La sentinelle de Thibodaux. [volume] (Thibodaux, La.) 1861-1866, 1866-03-24
'Ube Gl)ibooaur 5enti,1rl.
Bill Arp
ADDRESSES A LAW SCHOOL. AND
GIVES HIS EXPERIENCE.
MILLEDGEvlLLE. Feb, 1866.

1 y
tho situation by which / am surrounded
it is impossible for me to 90. / wish
could, for l would like to tell YOU ali
know about law, and 'it wouldent take
long. I'm now IN the law business myself
at this place. We are engaged in manu-
facturin it by wholesale, and after a while
it will be retailed out by rhe lawyers ia
any body that wantsit. FITS an easy bis
ness to make law, though some Of the
bills introduced are awfully spelt. To-day
saw bill in which masheenry' was
spelt with too esses and four ease. But
Ithe greatest diffikufty is understandin the
law after it is made. Among lawyers this
diffikulty don't seem to lie 50 much in the
head, as in the pocket. For five dollars
| a lawyer can luminize some, and more ac-
cordin to pay. But he oughteit to lum;n
ize but one side at a time. The first case
! ever had in a jestlce court, employed
old Bob Ligging. who was sort Of self
l'educated'fool. | give him two dollars in
advance, and ho argued the case as I
thought, on two sides. and was more lu-
'minous agin me 'tlian for me. / lost the
case. and found out afterwards that the
defendant had employed Liggihs after
did, and give him FIVE dollars to lose my
case. / look upon this as warning to all
clients, to pay big fees aad keep your
lawyer out Of Temptation.
My experience in litigation have not
been satisfactory. sued Sugar Black
onced for the price of load Of shuks.
He said he wanted TO buy some ruffi,ess,
and agreed to bring him a load of shuks
for two dollars. Ny wagin got broke and
he got tired waitin, and sent ont after the
shuks hissef. When / called on him for
the pay, he seemed surprised, and sed it
had cost him two dollars and half TO have
the -shuks hauled, and that iestly owed
him half dollar. He was bigger than
| was, SO swollered my bile and sued him.
His lawyers pied set off for haulin He
pied that the shuks was unsound; that
they were barred by limitations; that they
didn't agree with his COW, and that he
never got any shuks from ME. He spoke
about an hour. and alloodcd to INC as
swndler about IS times. The bedeviled
jury went out and brought IN a vcrdik agih
me for fifty cents and four dollars for
costs Of suit. G'h;f;ntsaped nary shuk on
my plantation since, and | don't sinteEd to
until it gifts less expensive. I look upon
this as warnin to all folks, never to go
to law about shdks. or any. other r'oifcaa,-
stance.
The next trouble / had was with fell
low who hired to,aig me a well. He was
to dig it for twenty dollars. and | was to
Pay him in meat and meal. and sfch like.
The vasabond kept git,in along until he
got oil the pay, but he hadn't dug nary
foot In the ground. So 1 made out my
and sued him as follerS, to-wit
Old John Hanks, to Bill Arp......D DR..
To one well you dident dig ....... $40
Well, Hanks he hired cheap lawyer,
who rarad around exclusively, and sed
heap of funny things ut my expense, and
finally dismissed my case for what he I
called its "ridikulum absurdum.'' ..,aie1 i
thosc costs. .sand wen. hcme /. sadder and a
wiser man. pulled down my little cabin
md moved it some hundred yards higher
10 the spring, and pve drunk niisy little
we'll water since. / look upon this case
rs warning to all folks, neoer to pay for
1nytsing tiA you're got 1T, especially If it
las to 6e'aug.
The next lave case ] lad gained by my
,elf by the force of circumstances.
bought mans note that was given for
he hire Of a nigger boy, Dix. Findin he
pay me. sued him before old
Squire McGinnis, heleevin it was such d |,
lead thing thatthe devil couldent keep
ne out of verdik. The feller.s attorney
,lead failure of consideration, and non est
iaktuna, and ignis .fatuiA and infancy, and
hat the nigger's name wasent Dik. but
Richard. The old squire was powerful ,
ecesh. and hated the Yenkccs anazin.
10. after the lawyer had got through his
peech and finished up his readin from a
,ook called ..GEeenleaf,n rose forward
0 an attitood. Stretchin forth my arm.
es /, esquire McGinnis, ! would ask,
nr. if this is time in the listogy Of our
fniktea country when Federal law books
hould be.admitted in Southern patriots ]
nnrt! Haven't we seeded forever from
heir foul domination Don't our flag j
ave oyer Fort Sumter, and what, sur. =
ave we got to do with Northern laws? |
n the first page of the gentleman's book e
seed the name Of the city Of Bosting. I {
es, sur, it swas written in Bosting, pnb q
shed in Bosting and sola ia Bosting y
here they don't know no more about the .
ire of niger than an OK knows the man
no will fan his hide.,' I sed some more
lings that was pinted end patriotik, and !
osed my argument by handin the book /
the squire. He put on his spectacles, /
ID after looking at the book about a
init, ses he: =
/" Mr.. Arp, yon can have Judgment. q
ID hopa that henceforth and forever, no : :
wyer will persoom to come before this : :,
,norable court with pisen documents to : :
owe his Gaze If he do, This court will !;
ke it as insult, and send him to Jail" ! :,
/ look upon this case as warnin to all < :,
10 gamble in law, to hold good hand :, =
d play it well. High jestfce and patti i !,
ism are winnin trumps. i,
After this I had a difficulty with man - :,
the name Of Kohen. and thought /,
,uldent go to law, but would arbytrate. d j,
had bought Tom Swillins wheat at =
liar bushel If he aooultlsist do any better.
d if he could do better he was to come
OK and gre me the preference. The he
aY,n wont off and sold the wheat Ia