The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1870-04-09
An Essay On Law.

MEssRs. EDITORS: have been studying law
about six weeks, and have read Blackstone,
Kent, Chitty OH Pleading, Greenleaf on Evil
dence, Stephens on Pleading, Starkie on Evi.
dence, Storys Equity Jurisprudence and forty
five volumes of the Illinois Reports Having
read all of these works, the thought suggested
itself to me that a short essay from me on this
subject might aid ray brother students
The law is said to be a very hard study
although l have not found it so difficult as
had expected. To learn the law we'll man has
to read an immense number of books, and
don't believe that the greatest lawyer in the
world ever learned the law well enough to be
able to repeat all there is in thcs. books from
memory.
The law may be considered under four great
divisions, viz. The Common Law, the Civil
Law, the Criminal Law and Statute Law. There
is a branch called Equity, but there is not much
law in it.
The Common Law is very ancient and spreads
itself all over the world, SO that any person who
wishes to use it can 40 so. The Civil Law ap-
plies only to those who steal from government.
yet in order to avail oneself OF the Civil Law he
must steal q large sum, for il he steal a small
sum ne will come under the Criminal Law.
which is not near pleasant as the Civil Law
The Criminal Law applies exclusively to all
persons who are not under the Civil Law. The
Statute Law originates from the Legislature
and is very difficult to understand, owing prin.
cipally to its defective phraseology.
You can do nothlngl with the law without
courts. Courts are of very great ANTIQUITY
There are several kinds of courts. There are
Circuit Courts, County Courts, Courts Of Exclu.
sive Jurisdiction, Courts of Limited Jurisdc.
ton, Courts Of Concurrent Jurisdiction, Su.
preme Courts, Justices of the Peace Courts and
Courts of Chancery; but Courts of Chaucery
have nothing to do with the law. The Judge of
the Chancery Court does what he thinks is right
without the interference of jury. Courts are
mainly composed of Judges and juries. Judge.
are OF great antiquity. The earliest history Of
them !. found in the Book of Judges in the Old
Testament,
Ih" "ripin OF !uries il not known, except that
they "rln.,ed in the Dark Ages They are of
~" kimd'-prand aud petty juries. The grand
jury = "'mpo.ed of twenty -four persons, and
III" otirr iuries ARE composed of twelve persons
each, "nd ar. called petty juries because they
consist "t II smaller number Of persons. There
ct" ni-o oorouerS jurie-. whose business it il 20
set "n persons dead body when he dies with.
out iet'ing Anybody know it. When Jury
comes into court with their verdict they may be
! pol! ed, When this j. done the clerk calls each
iuryn"n 10y namo and the Judge asks .olemnly
three times whether he is guilty of the verde,
or not, II all of them Say that they az. NO,
guilty, the verdict stands; if they say they are
guilty of the verdict, they are forthwith 70.
mahael 70 jail for contempt,
There is also another court called Wager of
battle This court Is supposed TO have arisen
from duoling and originated in the very Dnkos,
Ages 1t is now nearly obsolete. II is now
only used in the city OF La Sale, the Fejee
Islands and ~ General Sheridan in his last ride
among tho Indian women and children.
There IL also the law Of Divorce. This Law
arose from marriage. The law Of divorce has 3