THE Supreme Court in St. Petersburg, says the Chicago Journal, has before it one of the most curious cases on record. The tribunal is called upon to decide whether a will left on a graphophone cylinder is valid, or whether the strange "last will and testament " should be disregarded in the settlement of the estate. One of the wealthiest land proprietors near Smolensk died a few months ago, and after the funeral his heirs began to look for the will. Much to their sur prise, they were unable to find the slightest trace of it. The missing document, however, was found in a few days in the strangest place imaginable. A young man, happening to see a graphophone on a table in the library, put a record in it, which he supposed was that of some popular Russian song. To his amazement, however, instead of a song he heard the dead man's voice recite the words of the missing will. The heirs were notified of this discovery, and they lost no time in examining the record con taining the will. It was found to be flawless, and the question then arose whether such a will would be deemed valid by the courts. This question is now before the Supreme Court in St. Petersburg.
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THE salaries of English judges are set forth in Whitaker's Almanack. Some of the largest sal aries are as follows : That of the Lord Chancel lor is £10,000 a year. The Lords of Appeal in Ordinary receive .£6,000 each. In the Court of Appeal, the Master of the Rolls receives £6,000, and the other judges .£5,000 apiece; and in the Chancery Division, the Probate, Divorce and Admiralty Division, and the Queen's Bench Division each of the judges receives £5,000, except that, in the last men tioned Division, the Lord Chief Justice has a salary of £8,000.
THE following resolution was recently intro duced in the Lower House of the Colorado legislature :
AN instance of that legal courtesy which is a synonym of congressional courtesy, occurred in a Galesburg court room the other day. Attorney Jim McKenzie and a lawyer from East Galesburg became involved in a wordy discussion, in which each questioned the other's word. The East Galesburg legal light maintained his posi tion, claiming that he could find his authority. He turned over the pages of the statute book, when quick as a flash Mac said : "You'll find what you want on page—, sec tion —." The innocent attorney looked up the reference and found the law governing the running loose of jackasses. And the court smiled. — (Philadelphia Item.)
Whereas, a statute exists in this State providing for the payment of a bounty on mountain lions' scalps, and Whereas, Hon. Theodore Roosevelt, the Rough Rider, Vice-Président of the United States, is now touring the State with the avowed purpose of slaughtering all the mountain lions therein found, and Whereas, the slaughter thereof by the Vice-Prési dent of the United States supersedes the necessity of the bounty thus provided by law, therefore be it Rcsolveil, that upon the departure of the said Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider, Vice-Président of the United States, with his knives so vividly por trayed in the newspapers of the United States, that the law providing for the payment of a bounty upon mountain lion scalps should be repealed for two reasons: First, as a matter of economy; second, because we must have mountain lions, and their multiplication should be encouraged to the end that the said Theodore Roosevelt, Rough Rider, VicePrésident of the United States, may be induced to return to this State to repeat his act of daring and prowess and thereby add to the fame of the State.
IT is recorded by historians that a Lord Chan cellor of England was decapitated and a Chief Justice of Ireland assassinated. No law lord has as yet been consumed by fire. But Lord Davey was within measurable distance of this uncom fortable fate not many days ago. It happened in this wise: There is in the " Prince's Chamber" in the House of Lords a large fireplace, pro tected by a tall fender. The latter is topped by a rail, upon which it is the natural instinct of politicians to seat themselves. Lord Davey was poised upon this piece of furniture i" apparent security and comfort, when without a cry or word of warning, he fell backwards into the blazing coals. Happily help was at once forthcoming. Lord Shand and the Lord Chancellor rushed to the assistance of their colleague, and were able to rescue him from his disagreeable position before much harm had been done. — (Daily Telegraph^
