ter Dean, for swearing " by God," in the presence of the Court was fined five pounds of tobacco. The Courts of that age had a wholesome horror of the perjurer. John Gonoore, for committing that crime was sen tenced to be " nailed by both ears to the pillory, with three nails in each ear, and the nails to be slit out, and afterwards to be whipped with twenty good lashes, and this to be executed immediately before any other business of the court to be proceeded upon." For a similar offence Blanche Howell was adjudged to lose both ears. There is a re freshing feature in these quaint and homely proceedings of an heroic age, that is credita ble in the highest degree to the Maryland Pilgrims, — the singular absence of dark and bloody crimes. For a period of thirty years, leaving out the sea-fight between the adher ents of Clayborne and Baltimore, there were only two homicides and one unprovoked bat tery. The victims of the homicides were Indians, and it is honorable to notice that the Court was extremely careful to bring the guilty parties to justice, in one case discharg ing a jury about to try the case, because the jurors doubted that " pagans " had the same standing in Court as Christians. The pro ceedings were not uninteresting, however free from the sensational crimes of this age. An amusing contract is recorded in the Provincial Court on September 24, 1657, "wherein Peter Sharpe and Judith Sharpe contracted to remove their daughter, Elizabeth Gary, to the house of Mr. Thomas Davis, at the Cliftes, and there she is to remain for the space of six
weeks, and Robert Harwood is to have, dur ing all the said time, full, free, and perfect liberty, bringing one or more of the neighbors with him, to have all freedom of discourse with the said Elizabeth Gary and to use all fair and lawful endeavors with her to marry or contract marriage to and with the said Robert Harwood, one or more of the neigh bors being always present with the said Rob ert Harwood and Elizabeth Gary when, they are in company together; the said Robert Harwood paying for the said Elizabeth Gary, her entertainment, during her stay at the said Thomas Davis' his house." The con sideration for this contract was that Harwood should withdraw a suit he had begun for damages against the Sharpes for forbidding him prosecuting his suit for the fair Elizabeth's hand. Deep have been the influences Maryland lawyers have exerted upon their own State and Commonwealth. They were learned in the law, bold in asserting their rights, and in every contest of the people for their rights were, as a body, invariably on the side of the people. In national affairs they have exerted a wide and beneficial power, and it is only to mention the names of Charies Carroll, of Carrolton, William Pinkney, Sam uel Chase, Thomas Johnson, Roger B. Taney, Francis Scott Key, Henry Winter Davis, and Reverdy Johnson, to recall the fact that Maryland lawyers have, at all epochs of the country's history, been wise in its deepest councils and influential in its broadest poli cies.
