Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 04.pdf/374

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Editorial Department.

347

he noticed that the witness had not removed his hat. Pausing, he lowered his book, and said with much earnestness, " Look here! ven you schwear before me und Gott, take off your hat."

explained it away so skilfully that he baffled his accusers. A famous lawyer thereupon exclaimed, "Caesar, who will ever be found guilty, if it is sufficient for a man to deny the charge?" To which Julian retorted, " But who will appear inno cent, if a bare accusation is sufficient?"

NOTES

The Louisiana State election of 1872 resulted in two rival governments, — the Republican, headed by Kellogg, and the Democratic, by McEnery. The parish of Caddo had two sheriffs and two clerks. The Democrats got possession of the offices, records, etc., and the Republicans, hold ing commissions from Governor Kellogg, brought suits to oust the intruders. The first suit brought to trial was F. v. P. for the office of sheriff. The district judge presiding was a Republican, and charged the jury that the commission presented by F. entitled him to the office. P. offered evi dence showing that he received a majority of the votes cast at the election, and was commissioned by Governor McEnery. The jury retired to de liberate. The foreman was Jno. J. H., a native of the Emerald Isle. Most of the jury was in favor of bringing in a verdict for the defend ant, who had undoubtedly received a majority of the votes cast at the election. " Hold on." said H., "let us consider the matter. The judge charged us to bring in a verdict according to the law and the evidence. Well, the law says that the plaintiff is entitled to the office, and the evidence says that the defendant was elected, and I don't see how we can bring in a verdict for either." This was a poser, and the jury agreed to disagree. The jury returned into court, and announced that they could not agree. " Why can't you agree in so plain a case? " said the irate judge. " May it please your honor," said the foreman, " we can't agree because the law and the evidence conflicts." The jury was discharged. The foregoing actually occurred.

A feature of the recent Detroit Bar Dinner was a quotation, placed at each plate, having some special reference to the legal profession. Among them were the following : — Who ever skulked behind the law's delay, Unless some shrewd attorney showed the way, By his superior skill got the ascendant, And led astray the innocent defendant? Butler. An over-speaking judge is no well-tuned cymbal — Lord Bacon. The indiscriminate defence of right and wrong contracts the understanding, while it hardens the heart. —Junius. Whoso loves law, dies either mad or poor. — Middleton. A lawyer art thou? draw not nigh! Go, carry to some fitter place The keenness of that practised eye, The hardness of that sallow face. Wordsworth. With books and papers placed for show, Like nest-eggs, to make clients lay, And for their false opinions pay. Butler. Let not the counsel at the Bar chop with the judge. — Lord Bacon. Justice delayed is justice denied. — Gladstone. A witch will sail in a sieve, but a devil will not ven ture aboard a lawyer's conscience. — Congreve. If objection is made to the one-man power of the judge, what shall we say of the one-man power of the twelfth juror? — Alfred Russell.

When Numerius, governor of the Narbonnoise Gaul, was impeached for plunder of his province, he defended himself, and denied the charge, and

One of the most widely disseminated of popular errors is that Dr. Guillotin invented the grim ma chine which still bears his name. The real inventor of this sinister contrivance was Dr. Louis, a wellknown medical man, and Permanent Secretary of the Parisian School of Medicine, or Acade'mie de Me'decine. On April 25, 1792, the guillotine was publicly used for the first time, and beheaded a