272
The Green Bag
into Westminster Hall, there to take a leap, cry hem! and —" “Mr. Simpkinson, a glass of sherry?” cried Tom lngoldsby, hastily. . . .
While the grant here referred to by the story teller is not to be found in “Blount’s Jocular Tenures," it is a fact,
tions being submitted, the counsel for defendant suggested that in order to be
fair, he should be permitted to prepare a like number of instructions, and the Court agreed. When the instructions were submitted, the Justice of the
Peace gave all of them.
which tends to prove that the story teller
The one man jury then requested that
had in mind the same grant which is
they all retire that he might deliberate.
quoted in the first of this article, that Blount says that these same lands (i.e., the grant of Hemingston, in County
The room was cleared by the constable, and after some two hours of waiting,
Suffolk), were formerly held by one Baldwin, in serjeanty, by the same service, and was called by the nickname
being convened, the justice said, “Have
of Baldwin le Pettour, or Baldwin the Farter.‘ If we consider the likelihood of a legend's being mistaken as to minor details and the fact that the grantees
the jury rapped for the Court. you a verdict?"
Court
To which the jury
answered, “Your honor, we have not. According to the instructions given by
the plaintiff's attorney, the plaintiff is entitled to the verdict; according to the instructions given by the defendant's attorney, the defendant is entitled to
the verdict, and I am no lawyer and
mentioned have the same name, it would tend to establish beyond a reason
don't know which is right, and for that
able doubt that this is all one and the same grant and that it is unique as well
reason I report that the jury is hung." The jury was discharged and a new
as absurdly ridiculous.
trial ordered.
STORIES OF PARIS COURTS THE JUROR KNEW MORE LAW THAN THE JUDGE EFORE a Justices’ Court in the interior of California, the follow ing incidents are said to have taken
place:— A jury trial had been demanded in a civil action. The action was one of general interest and knowledge, and when the jurors were called all but one
were disqualified. No other jurors being available, it was agreed between counsel to proceed with but one juror. The
evidence
being
finished,
the
counsel for the plaintiff suggested that as the justice was not a lawyer, he would tender his services to prepare instruc tions for the jury, and the court gladly
accepted. ‘ Ibid. 1.
Upon the proposed instruc
[Paris Correspondence of the London Standard]
HE centenary of the Paris bar, recently celebrated at the Palais
de Justice, has recalled numerous anec dotes which are going the rounds of the humors of the law courts. Among others it is told how a well known lawyer, M. Alem Rousseau, was
pleading a rather tiresome case and noticing that the judges were paying no
attention to him said: “As the president is falling asleep I suspend my speech." But the judge had just woke up and cried, “And I suspend you from prac tising for six months." Nothing daunted, the lawyer retorted, "Well, I suspend myself for ever and ever,” and gather
ing up his brief and cap he left the court and never appeared again. A Paris barrister, M. Cléry, however,
