Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-10-16
THE CB L PRIT ] U ID G E I.
ATale of the Bench and Bar.


prosecuting attorney. The settlers axe was
then familiar music, and the prairies away
from the woodland had not yet heard the scream
of the steam whistle. All branches Of society,
OF trade, business, and professions, were in a
transition state. OF course the judges were
not men of vast learning or rare character;
and least appear vain, l may add, that the
lawyers were by no means Chief Justice Ia
neys
The Judge who travelled circuit with US in
the counties round about the city Of -, had
been in early life horse jockey, and had picked
up large amount Of tact, knowledge Of men,
and human nature, and of social motives, that
was Of much use to him in his legal walk At
the West he bad been a member of the first
Constitutional Convention in our State, and
being good talker, and quick natural intel
iect, had shone in the debates. Of course it
was natural that, as he made the law, he should
claim to be able TO expound 1t. And at the
first election after the State was admitted, he
was chosen Judge.
/ never liked him. With all his afability
and apparent Difference Of manner, there was
in his composition under strata of cunning
that suspected and became wary Of When
was chosen peoples solicitor he sought my
confidence, but 1 rePeled it, and, except in
court, We were little together. Many times on
the civil side had ho given a favorable charge
on facts, or acquiesced in my law when felt
that L was wrong. Nor could fathom tchy
he thus sought to get the winning side of me-
suspected him Of knavery. When prisoners
were convicted, and he had the discretion of
punishment, his sentences were oddly incon-
sistent. He fined when he should have i'm
Prlsoned, and confined when a nominal punish
ment would have answered the justice of the
case But never Gould get any clue, and
with the Populace he was regarded as a man Of
rare integrity and firmness of mind
One night, at the little inn in the village of
Washington UhRra a UaaEfs h.
held. went to my g boarded Off bed room for
an afternoon nap, and was soon fast asleep.
was awakened by confused murmuring, that,
after was thoroughly aroused, perceived to
come from the adjoining room, one appropri-
ated to Judge c..
a. He is committing his Grand Jury charge, +"
said to myself, when heard strange voice say:
The Doodle Is most used up of the old stripe. :"
Vow " Doodle Is a flash term used by cOun-
terfeiters, and it instantly attracted my 'pros-
eeuting attention. As l sat upon the beds de
a ray of light came through chink of the
have forbidden a ''peep," as an officer Of the
law, prudence commanded il. So. drawing
myself nOiselessly to the wall, or the board
separation, 1 looked through the crack and
saw Judge C seated at a table with a sim
lster looking man, who wore q pair Of remark
able black whiskers, and the two were count
ing quite pile of new bank bills / listened,
but not another word was spoken for some time
saw the money divided into three piles, and
the Judge placed one in his pocket, the whisk-
cred man took the other, and then drawing off
his boots divided the third pile between each
boot in the inside of it, and then again he 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 then sat down to
some papers. L continued TO look for several
nm ha roA ahs rhoI l..
ties, when, just as L was about quitting my
point LITERARY point Of observation, he arsse
and taking out his roll Of bills, placed them up
the chimney! and then continued his reading
Il must say my blood run cold, for a grave sus-
plcion had often crossed my mind that he was
rascal; but never suspected him of being
concerned with the drovers, trappers and traders
who occasionally made bad money their COM
modify. Nor, as L sat collecting my thoughts
could conceive it possible, when | remem-
bered how severe he had always been upon the
passers Of counterfeit money and hsw earnest
~ and sOlemnly he always had, in his charges
IN such cases, detained against the enormity
OF offenders who substituted a spurious cur
rency Tor good therefore concluded that the
word Doodle, and the suspicious " boot stuff
ing, must relate to some other kind of offence
connected with which I now felt assured he
must be.
Stealihily going out, carefully descended
the stairs and entered the bsr-roon. The heavy
uhiskered man was seated at a table reading
the last Cincinnati paper, as calm as if he were
Methodist minister Of the riding. sat down,
pulled out law paper, and pretended to read
but was giancing over its top at the stranger
His eye did not wander from a particular point
OF the paper, nor did the sheet after several
minutes turn; L therefore concluded he was not
reading, but rehecliDg. / endeavored to catch
his eye, but could not.
next thought of trying the demeanor of the
Ind IL
lating to my official duties, L again went up
stairs and knocked a. his door. His pleasant
voice, in an unembarra.sed tone, cried =" " ak
in, and l entered. After getting through with
my excuses and business. 1 said in a careless
tone:
What have you been doing all the after
noon, Judge?
He answered just as carelessly:
Going through my charge, and q decision
or two have to make tomorrow. As yet,
have not seen any one since / arrived"
The last lie was unnecessary one, as
knew its falsity, for he needed not to have as
serted the fact-an immaterial one. This
therefore, the more confirmed my suspicious
because had found these imm aterial assertions
to be always made by witnesses when they are
committing perjury, just as towards whistle to
keep up their courage.
We continued chatting until the bell rung
Tor tea, but not tone nor an act betrayed that
the Judge was troubled or uneasy. We went
down stairs together and began our meal. The
whiskersd stranger sat opposite, but he and the
Judge were to each other if they had never
met. One or two ciyilities passed between
them, but they were accompanied by freezing
pOliteness, somewhat unusual in our Western
way OF life. All this satisfied me there was
something out Of the way, and resolved while
at the table to furnish myself with some evil
dence. finished the meal first, and went up
stairs into the judges room and cropping to the
chimney in the dark felt for a loose brick, found
1t, and discovered a roll of paper. I took of
one or two pieces, and replacing the balance,
hastily left the room.
Nothing more occurred that night worth mar
rating, but the next day in Court found on
the calendar the case of a man who had been
indicted some months before for counterfeting,
and had been out on bail.
What does this Inean1'' | ked Of the clerk
"I did not authorize the trial, nor am pre-
pared with Witnesses
"Judge c. ordered il on last term for this
day, and produced your request, answered the
clerk.
"a NJ