Rensselaer Republican, Volume 18, Number 44, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 8 July 1886 — HOW WISE BECAME A JUDGE. [ARTICLE]

HOW WISE BECAME A JUDGE.

Funny Incident* in Hi* Campaign far - x — Governor of Virginia. Hon. John S. Wise, who was the Republican candidate for Governor of Virginia at the last election, is a dead shot, a lover of fine dogs, one of the best lawyers in his State, and—a joker. At the Hoffman House recently he gave a writer lot the New York Mail and Depress a batch of funny things about his campaign for Governor. “How did I get the idea for a glassball shooting campaign ? In the beginning of the campaign I visited some red-hot Bourbon Democrats in a back county, intending to try and convert them by a telling stump speech. I had to pass away the time early in the morning, as the speaking did not begin until noon. There were a lot of old ink bottles piled up in front of a store. I made a bet with some of the Bourlxm Democrats that just as many of them as I defeated in a contest of shooting at these bottles should vote for me. Well, •T won four Democratic votes in a very few minutes. That’s the only shooting I did in a campaign. ” “You threatened to cut a Democrat’s ears off once, didn’t you?” ' “Yes, and I would have done it if he’d continued to interrupt me while speaking. It was at a small town. I was addressing quite a crowd. Every now and then some one far back in the audience interrupted me. I finally saw that he was a fire-eating Bourbon Democrat. I pointed my finger at him and said: ‘I see you and know that you are trying to interrupt me. I have a pistol and knife with me. If you bother me again I will come down from this platform and cut both of your ears off. ’ I need scarcely add that I finished my speech without further interruption. ” “How did you get the title of judge ?” “That, like the glass-ball shooting campaign, is rather a joke. I was engaged in a lawsuit in this city, associated with Gen. Gordon. One day the General and I were walking down Broadway. I was telling him of some particular law points that I had been examining. He wits intently listening when a dapper young fellow, whom I knew walked up and addressed me as judge. He walked along with me, and it was judge this and judge that. I saw that Gen. Gordon was rather annoyed that our conversation should be interrupted, so I said to the dapper fellow: “ ‘My dear sir, I am not a judge, I never was a judge of any court, and I don’t deserve the title. Why do you call me judge ?’ “ ‘You are a dog-judge,’ he answered. “You could have heard Gordon’s laugh five blocks off. ”