Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1872-11-28
Anecdotes of Chief Justice Mar
shall.

cA1lAAa
Judge Marshall's simplicity of char
acter and Observation-Disclosures have been
the theme of Il number of anecdotes.
The one best known is about his puz-
Zie over the buggy and the sapling:
Turning aside one day to avoid one of
those awful mudholes which abound in
Virginia country roads, the axle of his
buggy encountered stout sapling. The
sapling was between the hub of the
wheel and the bodyo of the buggy. Too
big to bend down and too supple to
break, this sapiing seemed to the Judge
to be wholly unconquerable. What to
do he knew not. He got down out of
the buggy the better to apply his great
intellect to the knotty subject and to
study it thoroughly up. While pom
dering vainly, a negro man came
along.
"Uncle," said the Chief Justice, 81
wish you would tell me about this sap
ling. / can't get over it, and 1 can't
get around it, and don't want to stay
here all day and miss court. What do
you think had better do?"
The negro could rot repress a broad
but silent grin. "Why, ole marster," I"
said he, II 'spec' de bes' thing you kin
do is 10 back 70 buggy twill you git
clear of de saplin', den turn de hade
{head) Of yo hoss, and den you kin
void de saplin' and go to cote slick as
goose -greeSe."
"Thank you-thank you kindly, UNI
Gle; l should never have thought of
| that in the world. You are man of
superior mind. There's half a dollar
for you" And the Judge drove joy
! fully off. as
+ Another anecdote, illustrating the
same mple-inindednes and easy,
good nature, has, so far as / am aware,
never been in print. 1t is this: When
Judge Marshall lived in Richmond his
opposite neighbor was Colonel Pickett,
| father of the Confederate General, Geo.
E. Pickett, of Gettysburg fame. Col
| onel Pickett was a man of wealth, lived
we'll, and &aS not content unless every
| thing about his household bore the
marks of good living. His horses were
his pride, and were conspicuous every
1 where for their splendid appearance,
being as sleek, fat, and high-spirited as
abundant food and excellent grooming
could make them. Judge MARSHALL s
horses, on the other hand, were nOtori-
sously lean and unkempt. Everybody
but the Judge had long remarked this.
/ At last it was brought to his notice,
with the suggestion that his carriage
driver neglected the horses, sold much
of their food, and appropriated the
money to his own use, good deal Of il
going, no doubt, for liquor.
The Judge called him up without de.
lay. ~ I.
"Dick, what is the reason Colonel
/ Pickett's horses are in such splendid
condition, while mine aresalmoStskele-
tpns3 am afraid you neglect them,
don't half curry them, and don't hall
feed them" -fa
Dick, not expecting the attack, was
! fairly posed. He hemmed and hawed
awhile till he could gather his negro
/ wits about him, and then said: ff
MARS John, look at yOu-iS you fat. u
"No," said the Judge; decidedly
not" slte.-d =
swell, look at old miss" (Mrs. Mar
shall )-.is she fat ?"
+. "No." se z-Fa
"Den look at me-is I fat p"
"No."; l!
"Den look at yo' horses-is dey fat?''
! GNo.n
snow den, you jes' ldok at Kunnle
Pickett. He fat, his ca'idge-driver fat,
his horses fat, his dogs fatal fat. De
troof is, Mars John, fat run in de Pick
ett family, and it don't run in our'n.
OATS ALL" -@ -ia. -
SWELL" said the Judge, after a little
reflection, "there is good deal in that.
It never occurred to me before" He
turned back into his study, and Dick
was never troubled any more. Deem
Der Number of Lippinco1's Magazine.