The Placer herald., 1859-10-01
A Suuinting jury.

luz w doui StOH Aftco iCSoiNo thO iohV"-
ing amusing "Reminiscences
Once upon time, or, to be a little more
particular, nearly half century ago. there
dwelt in the town of -, in Old England,
a remarkable oddty, in the person of an
attorney at-law, who, although not fair to
look upon, (for in truth he was one of the
homeIiest specimens of humanity ever be-
held by mortal man, was witha a person
of sound judgment, great benevoence var
led learning poet, a painter, and wit of
no mean order.
1t SO happened that the aforesaid gentle
man, G. C, ESQ, was appointed High
Sheriff of the town of -. He was
man Of fortune and had kind heart, as
many poor prisoner could testify who par
took of the good cheer with which the pris
oners were so literally supplied at Christmas
and other well known festival days from the
private house Of the High Sheriff
1t was of course the duty of the High
Sheriff to summon a grand and Petit Jury,
to attend at the quater sessions, of which
the Recorder, the Mayor and Aldermen of
the borough composed the court. In the
performance Of his official duty in summon
inc the Pett Jury, our High Sheriff indulg
ed in some of the strangest and drollest
freaks that have probably ever been heard
Of in any other town or country. In the
first place he summoned, for the October
Court, a Jury consisting Of twelve of the
tattest men he could hnd in the borough,
and when they came to the book to be sworn,
it appeared that only nine jurors could sit
comfortably in the box! After good deal
of sweating squeezing and scoding, the
panel was literally crammed into the box,
and, when seated, they presented to the eye
of the court, the haristers aud audience,
"the tightest fit" of jury that was ever seen
in the court room. Literally they became,
very much to the amusement of the court
and its rebel advocates, "a packed jury" and
no mistake
For the January term, our High Sheriff
(in consequence, it was said, of some hint
from the Recorder that there should be no
more fat panels summoned to his court,)
went to the opposite extreme lie summon
ed twelve of the talest and eanest men he
could find in the borough; and then they
took their seats in the box, it appeared com
paratvely empty-there was indeed room
enough for twelve more OF the same sort
and dimensions.
For the April term of the Court, our hu-
NOR, us tunclionary summoned jury con-
sstlng of twelve BARRIERS! Now it happen
ed that among the latter were the very per-
ruquiers who dressed the Recorders and bar;
risters wigs, and some of the latter arriving
late at the bar, than to appear that morning
in Court with their wigs undressed or half
dressed so as to cut very ridiculous figure,
amid the smiles and half suppressed laughter
of the by.standers. The High Sheriff enjoy
ed the fun amazingly, but looked grave as
a Judge" while he tried to keep silence in
the court room.
But the crowning joke Of this wagsh func-
tionary, occurred at the su'nmonng OF his
fourth and last Jury at the summer session IN
July. For that term of the court, the High
Sheriff not having the fear of the Recorder,
the Mayor, and the Alderman before his eyes,
actually summoned squirting jury; twelve
as queer looking bipeds as ever took their
seats in jury box-a jury that was proba,
bly, more looked and laughed at than any OF
the appointed twelve that ever were sworn
"we'l and to truly try, and true delverance
make between their Sovereign Lord, the
king and the prisoner at the bar"
But the scene was so rresistably droll that
the learned Recorder could not MAINTAIN
his gravity. The Mayor and Alderman fol-
lowed suit The harrister's lughed while
their wigs became bald powderless; nay,
even the poor prisoners in the dock, who
were to be put upon their trial, and some OF
them undergo transportation, could not re-
frain from joining in the general cachnatlon'
And when the Ie rned Recorder command
ed the High Sheriff to bring the court room
to order, and n,imated with a half suppress
ed laugh, that the latter onght to be asham
ed of himself for sumlnoning such jury,
the drolery Of this court scene was consld-
erably heightened by the quick, ready, and
sonorous response Of the High Sheriff, who
looking at the same time at the squirting
jury, exclaimed -"All good and lawful men,
your honor"
But Our humorous functionarv has long
since "shuff1ed off his mortal coil"
Those curious antiquarian diggngs at
CLriqn still attract attention and yield god
en- relics of dead past. correspondent OF