The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1866-12-26
STORIES ABOUT LAWYERS,

STORIES ABOUT LAWYERS.
More Passages from MIR. J en- fTreson's s Book
We have already given some account of MIR.
Jeaffresons Book About Lawyers just pub
hshed in England, but the following addi-
tional anecdotes are readable:-
JEFFREYs AND THE FIDDLER.
Though Jeffreys delighted in music, he does
: not seem to have held its professors in high
esteem. In the time of Charles III musical
artists OF the humber grades liked TO be styled
'musitioners;' and on a certain occasion, when
he was sitting as Recorder for the city of Lon
don, George Jetireys was greatly incensed by a
witness who, in pompous voice, called himself
musiiioner. With sneer, the Recorder inter-
posed-A musitioner! l thought you was a
hddler.' i am musltoner,' the vlolnist an.
swered stoutly. oh, indeed!' croaked Jeffreys
This is very important-hghly important-ex-
tremely important And pray, Mr.. Witness
what is tue difference between a musitoner and
a hdd,ecT With fortunate readLess the man
aHswered-As much, sir, as there is between
pair OF bagpipes and Recorder
BARON PLATT's TRANCE.
'Of eminent lawyers who were steady port
wine drinkers, Baron Platt-the amiable and
popular Judge who died in 1862 aged seventy
two years-may be regarded as one of the last.
OF him II is recorded mat in early manhood he
was SO completely pro strated by severe Illness
that beholders judged him to be actually dead.
Standing over his silent body shortly before the
arrival of the undertaken, two of his friends CON
CURED IN giving utteranCe to the sentiment
Ah, poor dear fellow, we shall never drink
glass of wine with him again. when, to their
momentary alarm and subsequent delight, the
dead man interposed with FAINT assumption of
jocularlty, But you will, though, and q good
many too, hope When the undertaken called
ne was sent away genuinely sorrowful man;
ASnd the young lawyer, who was not dead yet
1Hed to old age and good purpose" -
F.. WITNESSES.
Sew stories relating 10 WITNESSES are more
lauehable than that which describes the mathe-
matlCal process by which Mr. Baron Perrot ar
rived at the value of certain conflicting evi-
dence Gentlemen OF the jury this Judge is
reported to have said, in summing up the evil
denoe in a trial where the witnesses had sworn
with noble tenacty OF purpose, there are ff'
teen witnesses who swear that the watercourse
used to flow in a ditch on the north side of the
hedge. On the other hand gentlemen, there
are nine witnesses who swear that the water
course used to flow on the south side of the
n hedge. Now, gentlemen, If you subtract nine
from fifteen, there remain six witnesses wholly
uncontradCted; and | recommend you to give
your verdict tor the party who called those six
Witnesses '..
This process, however was hardly so clever
that OF the Irish prisoner accused of stealing
shirt from hedge. Here are three people
fwho saw you take it," said the magistrate.
Dad luck to them" exclaimed Paudheen, "I
can bring six honester people who'll swear they
di0n't see me take it!'
LAWYERS QUARRELs IN TRAVELLING.
'Barrsters posting through the country saw
lar too much of each other. Chickering's and
feuds arose; and sometimes the sad appren-
tices' having ordered the horses to stop eX.
changed shots at the halfway house of long
3postng stage. Even where they restrained
themselves from expressions of hostility, mutual
self-respect was utterly destroyed by undue
familiarity No judge ever named as guardian
TO his children, or even as executor, the brother
clrcuiteer with whom he was wont TO post in
days when they were at the bar. Greatly con-
duclUa IN these S0uahh1as uo tho
slowness of travelling. OF course the lawyers in
i good practice work ed at their papers while the
posters cantered up hill and down dale at the
average rate of eight or nine miles per hour;
but iiehess Juniors unless they were rare and
most exceptional impostors, could not through
a long days drive feign earnest application TO
4 the statements OF dummy Briefs Usually they
shortened the hours with cards or dice; and
where four men posted together in q double
seated coach, they would play whist on table
made by plank fitted into the windows of the
carriage
This custom gave rise 10 painful scandal
concerning barrister, who, after winning high
honors in his profession, is still alive. The
STORY may be told; but the great mans name
must be held secret Many years since the law.
L yer lost an aged aunt, whose will required her
body 10 be inferred in a distant part of the
country. Like dutiful nephew and in man.
ner becoming his aunts executor, the young
bariister, together with other gentlemen CLOSELY
connected with the deceased lady by blood or
business), journeyed from London TO the place
!, of sepulture. The hearse containing the en-
y balmed body lad been sent forward, and the
mourDers followed it at an interval of few
days journey. Tie first day was very tedious;
and as several days would follow it ere the place
of interment could be reached, the nephew, on
the second morning of the dolorous expedition
j proposed to his companions IN grief that they
should have a rubber. He had cards in his
pocket and Mt the next roadside Inn they could
get board that would serve them for table.
,"The suggestion was unanimously adopted;
'uand throughout the remainder of the comfort
less progress, the mourners played steadily,with
4 eomnlete indifference to the scenery which sur
. Tounded them and with that superb devotion to
t The game, which characterized whistplayers
Vhaif a century since. Under the circumstances
fine moumers progressed as iayorably as could
I'M expected.' Their spirits rose; much money
changed hands; aud when the four gentlemen
= stood In the old lady's mausoleum, the two who
4 had won were sustained by an enllvening sense
of worldly prosperity, and the two who had los
81 Ehirsted for revenge on tho homewerd Journey
81 Unfortunately, however, certain local gosslps
"a he puritauical district where the old lady wa
Iburied had either seen the mourners at whis
1br heard how they amused themselves. Tit
" story passed from mouth to mouth, aud reaches
|AsIondon almost as soon as the melancholy whist
Dlayers Of course in London the story lived
land years afterwards when the nephew hat