Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 05.pdf/228

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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 ivill be glad to receive contributions of articles of moderate length upon subjects of interest to the profession; also any/hing in the way of legal antiquities or curiosities, facetia, anecdotes, etc.

in America under false colors, and repair, so far as is possible, our error by presenting herewith a portrait which is vouched for as correct by one who knows him.

THE GREEN BAG.

VER since we undertook to run a portrait gallery in the " Green Bag " we have had a presentiment that some day or other we should, like " Little Buttercup," get some of these judicial babes "mixed up." We have used the utmost care to prevent such an occurrence; but in spite of all precautions we learn from the " London Law Journal " that the portrait published in our February number as Lord Justice Bowen is not his lordship

LORD JUSTICE BOWEN.

at all. As we have not the pleasure of an acquaint ance with the Lord Justice, and were therefore unable from personal observation to identify his portrait, we relied upon what we supposed to be good proof of its genuineness. The portrait pub lished was taken from a photograph secured from the Ixmdon Stereoscopic Company, and labelled LORD JUSTICE BOWEN; so that our slip was an excusable one. We tender his lordship our humble apology for introducing him to the legal profession

Our " Disgusted Layman " furnishes the follow ing bits of legal humor : —

Editor of the •' Green Bag " : SIR, — There is a good story of your great lawyers Judge Hoar and General Butler when opponents in a case of a new trial. General Butler quoted, " Eye for eye, skin for skin, tooth for tooth, yea, all that a man hath, will he give for his life." To which Judge Hoar replied, "Yes, the devil quoted that once before in a motion for a new trial." This was severe enough, but will not compare with the old. almost forgotten story of Lord Chatham, who, in urging some grant of public money, was opposed by a Chancellor of the Exchequer who was not above suspicion of personal peculation; and when the chancellor quoted, "This ointment might be sold for much and given to the poor," Chatham replied by finishing the quotation: •• This Judas said, not that he cared for the poor, but that he was a thief, and kept the bag and stole what was put therein." Of all retorts this is the most savage I have ever heard. A distinguished bishop of the Episcopal Church made the neatest reply I ever heard of; arriving late at a small town one night, he found the hotel closed, and hammering at the door for admission, a neighbor stuck his head out of an adjoining window with, " Say, stranger, knock like h —1!" to which the bishop replied, '• I don't know how." A manufacturer of fertilizers near my home was not above gulling the honest farmer; and his superinten dent made some experiments in mixing coal-dust and fire-clay in the fertilizer, using ten per cent of pecul iarly loud-stinking rotten bone, the result being that an article was prepared having all the smell and appearance of the fertilizer with only ten per cent genuine. The proprietor exclaimed in his delight, "Why, Andy, if the Lord is only good to us and gives us good crops down Savannah way [his principal market], our fortune is made! " It is hardly to be presumed that "the Lord " bent an ear to this wish; but the manufacturer made a fortune all the same.