this gentleman," indicating his brother judge, "may know all about them." " They were all acquitted," said Judge Crampton. "Then, by the powers," shouted the rustic, " they must have had great interest intirely." When they were out of reach of hearing by the crowd, Baron Green gravely observed : " Oh, Crampton, how well that fellow knew you!" A barrister, whose son did not bear a high character and had been lately robbed, on meeting Parsons said, " Did you hear of my son's robbery? " "No, my dear friend," re plied Parsons. " Do tell me. Whom did he rob?" A country gentleman, who was suspected of sympathizing with the rebellion of 1798, wished to clear his character to Parsons and, repudiating all disloyal inclinations, said, " It is well known I have a stake in this coun try?" "Faith, if you have," said Parsons, "there's a pike at the other end of it." Mr. Baron Green recorded to Mr. O'Flanagan, who has related them in his " Munster Circuit," the following witticisms of Lord Norbury: When charging the jury in a breach of promise, the letters of the faith less defendant had been so long in the plaintiff's pocket, or so often shown to her sympathizing friends, that they were greatly frayed at the folds, and almost in tatters. "Gentlemen," said Lord Norbury, carefully holding up one of the epistles to the gaze of the jury, " it's easy to see that these are loveletters, because they're so mighty tender." In a case wherein the plaintiff's attorney's name was Norman, he seemed quite jubilant, as though anticipating a verdict. The chief justice said: "Take care, it's not the Nor man conquest yet." When Lord Brougham charged him with having fallen asleep on a trial for murder, he is reported to have de clared that he would resign in order to de mand satisfaction, as " That Scotch broom (Brougham) wanted nothing so much as an Irish stick." Some further instances of O'Connell's dar ing but successful humor in the defense of
prisoners may be of interest. Two brothers were indicted for incendiarism at Ennis. It was alleged that a police-barrack had been ignited by means of a jar of pitch found half-consumed near the burnt barrack. O'Connell, who was engaged for the de fense, contrived to get a skillet containing pitch secretly placed near the witness-chair. The principal witness swore that he dis covered the barrack on fire, and knew it was set on fire by pitch, for he got the smell of it. He was then cross-examined by O'Connell : " You know the smell of pitch then?" said O'Connell. "I do well," said the witness. " You seem a man able to smell pitch anywhere?" said O'Connell. "Anywhere I found it." "Even here in this court house if it was here?" "No doubt I would." " And do you swear you don't get the smell of pitch here?" asked O'Connell. " I do," solemnly replied the witness. " If it was here, I'd smell it." O'Connell then disclosed the pitch which was placed near the witness's chair, and told him to go down. This ruse saved his client. At Limerick O'Connell was defending, in a hopeless case, two men for robbery. A young priest gave evidence as to their char acter for honesty. He replied to the ques tions of counsel in stilted terms, and made use of sesquipedalia verba. Judge Torrens at length cut him short. O'Connell, assum ing an air of great indignation, addressed the prisoners : " My poor fellows, bigotry is on the bench, and when your excellent young priest has been so ignominiously turned out of court I am in despair of being able to serve you. Here are your brief and fee." He then muttered in a stage whisper, as if thinking aloud, " My innocent clients, I despair altogether now of your acquittal : never were men hanged so unjustly. The only hope I can look to is that, if your sen tence is not carried into execution before the twelve judges meet, I may bring this case before them." Judge Torrens was the dupe of O'Connell's ruse. He disclaimed
