Democratic Sentinel, Volume 20, Number 15, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 17 April 1896 — Bench AND Bar. [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

Bench AND Bar.

The Ruling Spirit Strong. The prosecuting attorney of a North Missouri county and a young attorney noted for his persistence were recently trying the preliminary hearing of a criminal case before a justice of the peace. The young attorney asked many irrelevant and incompetent questions, and when the prosecuting attorney would object would always say: “Your honor, before you pass on that objection I want to argue it.” Finally the young man asked the same question the seventh time against the prosecuting attorney’s objection, when the prosecutor, losing his patience, said in a loud aside: “ , are you never going to get over being a confounded fool?” Whereupon the young fellow jumped up wth bis usual remark: “Your honor, before you pass on that I want to argue it.”

Interruptions by the Court. Lord 1 Chief Justice Erie was prone to interrupt counsel when it was found that the judges had already made up their minds against him. On one occasion Mr. Bovill, Q. C., soon afterward made a judge, was stopped with: “Here we stand, we four men, and we have all firmly (emphasizing the adverb) made up our minds that there must be a new trial; but if you think it worth your while going on after that (playfully), why of course we’ll keep on hearing you.” Whereupon the Q. C. laughingly sat down. On another occasion he again interrupted with “I beg to inform the counsel ‘there is a time in the mind of every man at which he lets down the flood-gates of his understanding, and allows not one more drop to enter;’ and that time in my mind has fully arrived.” The Judge's Little Joke. Judge Gary has a dry wit with him that is occasionally the cause of bls grim court-room being pervaded by a very audible tittering. The other day, says the Green Bag, one of the attorneys was airing his indignation. He had been robbed. Yes, sir, robbed. It was shameful the way things went right there under the eyes of the law. Finally Judge Gary noticed Hie fuming and fretting one. “What’s the matter now?” he asked. “Matter? It’s a confounded outrage. Had my overcoat stolen right from, this room.” The judge smiled a little; “Overcoat, eh?” he said. “Pah, that’s nothing. Whole suits are lost here every day.” Paid the Damages. A Western judge, sitting in chambers, seeing,from the piles of papers in the lawyers’ hands that the first case was likely to be hotly contested, asked: “What is the amount in question?” “Two dollars,” said the plaintiff’s counsel. “I’ll pay it,” said the judge, handing over the, money; “call the next &»se.” He had not the patience of Sir William /Grant, who, after listening for two days to the arguments as to the construction of a certain act, quietly observed when they had done: “That act has been repealed.” ,