darkey answered, " It's one o' dem cases of de licious mischuff." The lawyer hurried on, to find the court engaged in trying a man for alleged bigamy.
A liquor case was on trial, and one of the offi cers who had made the raid testified that a num ber of bottles were found on the premises. "What was in the bottles? " asked the judge of the witness. "Liquor, your honor." "What kind of liquor?" "I don't know, sir." "Didn't you taste it or smell of it?" "Both, your honor." "What! do you mean to say that you are not a judge of liquor?" "No, sir; I'm not a judge; I'm only a police man." The witness was excused from answering any further questions. Joseph H. Choate is an expert in handling two-edged-sword repartee. His skill is such that he seldom meets one who is able to hold his own with him. He met his match not long ago while trying a case before the Surrogate. An old woman was being questioned by him about how the testator had looked when he made a remark to her about some relatives. "Now, how can I remember. He's been dead two years," she replied testily. "Is your memory so poor that you can't re member two years back?" continued Choate. The old woman was silent and Choate asked : "Did he look, when he spoke, anything like me?" "Seems to me he did have the same sort of a vacant look! " snapped the witness with fire in her eyes. The court-room was convulsed, and Choate had no further questions.
At a certain assize held recently in the south of England, the jury could not agree, and were locked up. After a long and animated discussion, a division was taken, when ten were found to be for convic tion and two for acquittal. Another long and acrimonious debate followed, and eventually a big, burly farmer, who was lead
ing the majority, went over to the diminutive individual, who, with a companion, formed the minority, and, assuming his most aggressive atti tude, said, " Now, then, are you two going to give in?" "No! " defiantly replied the small man. "Very well," was the answer; "then us ten will! " And they did!
NOTES. Accident of birth has played an important part in destiny in all ages, but never more pointedly than in the case of Sir William Scott (Lord Stowell), the great admiralty judge. His mother — wife of John Scott, a coal- fitter in Newcastle-uponTyne — was near confinement in 1745, when the Stuart Pretender was marching towards Ixmdon from Edinborough, taking Newcastle in his way, and intending to besiege it. It was deemed best to remove Mrs. Scott, but her modest residence was in a narrow lane, between which and the river ran the town wall, the gates of which were closed and fortified. The expectant mother, being placed in a basket, was hoisted over the wall into a boat that ferried her over to the other side, which was County Durham. Two days thereafter the future jurist was born — a twin, with a sister. He always jocularly said that through the brief voyage he was born for admiralty. When he became adolescent, although returned to Newcastle, a scholarship in Corpus Christi college at Oxford, that belonged to Durham, fell vacant, and having been born there he became eligible for the appointment, and, on his father's application, received it. There he laid the foundation for his learning and conse quent rise, which enabled him to aid his younger brother, who became Lord Eldon.
L 1844 it occurred to the New Orleans elect ors that a judge of its Commercial Court ought to be a merchant, and they therefore elected George Strawbridge, who had emigrated thither from Philadelphia to engage in commerce. In suits relating to promissory notes, bills, charter parties and insurance he made an excellent judge, but with the abstruseness of law he had no affiliation. An important case of garnishment under the civil
