Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1866-03-06

gi0es HIS otggq. SGD SSae!d, ,EEperiqFasce, Il nr,i,r,
na.ii r. MILIEGEv1L4E,, +, Feby, 1896. "a,
,Atessrs. g g. Cnmmfngs, and nd Gthsrs, Cong
/ n1.Hee:i. 10 .lra .s-'re...1 ..,y,.., =. ,i.Ir,,,
Gentlemen, ~, have received your, kind
invitation to address your law skpol,. IL the
situation by which am surrounded it is ifh1.s
possible for me to so. wish T. could, forI
would like to tell you all | know .!about law,
and it wonldent take me long! I'm now in ;
the law bisiness myself at this pfase> We
are engaged in manufakturin Thy wholesalegt
and after awhile it will be retailed out by.
the lawyers to any that wants it. Its aneasys
bisness to make law: though some of the bills
introduced are awfully spelt. To day. saw
a bill, in which ''masheenery' was spelt with
two eSses and four case. 3 but the greatest
difficulty is in understandin the laws after it
is made. Among lawyers this difikulLy don't
seem to lie so much i'll the, head as in the
pocket. For five dollars a lawyer can lutni-
nize some, and more akkordin to pay. ;, But
he oughtont to Iuminlze but one side at o.
time. The first case / ever had in a Justice
court, 1 employed old Bob higgins, who was
a sOrter ola selfeducated foOl.I.I give him
two dollars in advance, and he argued the
case as l thought on two sides, and was more
luminous ag in than for me. lost the case.
and found out afterwards that the defendent
had employed Liggins after did, and give
him five dollars to iOoose my. case. look
upon this a warnin to all clients to pay. big
fees and keep your lawyers out of temtation.
My experience in litigation have not been
satisfactory. l sued Sugar Black onst for
the price ofa,load of shuks. He said ho
wanted to buy some ruffness, and I uereed
to bring him load of shuks for two dollars
Nv I,,rI i
and sent out after the shuks Eisself. When
l called on him for pay, he seemed surprised
and sed it had cost him too dollars and half
to have the shuks hauld, and that l testify
owed him half a dollar. He was bigger
than l was so [ swallowed my bile and sued
him. His lawyer pied set off for haulin
He pied that the shuks was rnsound; that
they were bard by limitations; that they
dident agree with his COW, and that he never
got any shuks from me. He spoke about an
hour, and alloOded to INC as a sWindlcr about
10 times The bcdcviled jury went out aud
brought in a verdik again me for fifty cents,
and four dollars for costs of suit. / haiut
saved-nary shuk on my plantation since, and
don't intend to until it gifts less expensive.
L look upon this rs 4 warmth to all folks, ncUer,
to 60 to ta10 oJo~t shuLs, or any other small
circumstance.
The next trouble had wus with fcller
who hired to dig me a well. Ife- wus to
dig it fer twenty dollars, and 1 wus to pay
him in meat and meal, and sich like The
vagabond kept gittn along until he got all
the pay, but hadcnt dug nary foot in the
grown. So made ont my akkount, and
sued him as follows, to wit:
Old John Hanks to Bill Arp Dr..
To We'll you dident dig $50. "
Well, Hanks he hired cheap lawyer, who
Il L.. 1
funny things at my expense, and finally dis
missed my case for what lie called its ''rdi-
ku!um a5surdum." paid those costs; and
went home a sadde7 aud wiser man: Ipull-
ed down my little cabin. and moved it some
500 yards higher to the spring, and I've
drunk nifty little we'll water since 1 look
upon this case as a warnin to all folks 1evcr
topaz FOR cnythinJ till you ve got it, especially
VHh0S to be dug. -..
The next law case I had gained it all ;by
myself by the force of circumstances. /
bought man note that was given for the
hire of Niger boy, Dix Finding he
wOuldent pay M, l sued him before old
Squire McCiinnis, beleevin it was sich dead
thing that the devil couldent keep me out of
verdik. The teller's attorney plead failure
of consideration, and non est t;,ctun,. and i1niS
fatutS, and infancy, and that the nigger's
name wasent DiH, S1noA.79ichard. The old
squire was powerful sccesh, and hated the
Yankee amazin. So, after the lawyer had
got through his speech and finished up his
readin from a book called "Greenleaf.'' I
rose forward to an attitood. Stretchin forth
my arm, ses l. esquire McGinnn, [ would
ask, sur, if this is a time in the history of our
atlliktcd country when Federal law books
should be admitted in a Southern PATRIOTS
court? Haven't We scecccded for ever from
their fOul domination Don't our flag wave
over Fort Sumter, and what, sur, have we
got to do with Northern laws? On the very
first page of the gcntleman's book | seed the
maine of the city of Bosting. Yis, sur, it
was written in Bosting, published in Bosting'
and sold in Bosting, where they don't know
no more about the hire of niggcr thar an
OK knows the man who will tan his hide.'
l scd some more thires that was piptcd and
patriotik, and closed my argument by handin
the: book to the squire. He put on his spck-
t&klcs, and after lOokin at the book about n:
minet, sez he,
'Mr. Arp, you can have Judgment, and
l hope that from henccforth and Tor ever no
lawyer will persOom to come before this
honorable court with pisen documents to
psovc his case. If he do, this court will take
1t as an insult, and send him to jail"
look upon the case as a Iyarnin to all
1olHS VINO gamble IN law to hold good hand
and play it we'll. High justice and patriotism
are winnin trumps. - =
After this, had difficulty with a man
| by the name Of Kohcn, and l thought T
wouldn't go to law, but would arbytrate. 1
had bought Tom SwilIins' wheat at dollar
bushel, If he cou1clu't do any Lettcr. and if
he could do any better he was to cum back
and girc me the preference. The skamp went
off and sold the wheat to Koheu for dollar
and five cents, and Kohen knowd all about
his contrackt with me. Ne and him like to
have fit, and perhaps would if 1 hadn't been
puny; but we finally left it all to Josh Bill