Monmouth weekly herald. [volume] (Freehold, N.J.) 1854-1860, 1858-11-11
ynttrtstinp StOrg.
II ClULPRIT JUDGE,
A Tale of the Bench and Bar.

4A
In one of the Western States | wa,
once prosecuting attorney. The settlers
axe was then familiar music. and The
p~rairies away from the woodland had no
heard the scream of the steam whistle
All the branches of society, Of trade, o.
business, and professions, were in q
transition state. OF course the Judges
were not men of vast learning or of rare
character and lest | appear vain, | may
add that the lawyers were, by no means,
Chief Justice Taneys!
The Judge who travelled circuit with
US in the counties, round about the city
of -, had been in early life a horse
Jockey, and picked up a large amount OF
tact, knowledge Of men, and of human
nature, and of social manners, that was
OF much use TO him in his legal walk.
At the West he had been a member of
the first Constitutional Convention of
our State, and being a good talker and Of
quick natural intellect, had shone in the
debates. OF course it was natural that
as he made the law, he should claim to
be able to expound it. And at the cleo
ton after the State was admitted, he was
chosen by the people as a Judge.
never liked him. With all his affa.
bility and apparent Difference Of manner,
there was in his composition an under
strata of cunning that | suspected and
became wary of. When | was chosen
peoples solicitor, he sought my conf.
dence, but | repealed him, and except in
Court, we were little together. Many a
time on the civil side has he given a
charge on facts, or acquiesced in my law
when | felt that | was wrong, nor could
| fathom why he thus sought the winning
side Of me.
Suopecte& him of k~navAry. When
prisoners were convicted, his discretion
Of punishment and sentences were oddly
Inconsistent. He fined where he should
have imprisoned, and confined when a
nominal punishment would have answered
the justice of the case. But | never
could get any clue, and with the populace
he was regarded as a man Of rare integ-
rity and hrmness OF mind.
One night, at the inn in the little vii
lage of Washington, where a weeks
court was to be held, | ven to my
I" boarded of" bedroom for an afternoon
nap. and was 0 o fast asleep. | was
awakened by a confused murmuring, that
after | was thoroughly aroused, | per-
ceived to come from an adjoining room +;
one appropriated to Judge c..
He is committing his Grand Jury
charge" said | to myself, when | heard
a strange voice say, " The Doodle is most
used of the old stripe"
Now +" Doodle" is a fash term used by
counterfeiters, and it Immediately at
tracted my prosecuting attention. As |
sat upon the bed side, a ray Of light
came through a chink in the boarded
partition. AS a man, honor would have
forbidden a peep" as an officer of the
law, prudence commanded it. So draw
ing myself noiseiessly and closely to the
wall, or the boarded partition, | looked
through the crack, and saw Judge c.
seated at a table with a sinister looking
man who wore a pair of remarkable
whlskers, and the two were counting
quite a pile OF new bank bills. | listened
but not a word was spoken for some
time. l saw the money divided into
three piles, and the Judge placed one in
his W pocket, and the whiskered man
took the other, and then drawing off his
boots, divided the third pile between
each boot inside Of it, and then he again
placed them on his feet. Next the Judge
said Be careful and send it to the
proper place." His sinister companion
gave a meaning smile, they shook hands,
the stranger left the room cautiously.
and the Judge sat down to some paper.
| continued to look for several minutes.
but he was absorbed in his duties, when
just as l was about quitting my point
literally a point Of observatory he
arose, and taking out his bills, placed
them up the chimney, and then continued
his reading.
l must say my blood ran cold, for a
grave suspicion had often crossed NV
mind that he was a rascal. but never
suspected him of being connected with
the droyers, trappers, and traders. who
occasionally made spurious money their
commodity. Nor, as | sat collecting nv
thoughts, could | conceive it possible.
when remembered how severe he had
always been upon the passage Of counter
lett money, and how earnestly and so.
lemnly he had always in his charges Of
such cases declared against the enormity
OF offenders who substituted spurious
currency for good. therefore concluded
that the word DOODLE and the suspi
clous BOOT stufing," must relate to some
other kind OF offence. with which he was
connected.
Stealthily going out, | carefully de.
scelded the stairs, and entered the room.
The sinister looking man was sitting at a
table, reading the last Cincinnati paper,
las calm and placid as if he were the