Rutland weekly herald. [volume] (Rutland, Vt.) 1859-1877, 1870-01-06
WINDSOR Conn ~.

usual, and no very important trials na'e
been had, d. e. no such hard cases as used
to engage the services and tax the abill'
ties of the two leading law firms of the
State, that of Tracy, Converse q Barrett
and Washburn & Marsh, and then take 8
weeks time for trial each. Attic opening
of the Court the Rev. Mr.. Kidder invoked
the Divine blessing, and the large and
little Jurors, answering to their name:
when called, Saved their fines" Afte,
being wisely counseled and cautioned
by Judge Barrett, the wheels of justice
were put in motion. On call of the old
docket numbering 236 cases, 81 were voted
for trial by jury. During the first day
however, on judicious and judicial sitting
only about half that number stood any
chance for an appearance before the
twelve men selected to decide between
litigant parties, and now, since the jury
has been dismissed, it is found that only
thirteen cases have been tried in that
manner.
The grand jury did but little business
Very few liquor cases came before them,
but those who were troubled with an In
dictment for illegal selling, at once plead
| guilty and paid up, to go and sin some
more.
For the past few days the Court Mr..
Justice Barrett, Judge Marcy and Judge
FRENCH have been hearing court issues.
Members of the legal fraternity through
out the State will rejoice to learn las viii
also the entire people of Yermont) that
Judge Barrett is himself again, having
regained his health, SO long impaired by
| the labor incident to a faithful discharge
of his judicial duties. 1t must be weary
work for a mortal land Judges are but
mortals) to sit and listen to what the 49
lawyers, more or less, in Windsor county
for instance have to say from term to
term and time to time.
In this connection we remember an
anecdote told of one of the Judges of the
Supreme Court, who, when Intercepted
by friend as 10 the reason of his not at
tending church more constantly on the
Sabbath, replied that he wanted some
rest, and in the discharge of his duties
over the State he was jawed at every
week day." and he thought that was
enough without being compelled to listen
to long sermons on the Sabbath.
The new docket entries number only
1856, not more than some times formerly
used to be entered by one or the other OF
the law firms hereinbefore alluded to, so
that the large law docket of Windsor
county, which used to trouble the
Legislature and the Judges so much, has
disappeared, and no division of the county
is called for on that account.
I have been looking over an old
docket of 1s41-which the obliging Clerk
has brought into the Court House. 1t is
interesting to observe on every page the
handiwork of the late Mr.. Williams.
On each fy-leaf,- many vacant cor
ner is found some ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS, or
picture cut from somewhere,-couplet,
remembered and noted down by that
scholarly, clear-minded man-pertinent
to the times and men of that day
"'Twas better to be silent, 'mong such crowd OF
folk,
Than utter words so meaningless, as he did when
he spoke"
Then Mr.. Williams scribbled on the
last leaf of the docket. wonder who, OF
what lawyer was speaking, that brought
that quotation to his mind % years ago
He was then in the full vigor of his man.
hood. But two or three years then had
he been Clerk of Court, but he kept every.
thing, though in brief, yet to the point
written down. From another docket Of
the times ! learn that from Feb. 10th
| 1912, to Feb. 18th, 1913, inclusive, there
were 294 petitions of men in Windsor
county, who preferred to go through
bankruptcy under the United States Law
of 1871, and many of them to pay more
costs in the proceedings to clerks and at.
torneys, than it would have required tc
pay all their debts.
If Windsor county furnished at that
time, 294 unfortunate bankrupts, land
Mr.. Williams has put down the name OF
the town where each resided, aud the
name of the legal physician who phys.
licked them through what think you Mr.
Editor was the number in the whole
State-what in the whole country? The
present bankrupt law is indeed shorn Of
some of the most Objectionable features Of
the law of 1S41-but we imagine when
the novelty of the thing is worn off
many who now are vending their way
through the Bankrupt mill, will remem'
Der the story of the singed rat. We
know of one case where a petitioner raised
$3.50, (which his lawyer cold him was the
fee required to get him through,) and
paid it to his attorney,-when his cred.
itors would have taken that money and
his other property, and have discharged
all their claims, and set him up in bust
ness again.besides.
OF the Al lawyers in 1S41 in this coun
ty-20, including Mr.. Williams, are now
dead. One, Warren Currier, then O
Windsor, we believe is a Judge of th'
Supreme Court of Missouri,-and the
oldest, Loveland, of Norwich, more thar
80 years of age, and a classmate of DAME
| Webster at Dartmouth, "still lives
while the most distinguished, Hubbard
and Marsh, and Everett, and Collamel
and Tracy and Hutchinson, with ex-Gov
Coolidge and Judge Washburn, hav'
passed on to that other state of existence
to which we all are SO rapidly tending.
Ex-Lieut. Governor Converse is no
| looking we'll q don't mean that he is no
a good-looking man, for to say that would
be more of an untruth than even news
paper correspondents are permitted t.
write this term, and several cases wher,
he is counsel have been continued becaus,