Orleans independent standard. [volume] (Irasburgh, Vt.) 1856-1871, 1861-02-08
Letter from Kansas.
WYANDorTE, Jan. "a, 1861.

its sessions at this place. It should be
remembered that the salary of the judge
is paid from the federal treasury, and al
other expenses, by the people of the
territory. The expense of tle judiciary
comes from the county treasury. lion.
John Petit Of Indiana, whom Thomas
II. Benton in his last days pronounced
"a dirty creature" was, by Presidential
appointment, Judge. Petit, Elmore, and
Williams of Fort Scott notoriety, make
up the judicial power of the territory.
Petit is the great man of the three; the
others are less corrupt than he only be-
cause they know less
To appreciate Benions remark, Petit
must be seen. About five feet six inches
in his stockings, occupying as much space
horizontally as any man in Orleans Coun-
ty, being literally fat, his body APPARENTLY
as long as other mems, a great deficiency
existing in his neck and legs which lat
ter, by the way, look in shape and length
very much ike a small pair Of names to
a horse harness, his head nearly perfect
ball, his face presenting with front
view the appearance Of the lower side of
a large English turnip with the roots cut
Off pretty closely, cross eyed, pug nosed,
hair shaved close to his head, chewing
tobacco inordinately and necessarily, "on
the whole as Judge Ray used to say,
he is a customary looking body, fully
answering Benton's idea as he expressed.
it,"
lie appeared in court at very lat
hour in the morning, ordered the clerk (,
call the grand jurors, found some wen
absent, and adjourned until two o'clo&
without further business. About half
past two he appeared, and the jury was
called with the loss of one man from the
forcnoon's call. The court was mad and
ordered the sheriff to fill the panel with
talesmen. They were sworn, charged,
and then Withdrew, when about an hour
was spent with questions TO the court,
interspersed with running fire of abuse
from the bench, aimed upon the bar
generally and particularly the RepubI
can members of it, and then the court
adjourned.
The second day in the forenoon, the
court succeeded in getting jury empau-
eled for the trial of the first case and af-
Ter dinner commenced work in good ear
nest The court took no minutes of the
testimony at all His business seemed
to be to try to satisfy the bar that they
knew nothing about the law or their pro-
fesson. Some Of them seemed very
willing TO grant this, while others object
ed, and those Jared the hardest. They
who were submissive were told that they
had better read and inform themselves,
and not come into court relying upon
their own requirements. The cour,
spent, I think, to speak within bounds,
from one to two hours per day, to aver
age it, in reading authorities, and yet,
when it was necessary, the authorities
and statutes were not in his way lie
makes the law as he wants it when /. is
not at hand,
Two days were spent in putting liz
testimony and getting prepared to argue
the first case, and then said the old Turk,
=" will allow just two hours for the ar
gument Of this case, and no more" or
course the counsel had to conform. |
have no doubt but that case in Orleans
/ County would have been tried ready for
the argument in one sitting of half a
day. Saturday the first week, before
noon, he adjourned over to Monday be-
cause he wanted to go to Kansas City
and get Maced, and he got shaved if his
/ CLERK reported him truly.
The court closed Friday afternoon.
The second week four jury trials were
had, No one but the first occupied over
three hours. All the jury business could
have been done in two days easily, and
Judge Poland would not have been de-
layed with il even that time. The coun-
( ty5wu NJ the expense Of twelve days
attendance of the traverse jury and elev-
en- days of the grand jury, and to cap
the climax, he refused to sign bills of
exceptions after the court adjourned.
One judgment, entered less than an
hour before adjournment, for almost one
| thousand dollars went into execution,
when it seemed to the lawyers that the
Judgmen; was wrong. No reasons were
assigned for refusing exceptions but that
they were not drawn up and presented
in court The judgment was on note
given for the bills Of one Of the bogus,
or worthless banks, and the old rebel APP
Z