Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1857-06-04

to be rammed home surrounded with cha
mois leather, Gas patches in rifleman's un'
standing J to facilitate this, grease was pla'
ced in the case, and Burke was accordingly
so informed. But in his hurry he forgot the
grease, and undertook to ram home the ball
and leather. This he could not accomplish,
and when his attention was called to it by
his principal, with his characteristic Irish
rashness, he replied: 81 forgot to grease the
leather; but you see he is ready-don't keep
him waiting. Just take a crack as 1t as, RI
grease the mert."
He was the Judge at '96, when Matthew
Love was tried for sedition, acquitted, but
taken from the bar by the relatives Of those
who had been butchered by the Bloody Scout,
of which he was member, and hanged
When Love was thus taken, Burke command
ed the sheriff to suppress the riot. cit is
more than my life or yours is worth" was
was the reply. On hearing it, he sprang
from his seat, called to his servant: exit,
Kit, get the horses, Kit" He was soon in
the saddle, and stayed not his flight until he
was under the roof of his countryman, Sam
uel Kelly, at Springfield, twenty-four miles
from the scene of violence. He dropped his
razors in his rapid ride. Caleb Gilbert found
and brought them to him at Springfield
Burke, in his delight, and in his best sound
ing Irish, said he was IA proper honest fet
loac." The habits of bench and bar was to
ride the circuit on horseback. Burke often
INDUCED in fits of abstraction; on such oc-
casions his order to his servant was to ride
as near to him as possible. The boy usually
fell back at some distance, but generally in
sight, and allowed the Judge to mediate as
best pleased himself. Jogging along in this
way on one occasion, his servant pressed up
too near to the horse which he rode, and
which happened to be an ill-natured brute,
and the consequence was the horse kicked
the negro on the leg, who, observing that it
had not interrupted his masters study,
sprung off his horse, and picked up stone
and threw it at the horse, which it UNLIKELY
missed, and took effect between the Judges
shoulders. The Instant the negro saw what
had been done, he fell in the road with his
hands olasped around his leg, and crying out
in apparent agony; as soon as the Judge
could straighteu himself, he turned around,
and said to the prostate negro, "Stepheu,
child, what ails you?" "Lord, MASTER" was
the reply, your horse just now kicked me on
the leg and almost broke it." "Well, child," )"
said the Judge, "he just now kicked me be-
tween the shoulders, and almost broke my
back too"
On another occasion, he rode up to the
Sampit ferry and called to the ferryman,
whom he could see across the water; but the
man was in frolic, and paid no attention
to the oft repeated calls. In his own good
time he crossed over, and Burke, as might
be expected, was in no gentle mood, he re-
buked the ferryman in strong terms, who re-
torted by swearing if he did not mind his
own business he would whip him! The boat
no sooner touched the land than stepping out,
Burke, who was an accomplished pugilist,
laid of his coat, and said to the ferryman,
"come out, my good fellow, and I'll give you
a beating" The latter thinking it fine fun,
sprang out. Burke instantly knocked him
down; continued to apply the same remedy
every time he arose, until at last he lay still
and cried enough. Burke then said to him,
"My good fellow, when any one comes to
your ferry again, be up and away. May be
Judge Burke may come this way again."
In one of his rides, he become very dry
that is, he wanted dram; and on his inqu.
ry he was directed to a still house, which he
described as Ga long house on brae." He
asked for something to drink. 1t was brought
to him, as he said, in long tin cup, and on
being asked, he said, he drank it all up
and "fore God," he said, ri wanted to steal
every thing l saw the whole evening"
Hence, he sagely concluded that any one who
would drink aehiskey sooula steal So much
for anecdotes, which might be multiplied,
al Hbitum.
Notwithstanding his Irish rollicking char
acter, Judge Burke was pure, just Judge.
He aided in laying broad and deep the foun.
dations of our jurisprudence. He had a
great contempt for the country courts, and
whenever their worships presumed to sustain
a'demurer, he reversed the judgment without
argument On one occasion, a country court
lawyer, speaking to him in court about the
strength of the law, he replied, ''True the
law ought to be like wall, through which
the lions and bears could not break, but now
it is rotten, that the foxes, the raccoons, and
squirrels break through"
Judge Burke, before 80, was often a
member of Congress. To prevent him from
thus mingling politics and law, was passed
the law of 1889, which prohibited Judge
or any other officer, on pain of the forfeiture
of Office, from leaving the State without leave
from the Governor. Judge Burke was the
author of the celebrated attack on the Cincin.
natl Societies, and which forced them to a.
bandOn many aristocratic provisions, origin
ally in their Constitutions.
When vacancy on the Equity Bench was
presented to him, and he was advised to re-
sign and become a candidate for it, 'Fore
God," he said ~ will wade iD the muddy
water till I come to the clean" He accord
ingly retained his place as Common Law
Judge, until he was elected in 1900 Judge
of the Court of Equity. This Office he re