Bedford inquirer. [volume] (Bedford, Pa.) 1857-1884, 1868-05-15
LEGAL ANECDOTES.

Under the title Of Bench and B,t,
Mcssrs, Harper 4 Brothers have nubIisb-
e. collection OF anecdotes, which purports
to be complete digest Of the wit, humor.
asperiues, and amenities of the law
It's compiled By l. J. Bigelow, ESD. We
use the word compiled, which is not fonnd
on the title page of the volume before rs
because we see in it no evidence of personal
research or original discovery. IL is made
up OF extracts from Jeffie 3on's Book AL07lt
LotCgers, brief biographies of the Chief
Justices Of the 'nited States, and nearly an
the anecdotes ol lawyers which have An.
peared IN the Drawer of Hgrneris 9
Moathty-just a, they were there published.
without the slightest apparent effort to
distinguish between the authentic and the
ingenious creations Of enthusiastic contribu-
tors.
As A jest-book, the Bench and Bar IS
very tair-almost equal to Joe Miller. Asa
record otthe witor wisdom of the bar. it is
yalueless, lnaswuch as the reader cannot
discriminate between the true and the false.
Hundreds OF Jokes are in verbal circulation
through the country, each Of which in every
nelghborho0d is attributed to some local
celebrity. Thus they are sent to the period
4 press, and thence they have been collect
ed and given to the world by BigeIow who
adfsapparent professionalism aud anthen-
tidty to the work by announcing himself as
counsellor at Law, and studiously con
ealing the fact that the compilation is not
tie result of diligent research on his part.
ald that 1t Is written in the exact
language, not of Mr. Counsellor Bige-
Low, but Of the hundred or more contributors
tc HVper.s Magazine and other works.
The book, however, is very readable, and
tie anecdotes are most of them good
whether true Of those to whom they are
attributed or not
CHIEF-JUSTICE HALE.
"Chief-Justice Hale was strongly oppo.
std to the severity of the English law, and
took occasion, whenever he found oppor-
tJnlty, TO show his repugnanee 10 its need
less severity. Once be tried half starved
lad on a charge of burglary. The pris oner
had been shipwrecked upon the Cornish
coast, and on his way through an inhospita-
be district had endured the pangs of ex-
treme hunger In his distress the famish-
ed wanderer broke the window Of baker s
shop and stole loaf of bread Under the
circumstances, Hale directed the jury to ac
quit the prisoner; but, less merciful than
the Judge, the gentlemen ofthe box returned
verdict OF, guilty. verdict which the
Chlef-J ustiee, stoutly refused to act
upon. After much resistance, the
iurymen we're starved into submis-
sion, and the youth was set at liberty.
Several years elapsed, and Chief
Justice Hale was riding the Northern
Circuit, when he was received with such
costly and excessive pomp by the sheriff of a
northern county, that he expostuated with
his entertainer on the lavish proflseness OF
his conduct, My lord answered the sheriff,
with emotion, don blame me for showing
my gratitude TO the Judge who saved my
lite when | was an outcast Had il not
bcsn for you, | should haze been hanged in
Cornwall for stealing loaf, instead OF living
TO be the richest landowner of my native
county.
LORD ELDoN.
''The Chancellor was sitting in his study
over a table of paper, when a young and
lovely girl, slightly rustic in ber attire, slight
Is embarrassed by the novelty Of her posi-
ton, but thoroughly in command Of beI
Wits, entered the room aud walked up tC
the lawyer char.
"'My dear, said the Chancellor, rising
and bowing with Old-World courtesy, 'whC
ore fou2
lord Eldon, answered the blushing
maiden, / am Bessie Bridge, Of Weobly,
the Caughter Of the Vicar Of Weobly, and
papa has sent me to remind you ofa promise
which you made him when | was a little
baby aud you were a guest in his house on
the o:casion Of your 6rst election as member
OF Pad lament for WeObly.
"A promise my dear young lady 2" in
tespoed the Chancellor. trying to recall how
he he'd pledged himself
Yes, Lord Eldon, a promise. You
were sanding over my cradle when papa
said to you, "Mr Scott, promise me that if
ever yju are Lord Chancellor, when my
little girl is a poor clergyman wife, you
will give her husband a living and you
answered, Mr. Bridge, my promise is not
worth half a crown, but | give it to you,
wishing it were worth more. D"
Enthusiastically the chancellor exclaim-
ed:
.'You are quite right. l admit the
Obligation | remember all about it; and
then. after a pause archly surveying the
damsel, whose graces were the reverse OF
matonly, he added; But surely the
time for keeping my promise has not yet
arriyed2 You cannot be any ones vile at
present.
For a few seconds Bessie hesitated foI
an answer, and then, with blush and a
ripple oS silver laughter she replied:
No, but | do so wish to be somebody !
wife. | am engaged to q young clergyman,
and there a living in Herefordshire neal
my old home that has recently fallen vacant
and If You Il give it to Alfred, why then,
Lord Eldon, we shall marry before the end
Of the year,
"Is there need to say that the chancellor
forthwith summoned his secretary, that the
secretary forthwith made out the presenta-
ton to Bessie's lover, aud that, having
given the Chancellor a kiss OF gratitude
Bessie made good speed back to Hereford
shire, hugging the precious document the
whole way home.
LORD MANSFIELD.
Lord Mansfield had great abhorreuce
Of the penal system of England, and used
eFery effort to have it modified. Hi:
humanity was so shocked by the bare thought
Of killing man for committing tritilne
theft. that he on one occasion ordered q
ilry to ind that a stolen tTinket was Of less
ralue than forty shillings, in order that
die thief might escape the capital sentence
The prosecutor, a dealer in jewelry, was 81
mortified by the judges ieniency, that hS
exclaimed: What my lord, my gold trlnkei
lot not worth forty shillings Why, thai
a,hion alone cost me twice the money
Removing his glance from the vlndlctlye
radesman, Lord Mansfield turned toward
.he Jury and said, with solemn gravity
AS we stand in need ofGod' mercy, gentle
men. let us not hang man for fashion
sake