The Sun.
London, England, 1858-11-11 00:00:00

THE BATTLE OF BANKRUPTCY.

(From Punch.)
Yesterday.the case of Judas Penniboy, bankrupt,
came on again in the Bankruptcy Court before Mr.
Commissioner Profane. Mr. Brown attended for
the assignees, Mr. Jones for several creditors, and
Mr. Robinson for the bankrupt. The following
scene ensued :

Mr. Jones—Before resuming the discussion of
this important case, your Honour—
Commissioner—l suppose you call it' important,
sir, as a hint to me to pay more attention to it than
I should otherwise do. I can tell you that I shan't.
Now then.
Mr. Jones—l meant nothing, your Honour.
Commissioner—No, your words never have much
meaning. I will say that of them. Go on.
Mr. Jones—lt is difficult to go on, sir, in the
presence of this kind of remark.
Commissioner—ls it ? Who cares ? Do you
think it is anything to me whether you go on or
net ? Where's the newspaper ?
Mr. Brown—l 'would submit, sir,—
Commissioner—You'd better, sir, I can tell you
that. Everybody had better submit here, if they
know what's good for them.
Mr. Brown—l would submit to your Honour
that my friend, Mr. Jones—
Commissioner—Oh ! is he your friend? Wish
you joy of your friendships. Noscitur a sociis.
Very good article this in the paper. (Reads.)
Mr. Robinson—lt is satisfactory to nae, your
Honour, as representing the bankrupt, to see your
opinion of the persecution to which this ill-used
man has been subjected—
Commissioner—l never said he was persecuted,
sir, nor thought so. I'll trouble you not to
put words into my mouth. (Throws down paper.)
Are we going to be all day ? Is the case to go on,
or not ?

Mr. Jones—lf your Honour would do me the
favour to listen— _

Commissioner—You have no right to ask me a
favour, sir. lam a judge,—at least so lam given
to understand,—and therefore it is my duty to
listen when anything that is fit to be listened to is
said to me.
Mr. Jones—l humbly hope to induce your
Honour to class what 1 am about to say in that
category.
Commissioner—What's category ? What do you
use such a word here for ? It is not a legal word.
It would do for a charade—My first's a cat, my
second's a vowel, my third is bloody, and my whole
is a nonsensical word uttered by a pedantic attor-
ney. Send it to the London Journal, sir; our busi-
ness is with the London Gazette.

Mr. Jones (in a great rage)—Your Honour'is so
painfully facetious that I must await your return-
ing to a more judicial frame of miud.
Commissioner—l dm% know what you mean by
judicial, but the bankrupt's a Jew, and I am going
to dish him. Now, what's your application ?
Mr. Jones—The accounts which the bankrupt,
so properly described by your Honour,—
Commissioner—l don't want your good word.
Mr. Jones—Far be it from me to give it you,
sir. The bankrupt's accounts, then, are, I unhesi-
tatingly say, entirely incomprehensible.
Commissioner—He's not bound to find you
accounts and brains too, you know.
Mr. Jones—He is not, sir. But these accounts
are evidently cooked.
Commissioner—lf you can't address a court of
justice, sir, without using slang phrases, you had
better sit down, and hand your papers to somebody
who can.
Mr. Brown—l will not go so far as my friend—
Commissioner—Who cares how far you go ?
Only mind you don't go too far with the Court,
that's all. _ _

Mr. Brown—l must say, sir, that menaces are
things I am not accustomed to hear from the lips of
judges of much higher position than your Honour.
Commissioner—Then they don't know certain
advocates so well as I do.
Mr. Brown—l endeavour to discharge my duty.
Commissioner—l shall discharge the case if you
don't leave off talking and come to business. What
point do you make?
Mr. Brown—The unintelligibility of the ac-

counts.
Commissioner—Deuced long word that (counts
on fingers) ; one ,two, three—eight syllables, by
George ! I should th'nk you could say adiboroi-
tiphoskiphorniosticus. Well, you can't understand

the acceounts, you say.
Bankrupt—S'elp me, they're all right, my tear
gentlemyn—all as right as ninepence. They vas
drawed hoot by me and my friend Boses Isaacs, as
is as hupright and promiscuous a gent as you'd not
meet nowheres ; and they took us all shobbus vas
a veek, him and me with. On my honour, it's all

serene.
Mr. Jones—l hear no rebuke of the bankrupt for
talking slang, Mr. Brown.
Commissioner—lf you talk at me, Sir, I'll commit
you. How do you answer the bankrupt's state-
ment, Mr. Brown?
Mr. Brown—l have no doubt that he and the
accomplice he names made up the figures, or that
they are worthy of them.
Commissioner—Who's worthy of what? what's
worthy of whom ? Who's they ? what's them ?
Is that the way to address a court of justice ?
Where's my hat ?
Mr. Brown—lt is impossible to repose any faith
in such a document.
Commissioner—(to himself) This hat doesn't
been
at the be sure, that
wear so well as the last I had. To
was in the summer ; and this one has
seaside, which makes a difference.
Mr. Brown—lf I might ask your Honour's at.
nr
Commissioner--I think I'll have the next more
u
in the brim—more shape about it. Well
turned
e ;in.
u p
n
cnt
oi
wli\aftr.nnowrolc
Suppose your Honour were to ad-
j o urc no
int
mh ses
iaos ?
ne
er
Suppose the moon were made of
green cheese ?
Mr. Robinson—l protest. I claim that my client
do pass.
He has had. a great deal of unmerited
trouble ; one of h.
his wives has run away ; he has
burned down his house, and the Insurance Com-
pany resist payment ; a little speculation, by which
he humbly hoped to retrieve the wreck of his for-
tune by passing forged notes, has not sueceeeded,
and if he had erred he has suffered, and this Court
will not be the engine for bruising the broken reed.
Bankrupt (howling)—lt's al true, s'elp me
Abrahams, Isc ac 3, and Jacobs.
Commissioner—l don't see much in this case.
(Walks out of court.)
Brown
Jones —But, your Honour, if you please—
Robinson
CommissiOner (from Washing-room) Where's
the soap ?
krupt—Ain't I to pass, your 'avenly Honour ?
Commissioner shuts the door.
[The solicitors look at one another, and remark
that this is a pleasant state of things. They wait
' for some time, and then take their bags and go
away. After a time the Commissioner re-enters.]
Commissioner—Judas Penniboy, you rascal, do
you think I'm not up to you ? I commit you for
the rest of your natural life. I left my umbrella
here. Have you taken it ? It would be just like
you. No,..here it is. Go to prison, you scoundrel.
[The Court witlidrulys.]