The Manitowoc tribune. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1866-1878, 1867-05-16

ftesnoon they can,e into land,
-.rhieh 1t seemed always aftern Don.
-ii around the coas. the ianguid air die
swoon,A
Breathing like ono that hath a weary d. cam
The Supreme Court room is the sleep
lest, place in America, and the presence
of the Court does not enliven the scene
The visitor enters through an outer ans
inner set Of double doors, covered with
scarlet cloth, and so hung as. to swing
noislessly. Lest the sudden closing. OF
these cloth doors should jar on the quiet,
an attendant sits without, opens them
carefully to all corners, and olloWs them
60 swing back softly to their place by
means of string with which he checks
too sudden action of their springs
Reaching the inner doors another atten-
dant opens them softly, and when the
visitor has entered, engineers it tenderly
back to its place with the string he holds.
Thus ushered in, the mind has already
adjusted itself to the place, and involun-
tarily new corners step OFT on tip toe
over the carpets to the soft, velvet cuse-
Toned seats.
The Court Room is the old Senate
Chamber The floor is a semi-circle, and
the walls cylindrical to correspond Ov-
erhead is half dome, in which are four
circular sky lights, ranged round one
central half-circle. All are dim and dus-
". From one suspends a chandelier, the
two lower rings of which are constantly
lighted, bat burning SO low as only to
deepen the twilight of this legal atmos-
phere.
The entrance is in the middle of the
circular wall Opposite the door, within
the second and highest railing, which ex-
lends nearly across the diameter OF the
room. sit the Justices. Back of them is
row of ten marble columns supporting
a low gallery, which looks like a shallow
recess let into the back room. Under
this gallery is passage way. and at each
end are doors leading out into the rooms
where the Justices adjust their gowns,
and whence they issue in solemn process
sion each morning at eleven o clock
The gallery Is lighted by three little
square windows shaded BY dusty Venitian
blinds.
Through the passages under the gall
cry, and back of the Judges, the heavy,
fat,- slow-moying clerk Of the county
makes frequent pilgrimages to the chairs
in which the Justices reciine. Pages Tut
softly back and forth, and it is easy to
imagine that the water they bring at in
teryals Is dipped from Lethe, and that a
branch OF that river runs through either
ante room. The only live figures moving
within the space is that Of the new mar
shall. Mr. Richard c. Parsons. The JUS
tees sit IN high-backed chairs, and seem
as comfortable as if waiting their turn to
be shaved. They are separated from the
area before them in which the attorney
sits, by a. balustrading surrounded by a
heavy rail, all dark and sombre with thick
vanished mahogany and deep-colored
velvet. Parallel TO this railing and out
side Of it, runs second, kind OF out
work or rifie-pit in advance of the main
tortiication. No one sits inside OF it,
and indeed its only use appears to be to
prevent the lawyers getting near enough
to the Court TO wake 1t up.
In front Of this double barricade Is the
semi-circular area where the attorneys
sit, and from which they make their ar
guments This space is divided from the
smaller one, where visitors are allowed to
sit, BY light rail- Within are square
cloth covered tables, where the lawyers
write: and the thick cushioned seats where
sit those privileged to enter the solemn
precincts. Outside are similar seats, az
ranged like the most comfortable pews in
our fashionable churches They are usu-
ally as empty, too. There are accommo-
dsltiors for about hundred spectators,
and generally seats are only needed for
twenty-five or thirty. On each side OF
he main door are two inches designed
for ststuary. Each is occupied with Il
sheet iron stove instead. Upon the CIR
rllar wall are the marble busts of four
lead Justices-sctrcely more quiet are
hey than four of the Justices opposite,
said by all to be alive.
From the floor of the Court room only
he heads and husts of the Supreme
Court can be seem The heads vary; the
busts are more nearly alike, covered as
hey all are with the heavy piaits OF their
siiken robes.
Chief Justice Chase sits in the center
To his right sit Justices Wayne, Greer.
Swayne and Davis, and In the order in
licated To the left are Nelson, Clifford
Field and Miller.
An arch is sprung between the marble
columns. back of Mr. Chase and this is
urmounted with large gilt eagle
Above the eagle foldings of scarlet hang
sngs are gathered, which droop away on
aither side Of the arch The eagle holds
IN his dusty beak dusty gilt streamers.
IF any notices are written there they
cannot be discerned, hut imagination
quickly writes on one: Negroes have no
rights which white men are bound to re-
pect, and on the other that essence of
iater decisions; The loyal have no rights
which rebels are bound TO respect.
Upon the Hat surfaces between the
arch over She gallery and the arch of the
dome are thirteen raised stars. and be-
tween them are lunches of darts, all
pointing down upon the justices. Do
hey not symbolic the th,lnderbolts of
the peoples Indignation?
Such Is the Court room; dim, quiet,
funeral. solemn. Upon its floor one sees
most frequently, now, such men as
Charles O'Connor, jeremiah Black. Ed
ear Cowan, Reverdy johnson, Governor
Sharkey and his fellow claim agents,
who, with the public pass for Southern
Governors. but here in Washington as
claim agents and busy .Jollason politicians
alone Nearly every day, on the motion
IF some conservative lawyer, one or more
rebels. who either could not or would not
axe the test oath, Is admitted to prac-
ice before the Court, the Court having
opened its doors to all such.
The pleading before this bar generally
proceeds in the most languid manner
II fact there is little incentive to energy,
the brief must all be printed in advance,
and copy placed before each of the
Judges. Counsel on the opposing sides
use orc after another, go through the
points OF their arguments, and once q
week the Judges take the printed copies
consult upon them, ana make up their
decisions. Once week these decisions
are read, or generally mumbled over from,
The bench in such a manner as to convey
TO the. listener about the same idea of
he substance of the matter as most would
FeeeIve from hearing Latin prayer.
THE JUSTICES-MR. DAVIS.