HOW THE CASE WAS WON. TN the early years of this century Philip -^ Doddridge was the leading lawyer in northwestern Virginia, now a portion of the State of West Virginia. Doddridge County was named for him. He resided in Wellsburg, on the Ohio River; but his practice extended well into Pennsylvania and Ohio, and he afterward represented his district in Congress. On one occasion, says the New York " Sun," Mr. Doddridge was called to Washington to defend a man accused of horse-stealing. It was a clear case. The principal witness was an accomplice who turned state's evidence; but this testimony was amply corroborated by that of other people. Mr. Doddridge was not expected to make a very forcible address, and he did not try to. He talked in a desultory man ner to the jury for fifteen or twenty min utes, and then added : — "I have very little more to say, but with the permission of the court I will re late an incident which seems to me to bear on this case. In the older portions of this State it is the custom now, as it was some years ago, for the judges to travel over their circuits and hold court. With the judges went the lawyers. In a certain dis trict I have in mind the Nestor of the bar was a precise gentleman of the old school, who wore ruffled shirt-fronts and cuffs, and prided himself on his invariable attend ance upon divine service at the town in which court was being held. He in sisted on a similar attendance on the part of the other lawyers, and made it his busi ness to see that they went with him in a
body. One Sunday morning they found themselves at a town with no church except one belonging to the Methodists; and al though the Nestor was an Episcopalian, he notified the younger attorneys that they would be expected to go to church as usual. They were late in getting ready; and when the dignified old lawyer appeared in church and marched up the middle aisle, followed by all the lawyers in the district, the minis ter was well in his sermon. He stopped in his discourse, however, gazed at the leader of the file a second, and said, — "' My friend, if you had not stopped to prink and to arrange those ruffles so care fully, you could have got to church, in time. As it is, you come at this late hour and dis turb the worshippers by your entrance. I give you warning now/ the preacher added solemnly, raising his finger to make the words more impressive, ' that at the judg ment-day I shall appear to testify against you.' "The old lawyer had stopped when the minister began to address him, and stood waiting in the aisle. When the preacher was through, the lawyer said, — "' Sir, I have been practising at the bar for forty years, and that much experience has shown me that the greatest rogue al ways turns state's evidence.'" At this point Mr. Doddridge left his case with the jury. The entire courtroom was convulsed with laughter, and it was some time before order was restored. Then the jury announced a verdict of not guilty, and Doddridge's client was released.
