Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 12.pdf/645

EUROPEAN civilization may have wrought lar a month by way of insurance, the thieves changes, but up to a few years ago the Chinese would not molest me. It was the city magis code was so simple that the services of attorneys trate's own policeman who volunteered this in were not necessary, and there was not a lawyer formation. I remember, too, one day at the in the whole empire. Peking Legation, in 1871, an old Chinese writer asked us to send a note in the minister's name SOLON compared the people to the sea and to the Foreign Office, and get that august body the lawyers to the wind. " The seas," he said, to move the governor of Peking to return a pair "will be calm and quiet if the wind does not of crystal spectacles which an unknown thief had snatched away from him in the street that trouble." morning. The old man insisted upon it that it NUMEROUS instances are given of the power was quite the right thing to do, and that there that Mr. Rufus Choate possessed over a jury, was no chance of failure; he added that the concealing it even at the time he was exercising custom was for all recognized thieves to hold it with the most potent effect. Mr. E. P. Whip- their plunder at the order of the police for a few pie instances two notable cases of this kind. days, in case any influential person should ask One resolute juryman said to another, as he en for it. With the minister's consent a note was tered the " box :" sent, and, sure enough, the captain of gendarm'" Now, mind you, there is one man in this ery returned the spectacles next day, adding crowd who will not give a verdict for the client that his men had succeeded in apprehending of that man Choate. Why, sir, he is the great the thief, who would be bastinadoed. corrupter of juries. I know all his arts. He is I remember one case where a salt junk and engaged by fellows who wish to subvert justice cargo had been wrongfully seized and sold. between man and man. I hate him with my The Chinese took very high and mighty ground, whole heart and soul!" and stoutly swore the junk lay a mile beyond When the verdict was given for Choate's foreign waters. At the last moment an irrefrag client, with hardly a discussion in the jury-room, able proof of this wrong accidentally turned up the wonder was expressed that this obstinate in the shape of the slipped anchor, and it was member of the conclave agreed so readily with privately arranged with the salt commissioner, in order to "save the viceroy's face," that an the rest. "Oh," he said, "the case was a plain one. other junk of the same kind should be bought, Choate was right this time; and you know it filled with salt, and unofficially handed over to would have been scandalous for me to violate the authorities, who, on their part, agreed to justice because I had a prejudice against the per allow the viceroy's dispatch to stand, officially son who supported it. Let him appear before asserting the unjustifiable nature of the junk us in a case where he is palpably wrong, and I man's demands. — Contemporary Review. will show you that I am all right. He never can humbug me 1" AN old graduate of the Harvard Law School On another occasion a hard-headed, strong- was remarking the other day upon a " curious hearted, well-educated farmer was one of a jury piece of forgetfulness in dear old Professor that gave five verdicts in succession for Choate's Washburn's admirable work on Real Property." The author begins a chapter on Dower at page clients. He said : "I did not think much of his flights of fancy, 184 of the 4th edition. He discusses the Nature but I considered him a very lucky lawyer, for and History of Dower, then proceeds to tett us there was not one of those five cases that came of what a widow is dowable, and to set forth the Requisites of Dower. In this examination before us where he was n't on the right side." the author covers over no less than thirty-one WHAT astonished me most was a visit from pages before he gives the slightest hint of a the " head-thief " on my arrival at Chungking, definition of dower at common law. On page in 1880. Of course I asked for explanations, 215 occurs the first intimation that the vidow and was informed that, for a payment of a dol holds an estate for life. The oversight grows