The Greenville enterprise. [volume] (Greenville, S.C.) 1870-1873, 1871-11-29

| So0o W ucaVen i 10 not wish t(
be there with, him." If all tL,
stories told Of the Judge, and thos,
told BY him. were collected topeth
er and published. they woulG
make a most amusing volume.
The Judge was a very eloouenl
advocate at the bar, and had q
high reputation as criminal law
yer. On one occasion he and Mr.
John Q. Calhoun were associated
in the defence of a case of bomi
eide. In his argument as iunio,
counsel, Mr.. Calhoun admitted
that 1t was a case of manslaup hter,
Judge CAN'T followed him as senior
counsel, and argued that it was a
case OF excusable homicide in self.
defence. The jury acquitted the
prisoner entirely, notwithstanding
the distinct admission of his Jun.
ior counsel that it was a case o,
manslaughter. lie had a noble
voice, and was a most fluent and
impassioned speaker. On the
bench le always took the side of
the criminal, and most generally
urged an acquital. A great
many rogues and murderers have
escaped justice through his mis-.
taken compassion and mercy. His
charges to the grand and petit ju.
ries were sometimes astonishing
for their extravaganza and folly.
/ once heard Judge CAN'T, at
Spartanburg, denonnce the retail.
ing of spirits as the greatest of all
crimes, as it induced all others
He was the first man in South
Carolina who lectured against the
use of spirits. This he did in his
charges to the grand juries, long
before the crusade of the regular
temperance lectures in this State.
He said to the jury at Spartan.
burg: "Do you suppose there is
any retailing of spirits in heaven
How would it look to see the Apos-
tie Paul astride a whisky barrel
st. Peter acting as taps,er2 And
George Washington playing tho
court house bully with half pint
tin cup in his hand |" In express.
ing his utter 'detestation of spiri,e,
he said "he would sooner swallow
a rattlesnake than a drop of spirits,
provided it was q email one that
he could get down his throat
easily"
In one Of his charges to the
petit jury at Greenville, in q case
of fighting in the streets on the
Fourth of July, he told them that
they ought to acquit the defen-
dants. He said the anniversary
of American Independence was a
proud day to every patriot in the
land, and it was q day on which
the American people had right
to fghtl They should not be pros.
ecuted for the exercise of this right,
80 nobly maintained by our ances.
tors On that day!
After my admission to the bar,
l became very intimate with
Judge CAN'T, and was strongly at.
tached to him for his many high
and noble traits of character, not
withstanding his eccentricities and
vagaries. He was as kind hearted
and benevolent a gentlemen as
breathed the breath Of life. He
was a pure, incorruptible man,
and as pleasant companion as /
ever met. He was cordial and So
cial in his nature. 1 frequently
rode the Western circuit with him
in his carriage, and l was greatly
amused at his vagaries. whims and
notions. At one time he
would drink nothing but spice.
wood tea, and carried the twigs
with him from court t" court. At
another time he took it into his
head that molasses and water was
the only liquid that a man should
drink. He would stop at a spring
a d make his man, Bob, take out
his molasses bottle and mix his
switched for him. In Columbia, dur.
ing the sitting of the Court of APP
peals, he rented a little Office near
the Court House, and made his
coachman cook his meals. He
brought his provisions, even his
sugar and coffee, from home. He
was terribly afraid of fires whilst in
Charleston, and, on one occasion,
chartered vessel to sleep in during
his stay in town, sitting in the Court
of Appeals.
Judge CAN'T was q native oi
Maryland, and read law with Viii.
liam Pinkney in the town of An
napolis. He has frequently told
me that Le was very much like
this great lawyer, orator, and
statesmen in his person and feat
ures. Judge CAN'T prided himself
on his knowledge Of the common
law, derived from old Coke whilst
reading in Pinkney's Office. lie
said Jud0es Mott and Johnson