave themselves may be had from the fact that during all their nine months' stay there, only once have any of them been arraigned before the Justice of the Peace, and that case was summarily dismissed. It all happened like this: There was a lull in the business of dispensing justice to the camp followers through the Texas fee system, so the old Justice turned a wistful eye toward the soldier himself. It had been reported that some turkeys had been stolen by soldiers from one of the hotels, and so, not knowing that the artillery regiment had acquired the reputation of being the toughest, rough est and most quarrelsome of all the out fits, he arraigned four artillery men for the theft. During the course of the trial an argument arose among the four defendants as to whether any of them should testify, and during the alterca tion that followed the old Justice, feeling himself unable to maintain the dignity of the court, hurriedly disappeared through the back window and called back excitedly: — "Case dismissed! Court's adjourned!" The other day at the army camp in Texas City, Texas, an old soldier was brought before a young West Pointer for trial on a summary court charge. "Now, how do you plead?" asked the young officer with all dignity. "Not guilty, sir," answered the old soldier gravely. The young officer looked at him for a few minutes, and then with a puzzled look asked: "How do I know you are not guilty?" The old soldier smothered a smile, caught himself, and then after an in