The Mississippi Creole. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1841-1851, 1850-07-20
From he Yankee Blade.
FUN ON THE CIRCUlT.-No. l,
BY AN ALABAMA SOLICITOR,


When first had the honor of representing
the State Of Alabama, as Solicitor OF the
Bloody Ninth Circuit, had a rough road to
travel. The people generally were none OF
the most refined and the State Dockets, in par
ticular, showed class Of individuals who
geographically described themselves as 'he
fellows, hard to head.' A novice in the prose-
cutting line, soon found that il would require
all my tact and vigilance to prevent frequent
and disastrous defeats. The experience, Ter
tilty of resource, imPudOnce and general
sharpness Of the 'State's' opponents did, IN
fact, as often win as lose, lnplain cases, 1t was
even betting! The law and the testimony
might be as plain as the nose on John Tyler's
face, ard yet the rOscals would often, by some
ingenious and deviish device, clear the we'll
arranged meshes of legislative enactments'-
ascertaned in short, (by the way, it was whis-
pered confdentially in my ear, by that arch
enemy Of slhe State,' Burrell Blackman Ian
.old fellow, half trader, half-lawyer, OF inlml-
table physiognomica characteristics and inter
minabe business notifications in every county
Of the Circnil--) | ascertained, say, that 70
be efficient, Solicitor must get The shang O
his customers!
Another disadvantage under which labor
ed was this: the Judges and Solicitors who
> previously to my incumbency, had administer
ed the law, had in slender cOmmiseration OF th'
, freshness of the counlry-then but recently oc
t cupied by whites-exhibited great lenlency to
: wards those who Glanced to be arragned TO
misdemeanors. Murder, arson, burglary an
the like. were punished promptly enough, bu
}. offences against the statutes inhibitlng gaming
: retailing liquor without license, adultery, an
: so forth, were viewed with much allowanc
= in the old Ninth In truth, the Judges them
Y sci yes liked toddy and whist, per Sc, and dl
: not perceive that favor of the one was regu
" lated by the 1egal competency of the vende
= or the amusement Of the other increased {
y diminished by the absence of those elrcun
stances which go to make up case OF unlaN
h full gaming.' So far did this sentiment an
:, practice obtain, that numerous jokes and ste
\. ries were concocted, and boldly related, lllu
trativo of the pencEant for liquor and card
of thc aforementioned functiOnaries. Amor
these, was bit of badinGge, that old Burre
(aioresaid, ALWAYS jocularly plagued Bill Swi
low, my predecessor, wilh--that in his u
10 said Barrell's) county, the Grand Jury nev
adjourned until all their loose change had be-
transferred TO the Solicitors pockets, and tn
Then the Grand Inquest stood dissolved, 7
6rcto. Swallow used to laugh consumadt
70 at Burrel's wit, and declare that
solcitorship of the Ninth would stArve
man that hadn't luck anG skill enough to b'
the Bench, Bar and Jurics of the circuit
poker,
IN The bar of the circuit were, on the who
90 very clever. Only a few rode through all
IN counties-the rest would be met at two
les three Of the counties only. Among tn
as whose names will occasionally appear in tn
EN- notes, were Sam Wheat whorode the en-
circuit, and had finger in nearly every c
vi. az importance; Lewis,' who, like Sam. W
all round-and like him in another respect
was cultivated man and an able lawl
Al, Botts,, who stuck 10 bis own courts WI
!, he let inferior men take PreCedenceaoi aoi
- G..L f,,l,aaa Notwithstanding