The Editor's Bag moment, and stuttered, "Which one, sir?"
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of any one person of the "Ridge," was sure to find the entire population lined up against him. Officeholders were In one of the southern states a colored satisfied to overlook many shortcomings gentleman had succeeded in getting of the Green family in order not to incur elected Justice of the Peace. One day their enmity. when he was holding court, he discov One year Bill Green, the most notor ered he had no Bible to swear the wit ious of the family, killed a man. It was nesses by. After looking all over the a case of cold-blooded murder, and, room, in his despair he spied the colored although the "Ridge" attended the trial parson, and his face instantly glowed en masse, the jury was not to be over with a smile. awed, and rendered a verdict of guilty. "Reverend Dr. Johnson," he courte- Seeing the numerous Greens in atten sied, "I sure have lost my Bible, and I dance, and not wishing to offend any can't swear my witnesses without one. of them, the Judge was very lenient in The statute says I must swear the wit his rulings, favoring the counsel for the nesses by having them place their right defense and overriding the law and the hand on the Bible, but another section prosecuting attorney unblushingly. His says that I must follow the spirit rather charge to the jury was a model of inthan the letter of the law, and if you offensiveness and favorable to the pris wouldn't mind coming up here and let oner. It was apparently painful to him ting the witnesses put their right hand when the verdict was pronounced. on your brow, I know the statute will Bill Green went back to jail and re be complied with, for you sure's got the mained there until the prosecuting attorney had insisted several times that Bible in your head." sentence must be pronounced. The relatives from the "Ridge" were still AN ILLINOIS SENTENCE around, and when it became noised YEARS ago in a "back district" of about that the Judge had sent the sheriff Illinois there flourished a judge to bring Bill Green into court to receive who was no mean politician, as will sentence, they all filed into the court appear herefrom. He took particular room and awaited developments. When care so to conduct himself on- the bench the prisoner had been brought in the that he would offend no one, and thus Judge glanced about the room, and secure a re-election at the expiration of began nervously: his term. In one section of his county "Mr. Green, by the way, as you are lived a numerous family named Green. no doubt aware, the recent trial ended "Green's Ridge" was famous on account in a manner rather unfortunate for of the fact that every voter was related yourself. That, you will take notice, to the Greens, even if he did not actually Mr. Green, was not the fault of the bear the same name. These folks were court. The court, Mr. Green, you of extremely clannish, and always voted course observed, had nothing to do with together. In contests where every the making or rendering of the verdict. thing else was equal, it was found that That was entirely a matter outside the the vote of Green's Ridge was decisive. jurisdiction of the court, and wholly It follows that the person who was so with the jury, Mr. Green. The jury was unfortunate as to incur the displeasure not of the court's choosing, Mr. Green.
