tury, and the case discussed here was tried in the Federal court in the days when Judge Dillon was on the bench in the southern district of Iowa. In those days the public hatred or anger against railway corporations was intense, and in his closing argument to the jury (defending the Northwestern in a large damage suit), Judge Hubbard told the following story : "This popular clamor against railway corpo rations reminds me of a little experience I had the other day. Now, up in Cedar Rapids, where I've been living most of my life, I'm looked upon as an honest, upright man, and have lots of friends who vouch for me and say I'm all right, until I've got to have a pretty good opinion of myself. But I went down to Cedar county the other day to try a case, and when court ad journed, Judge Rothrock (who presided) and I went oVer to take a train, and while we were pacing the depot platform, I heard a couple of farmers discussing us. Said one : "' Who's that fellow walking with Judge Roth rock? "' "His companion looked over at me and said sort of contemptuously : ' Oh, that's Judge Hub bard of Cedar Rapids; he used to be a mighty fine fellow, but he's only a damned railway law yer now.'" Judge Hubbard won his case. At the trial of Hastings, Fox, struck by the solemnity of Lord Thurlow's appearance, said in an aside, " I wonder whether any one was ever so wise as Thurlow looks." In a country neighborhood in West Tennes see lived an old gentleman whom I will call Markham, because that is not his name. He is a kind-hearted, benevolent old man, the very embodiment of honor, ever wishing to see right and justice prevail. On account of being what Pope termed the noblest work of God, his friends and neighbors concluded to run him for the office of magistrate in his district. He wasn't qualified for the position from an intel lectual standpoint, but it must be borne in mind that he is not the first one to be elected to that responsible position who ran no danger of dy ing of enlargement of the brain. When the election day rolled 'round and the
votes were counted Out, that evening after the polls were closed, they told a tale of a hand some victorj' for Markham over his opponent. The old man made his bond, and felt of con siderable more importance in the world as his neighbors began calling him " Squire." About a month after he had been inducted into office, his first case came before him. Jim Hawley, a neighborhood darky, had been ar rested by a constable for stealing chickens from another neighbor. The proof as to the prison er's guilt was conclusive, for the fowls were found in his possession, and he could give no satisfactory reason as to how he came by them. Several witnesses were examined, and as there were no attorneys to make speeches the case was soon given to the old judge to decide. After all the evidence was in, the Squire took up his code, which he had studied diligently since his election, started at the beginning and went through to finis. Then raising his glasses and looking wise, he gazed straight at the pris oner and said : "Wall, Jim, I kin fin' nothin' in the book thet suits yer case, but from the evidence, I'm sure thet yer stole Mr. Bollin's chickens, an' I'm boun' ter sen' yer up, an' I hereby sentence yer ter the penitentiary for three years; an' may the Lord have mercy on yer soul." The smartest men in the crowd had to argue with the old man for half an hour before they could convince him that he did not have the power to send the thief to the penitentiary, and that the best he could do was to bind the pris oner over to the Circuit Court, which he. though still protesting, finally did in the sum of five hundred dollars.
A lawver who had recently come into town placed his shingle outside the door. It read, "A Swindler." A gentleman who was passing by saw the sign, and entering the lawyer's of fice said, " Man alive, look at that sign. Put in your name in full, Alexander, or whatever it is. Don't you see how it reads now?" "Oh, yes, I know," replied the lawyer, "but. I don't exactly like to do it." "Why not," said the stranger, "it looks mighty bad as it is; what is your name?" "Adam Swindler."
