Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1871-12-15
Anecdotes Of Judges.

A writer in London Society tells
some good stories of English
Judges-among them the follow
ing:
Baron Anderson, learned, gentle
and good, could make puns, and
had much drollery. A juryman
once said that he was deaf in one
ear. "Well, then,' said Anderson,
"you may leave the box, for it is
necessary that jurymcn should
hear both sides"
After Lord Mansfield had retired
he delighted to talk over every i'm
portant case of the day with q GER
tain barrister, and that barrister be-
came a great Judge. Lord Mans
field was very kind to the Bar.
When his court sat very late on one
occasion, he addressed the counsel,
"Gentlemcn, as you have lost your
dinners you had better come and
dine with me-" Judges are very
good in asking young barristers of
their acquaintance to dinner, but
such bonhommie as Lord Mans
fields it would be hard to find now.
There was little stir one day in
Lincoln's Inn, when a Vice-Chan-
cellor requested a gentleman who
had strolIed into the court to come
up and take seat upon the bench.
At least he told the Registrar to
bear the message, who was disgust
ed at what he considered an unof-
fetal proceeding. The stranger so
deservedly honorcd was Macaulay.
The Judges can tell odd stories
of going circuits. The function
aries, and sometimes even the
prisoners, arc much disgusted if
iustead of estminister Judge
they have to deal with some coun-
sci whose name has been included
in the Commission. A prisoner for
murder was greatly annoyed be-
cause he had to be tried by a 'jour-
neyman Judge" A Sheriff once
told Judge that they had been
soften jobbed off with sergeants in
stead Of Judges in those parts, and
was he really bona .fde Judge?"
Having had his mind satisfied on
this point, the Sheriff gracefully
took his place by the side of the
Judge on the back seat, but was
politely informed by the Judge that
etiquette required that he should
sit opposite. Once Judge told a
Mayor that he presided over an
ancient city. eyes, my Lord" was
the answer, cit ALWAYS was an
ancient city," We expect it was
the same gentleman who expressed
a hope that Mrs. Judge and all the
little Judges were well.
A Sheriff asked a Judge at a cir
cult dinner whether he had gone to
see the elephant in the last place.
"Why, no, Mr.. High Sheriff." he
replied, 81 cannot say that l did.
| We both came into the town in
form, with the trumpet sounding
before us, and there was a point OF
ceremony to be settled which should
visit first"
Some absurd stories have been
told of Judges thinking aloud. The
following story is told by one of the
Registrars of the Court of Chancery
of a great Chancellor: GA barris-
ter, whom he had not previously
heard, was retained to argue before
him. The counsel was man OF
ability, but began in very con
fused, foundering manner. Lord
Chancellor: 'What fool the man
lisp After while he got more col
lected. Lord Chancellor: 'Ah!
not such fool as l thought.
Finally, he quite recovered himself,
and proceeded admirably. Lord
Chancellor: 'Egad! 1t is that
was the fool!'"
There was one Judge who had a
trick of checking witnesses, when
they got on too fast for his notes,
by saying: "Stay, stay' He was
called the old staymakcr. Ofttimes
they show admirable temper and
discretion. A Judge who was sum-
ming up a case was greatly disturb
ed by young lawyer who was talk
ing aloud. With great bcnignity
he said: "Mr. Gray, if you ever
arrive here, which some Of these
days / hope you will do, you will
| I,,o,, +Ln observation-disclosures of nounS a1
talking while you are summing
up"
A curious story is told illustra-
ting the legal precision of great
Judge. He asked a magistrate on
circuit dinner whether he would
take some venison. The gentleman
answered: ''Thank you, my lord,
l am going to take boiled chicken >
Lord Henderson rctorted: "That
sir, is no answer to my question:;
ask you again if you will take veni-
son, and l thank You to answer yes
or no, without further prcvarica
ton" The story was originally
told in the Quarterly Reciem, but
it is challenged by Lord Campbell
With some Judges the habit OF
advocacy has grown so invetcrate
that they have been quite unable tc
lay it aside. If ever they have
seriously tried they have not sue
cecded in. the attempt. The CASE
has even been known of Judge OF
the bench laundering like an advo
cate of Nisi Prius. A Judge once
said that he had only lost two uer