THE LIGHTER SIDE "You are fined $25 for contempt, sir! Hand the money to the clerk! " he said; and when the pompous visitor had humbly com plied, he continued: "Now, Mr. Clerk, go out and get what pens, ink, and paper the Court may require, and if there is anything left over, you can give the gentleman his change." Gold Defended Silver on Charge of Steal ing Brass. — A trial, unique in its nature, was held before Justice of the Peace Moyer last Tuesday. A man whose name is Silver, with others, was charged with the larceny of a lot of brass which it was claimed belonged to the Southern Railway Company. Mr. Silver was represented in the trial by Attorney Thomas J. Gold of High Point. In other words, Silver was defended by Gold for stealing brass. This would be called by metallic experts as trymetalism. There was not sufficient evidence to hold him and Silver was made " free." The Legal Mind in Politics. — The recent discussion in Parliament on the King's visit to Russia furnished a striking exemplification of the workings of the legal mind in dealing with political questions. Mr. Keir Hardie, having bluntly charged the Czar and his Ministers with responsibility for the recent atrocities in Russia, was threatened with suspension by the DeputySpeaker if he did not withdraw the offensive words. The Prime Minister intervened with the suggestion that it was not out of order "to describe a particular set of facts compen diously as atrocities or atrocious or a series of crimes or what we hold to be a series of crimes,'1 and the only point being whether in describing the direct responsibility of a foreign government he should apply the term "atro cious" or "atrocities," the honorable member might reasonably respond to the appeal to withdraw "and distinguish between the two things." The honorable member availed him self of the lawyer-like suggestion, and the debate was allowed to proceed. Mr. Asquith's refinement on "atrocious or atrocities" recalls the classical instance recorded in Busch's Diary of a distinction made by his hero, Bismarck, in his law-student days at the university, which saved the future Chancellor from some thing worse than suspension. "I remember,
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said Bismarck, "at Gottingen I once called a student a 'dummer Junge' (silly youngster) — the recognised form of offense when it is intended to provoke to a duel. On his send ing me his challenge, I said I had not wished to offend him by the remark that he was a silly youngster, but merely to express my con viction.'1 The legal habit of drawing fine dis tinctions is worth a great deal, after all, in the rough-and-tumble of practical life and politics. Staggered Webster. — In the somewhat fa mous case of Mrs. Bodgen's will, which was tried in the Massachusetts Supreme Court many years ago, Daniel Webster appeared as coun selor for the appellant. Mrs. Greenough, wife of the Rev. William Greenough of West New ton, was a very self-possessed witness. Not withstanding Mr. Webster's repeated efforts to disconcert her she pursued the even tenor of her way until Webster, becoming quite fearful of the result, arose, apparently in great agitation, and, drawing out his large snuffbox, thrust his thumb and finger to the very bot tom and, carrying a deep pinch to both nos trils, drew it up with gusto, and then, extract ing from his pocket a very large handkerchief, he blew his nose with a report that rang dis tinct and loud through the crowded hall. He then asked, " Mrs. Greenough, was Mrs. Bodgen a neat woman?" "I cannot give you full information as to that, sir. She had one very dirty trick," replied the witness. "What was that, madam?" "She took snuff." His Antecedents. — While Lawyer W. H. Lewis was trying a case in one of the sessions of the Superior Court the other day, he called to the stand as a witness a negro of the purest ebony hue. The opposing counsel questioned this witness sharply on the cross-examina tion, winding up with: — "Where do you live now?" "At the house of correction." "What are you there for?" "Assaulting a man." "I am trying," said counsel to Lewis, :" to establish this man's antecedents." "Go ahead," said Lewis, " when you get through, I'll establish his antecedents, too."
