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ters and several ladies. As they stopped at the end of the hall, where they could look into a room set apart for attorneys, the Judge said : "This is what we call the ' cuss room.'" "What is that?" asked one of the whitechokered gentlemen, his interest aroused. "Well, Doctor, here 's where the lawyers can come and swear at the Court. They have to do it sometimes."
NOTES.
THE MANCHESTER NEWS, in noting the recent arrival in England of America's most successful after-dinner speaker, Mr. Chauncey Depew, says there is only one instance on record when he was at a loss in public; the rebuff came from Mr. Evarts, the wittiest advocate at the Ameri can bar. Mr. Depew, at a certain banquet, was rather annoyed at a request to speak before Ev arts, and after having finished his oration, he retired to the lower end of the hall to await the criticism. Mr. Evarts reeled off a review of American history from Noah to Narragansett Pier without a single pause. Depew started to his feet, exclaiming, " Are we to listen, Mr. Chair man, to sentences of this length all evening?" Without a moment's pause, Mr. Evarts retorted, "Hitherto, Mr. Depew, I had imagined that only the criminal classes objected to long sen tences." And even the " great Chauncey" could think of no reply. THE following curious chattel mortgage is on file at the Recorder's Office in Washington, la. : "June the 31, 1892 — From me, Peter E. Willmer of Wayland, Henry County, Iowa, to you, John Wittrig, of Crawfordsville, Washing ton County, Iowa, give this day unter your hand all movable properties, including stok, grain, utensils, furniture, etc., for the sum of $600 (six hunthret dollars). I, the undersigned, give this in your hand as a mortgage until the amount of debt is paid. Peter E. Willmer. "In God we trust." AMONG the most noble army of Serjeants-at law-— noble chaps in coifs and silk were they — Sir John Maynard in the last half of the sev enteenth century conspicuously ranked. He
was what few Serjeants-at-law of the period were — a joker. His fee book showed almost a daily crop of guineas. On one occasion a grateful client, after obtaining unexpected suc cess in his suit at law, sent Sir John a bushel of apples into each of which had been pressed a golden guinea. Cutting one open he discovered the extra fee and remarked : " I have often heard of the golden pippin of Devonshire, but never before tasted one. Sir John Maynard, on another occasion, had another grateful farmer client send him a suck ing pig dressed ready for roasting. When it came to the table and the knife entered the dressing, out fell fifty gold pieces. " It is gen erally considered a sin to kill and roast a guinea pig," Sir John cried, " but on this occasion the sin shall be condoned." There was another humorous Serjeant of the reign of Queen Bess, at a time when Protestant ism ran mad and the law forbade any one to aid a priest in performing Mass, and punished the ecclesiastic himself. Now this Serjeant, bear ing the honored name of Plowden, was a Roman Catholic. Having privately attended Mass at the private chapel of a Squire of the old faith while upon circuit, the Serjeant was prosecuted. He stood trial, and in cross-examining the officiator, whom the Crown used as a witness in its behalf, it transpired that the priest had not been fully ordained. Serjeant Plowden im mediately moved and obtained his acquittal, re marking, " No priest, no Mass, no offence." Serjeant Whitelocke, a contemporary of Ser jeant Maynard, had become an octogenarian when William III. of Orange became King. The Serjeant was a great Protestant, and when carrying an address from subjects to the King, the Monarch was pleased to refer to his eightysix years and to say, " You must have outlived all your contemporaries." Rejoined Serjeant Whitelocke, " If your Majesty had not come over to save us from King James, I should have out lived even the law." Serjeant Heywood, who lived in the time of the witty Jekyll, owned a saddle horse that had long served him upon circuit and which he had named " Pleader." The faithful nag died when what turfmen rank " aged." Jekyll, condoling with the Serjeant, said, " let the Bar attend the funeral of the horse, give him a decent burial,
