New-York daily tribune. [volume] (New-York [N.Y.]) 1842-1866, 1859-03-26
THE SUPREME COURT.

Did the reader, on his first visit to Washington,
ever wend bis way along Pennsylvania avenue, with
his eye fixed on the pile Of buildings that crown
Capitol Hill, and his mind filed with visions OF tho
greatness and dignity Of the Judicial and Legisa-
tive Departments OF the Government, which hold
their seats tberel
Ten TO one, that, in ascending the successive
flights of steps that lead frs. to the espansde, and
thence YEARLY up, up, up to the rotunda, you lost
your way, omitted one fight and found yourself ua-
expectedly cropping about in dark, damp, low, sub
terranesn apartment, whose underlined Dimensions
melt away in distant shadows with here and there
clusters of pillars Of 10 classical style OF archtec
tuTe; in one corner mountain OF sshes and coal
cirders in another, heap Of diDgy boxes, covered
with dust, and piled up TO the ceillng on this side
q mass of moldy barrels, strewsd around in confl-
tion, and whether empty or filed no one knows
and away OF yOnder, q furnace all sglov, aud
throwing a luTid streak across this mysterious
cavern and suggesting thoughts Of MiltOn's Clover
deep"
You start back at first; but lurei by the light of
the furnace, you venture still further into this ars
fetal cave. On reaching its center, you stumble
against one of the beams Of strong framework
of recently erected inbers starting from the floor
in TICKET of pillars, and going up TO the ceiling,
evidently for the purpose OF supporting the
structure above, and giving you most uncomfort-
able feeling that there is danger of being crushed
to atoms in this grim catacomb. You push on,
tresding as stealthiy and peering around as Yigi-
Isntly rs Guy Fawkes did on the memorable Fifth
of November. You discover 8 narrow passage,
lighted With dim lamp. You enter and, crowding
between two walls of old deal boxes, see distant
glass door. As you approach, it seems 10 be
guarded BY a parsonage with Sisase jus. dark
enough TO correspond with the general gloom
around him. On nearer view, you perceive that
be is one of those hybrid bipeds who have no rights
that a white man is bound TO respect. Before you
have time to knock him down for stopping up the
way, be profoundly incDes bis head, gently swings
the door, and, ascending two or three steps, you
are ushered into queer room Of snail dimensions,
shaped over head like quarter section of pump
kin shell the upper and broader rim GROWING
three windows, aud the lower and narrower coming
down garrett Ike TO the floor; the windows being
Of ground glass, and the light trickhng through
them into the apartment. reat which most ar
rests pour attention is long pew just in front of
these windows, slightly elevated above the floor,
along which are ragged in straight line nine an.
Gent persons, clad in black-silk gowns. Though
suspicion creeps across your mind that they may be
men, they look, for eli the world, like q row Of
worn out nur,es sitting in an Intelligence 01ce,'
waiting to be hired. nan stands in the pit, il
front Of them, shaking roll Of manuscript conyul-
sivsy in the face Of the central figure OF the group
(Sho strikinsly resembles weszen mummy, and
blazing away at the whole nine like Nose st fire.
Half q dozen persons are lounging on chairs, or
idhng about the room. You ask the ebOn .eatinel
who Md what al this is. You are penetrated with
awe on learning that yoa stand in the presence Of
the Supreme Court of the United States, and th,t
he whom you had in yonr ignorance looked upon ss
weazen-fseed, is Roger Brooke fancy.
We would not speak Unexpectedly of tie
Supreme Court. The frs. time We stumbled into
it, We wot not that it was the Supreme Court. We
recently entered its sscred precincts in company
with an irreverent Western lawyer. After gazing
arouDd moment, he exclaimed: 81 don't woadef
"st that decision in tie Drea Scott case. Why.