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THE GREEN BAG
frequent use of the expression, "so held in Michigan" he had so familiarized the class with the expression that it had gotten to be quite a catch word among the boys. One day, during a lecture that he was giving to his class, the young men were more than usually unattentive and noisy until the judge quite lost his temper, and stopping in the midst of his lecture he gave them a scorch ing that was so hot that it fairly hissed, and finally concluded with the interrogatory, "Do you suppose that I'm a fool to put up with such things?" Immediately from a rear seat came a squeeking voice, "It's so held in Michigan." Both Expired. — The charge was one of keep ing a dog without a license, and the defend ant evinced a tendency to interrupt the evi dence. He was sternly hushed, but eventually his turn came. The clerk of the court turned to him: "Do you wish the court to under stand that you refuse to renew vour dog license?" "Yes, but " "We want no buts. You must renew the license or you will be fined. You know it expired on the ist of January."
"Yes; but so did the dog. Do I have to renew him, too?" — The Taller. From Tennessee. — Legislatures of the differ ent states at times introduce unique and pecu liar bills, but they generally are not passed into laws; but the Legislature of Tennessee in 1901, passed a bill incorporating the town of Ripley, in Lauderdale County (which is in the printed acts, being Chapter 223, page 461), that is quite a freak. In setting out the corporate limits of the town by metes and bounds the following appears, to wit : "Thence North Eighty five degrees East to a black-gum marked with a cross and with misseltoe in the top and with a blue bird sitting on a limb, which tree is a short distance East of Ed Johnsons' horse lot;" The foregoing is a verbatim copy of the printed acts, signed by the speakers of both the lower house and senate and the governor. Hopeful of His Young Client. — Atty.-Gen. Moody relates the following story: Happen
ing by the police court in Washington, he went in to see the workings of Judge Kimball's court. Two colored boys of about ten years were being arraigned for having been disobedient and wayward. Officers gave testi mony that the boys ran away from home and slept in boxes and under doorsteps; and one of the boys, Willie Jones, was charged with stealing a bicycle belonging to a little white boy. A colored attorney named Smith arose and addressed the court in effect as follows: "If it please Your Honor, I appear for that boy there, Willie Jones — step out, Willie Jones. Now, he is the son of Mr. Jones, that gentle man there in white overalls. Mr. Jones says he thinks this great city is not the right place to bring up a boy, and if Your Honor sees fit to let Willie off he will send him down to Virginia to his old uncle's farm, where he can be looked after (here Mr. Smith was carried away with his argument), and where he won't see any bicycles, or tricycles, or automobiles, or " The judge stopped him here and said: "Now, Mr. Smith, you do not think Willie Jones would steal an automobile, do you?" Smith was puzzled for a moment, and then replied: "Well, Your Honor, they do claim this boy stole a bicycle, and the Lord knows he is bound to grow." — Boston Herald. The Attorney-General of Porto Rico Leads a Strenuous Life. — Some idea may be had of the scope of the duties which the common people of Porto Rico think belong to the At torney-General from the fact that Judge Sav age, who is acting in that capacity during the absence of Attorney-General Feuille in the United States, was awakened from, his slum bers at half past twelve the other night to receive the following telegram: "Have this day been summoned to appear before the Municipal Court to-morrow the 1 2th at nine o'clock A.M. Summon served by child twelve years old, the Marshal being present in the town. I communicate this to you, requesting that you advise me if it is according to law." Being long accustomed to a paternal gov ernment, the average Porto Rican applies to the Executive Department on all occasions to right his wrongs, real or imaginary.
