The northern galaxy. [volume] (Middlebury, Vt.) 1844-1848, 1845-03-05
VOL. TX.

ject matter, 'to wit, one turkey, of great val
ue, etc., catching the ear Of the Judge, he
called out: Mr.. Clerk, strike that case from
the docket: the Supreme Court ot'the State Of
| permont does not sit here TO determine the
ownership ofG tlrkeyn
There lives in the northern part Of the
State a lawyer and ex-judge, who is very
famous for his wit. lie has kept respecla-
/ bic law school, at his chambers 'on and off,
for the last forty years; and is still teaching
the elements Of his profession to knot of
/ legal limbs having survived several suits be-
gun within his remembrance in the English.
chancery, and arrived, through an honorable
career, TO the advanced age of eighty six
Many instances OF repartee are related of the
old Judge which for genuine epigrainmat-
| ism, are scarcely inferior TO some of the best
of Piron and Talleyrand.
| When a practising attorney, many years
ago, he happened, while arguing case of
some difficulty, TO illustrate point in bis
case by Il pretty free use of the vocabulary of
the card-table. The presiding judge abrupt
ly inquired what he meant by addressing
such language 10 The court J!
'Imeant, your Honor, TO be understood was
the reply.
On another occasion, judge, vexed with
the difficulty or irritated by the insignifcance,
of; cause which Twas conducting cried
out:
I. 'Sirwhy do you bring such case as this
into court! Why not leave it out TO some
q: your honest neighbors!'
! Because, your Honor replied the barris-
ter, we don't choose, that honest men should
have any thing to do with it,
In the early days Of Vermont Jurisprudence,
the strict decorum which now very gener-
ally distinguishes the New England bar WAS
comparatively unknown. Nothing was more
common than sharp alterations between the
Bench and the Bar; such wranglings, indeed,
as would now be deemed 'con:empt f
court where they TO occur only between the
lawyers themselves. On one occasion, Judge
T@,who was then plain 'Esquiie, had ad
dressed sound argument to the court, and
sat down. The judge, who chose 10 argue
the question rather than decide it at once,
replied in 4 feeble argument, which The law
yer in his turn demolished. The Judge re-
joined by repeating, without any material
variation, his first reply; and then closed
the pleadings' by an adverse decision. Your
Iionor's two arguments said T-,addres-
sing himself partly to the court and partly
TO the bar, remind me of story. A foolish
old woman in Connecticut, being one eve
! ming al a party, was greatly at loss for some
thing to say. At length she ventured to in
quire ola gentleman who sat next to her,
whether his mother had any children p
The gentleman politely pointed ont the alb
surdiiy of her inquiry. i beg pardon OK
claimed the old lady, perceiving her mistake;
! you don't understand me; | meant TO e.
quire whether your grandmother had any
childrenl'
remember an anecdote Of Judge o.,
father Of the distinguished president of the
WESLEYAN University, which is very charac-
terisiic of the man, and is, have no doubt,
authentic. At session of the court in Ad-
Olson county, Judge O-was attacked by
young and very irPucent attorney. To
the manifest surprise Gf every body present,
the Judge heard lin quite through, as though
unconscious Of what was said, and made no
! reply. After the adjournment for the day,
and when all had assembled at the inn where
the Judge and many of the court-folks had
their lodgings, eEe Of the company, referring
10 the scene at court, asked the judge why he
| did not rebukc the impairment fellow 7
/ Permit me, said the judge, loud enough to
call the atienii-n o!aIl the company, among
whom was the fellow in question; permit
me to tell YOU story. My father, when we
lived down country. had a dog, mere
puppy, may say.-Well, this puppy would
90 out every moonlight night and bark atthe
! moon for hours together
Here the Judge paused, as if he had fin
ished the story.
well. well, what ofit,!' exclaimed half a
dozen of the audience at once.
/ .Oi nothing, nothing, whatever The
y, cen Kept right on just as ifaoihing had
hdppened'
ST. ALsAHs, VI.