The Pacific commercial advertiser. [volume] (Honolulu, Hawaiian Islands) 1856-1888, 1872-11-16
THE PACIFIC
Commercial AoOertiser,
SATURDAY. NOV. 10.
Anecdote of the Mississippi Bench.
I'VE Natehez Denoerai telIs the folIowing story

The Natehez Democrat tells the following story
Judge Il, who, for many years, presided
over the courts of an adjoining district, with a
rough and stern exterior, was possessed of a great
big heart, Overlooking with the milk of human
kindness, and be was frequently unable TO sup
press his feelings when called on to perform that
most unpleasant part of his judicial functions, the
passing sentence on convicted culprits. On one
occasion he bad beforehim for sentence a hardened
sinner, a great burly fellow, who had been con-
victed of petty larceny, the punishment fer which
in those good old times was thirty-nine lashes on
the back, well laid on. The culprit bad been an
old acquaintance of the Judges; had probably
been a playmate in the boyhoOd days, before their
paths had diyerged, that of one leading To honor,
that of the other leading to shame and disgrace;
and Judge u now embraced the opportunity
of giving a moral lecture 10 the criminal, which,
if thrown away upon him, might have a restrain
ing effect upon some of the numerous audience
always assembled to hear the sentencing of con-
victs. The lecture had not proceeded very far
before His Honor became pathetic, and the tears
began to find their way down his furrowed cheeks,
and his pocket handkerchief became necessary to
wipe them from his binding eyes. But, alas! he
had left this useful part of his wardrobe at home;
he felt first in one pocket, then in another,
then behind him, and all around, but
no handkerchief was TO be found, and be finally re-
sorted TO the skirts of his coat as a substitute.
The coat worn by his honor was i'll suited to an
sWer ms purpose, being one OF those round cut
away things, with a skirt too short to be drawn
up as far as his eyes, and his efforts to bring his
eyes and coat tail together were so amusing that
the gravity of the person principally interested
was completely upset, and when the Judge looked
up, after getting the tears from his eyes, the prjs-
oner had the broadcast kind of a grin on his face,
and bis sides were shaking with laughter. The
indignation of the judge at this want of appreci-
alton was beyond description. He paused until
he could fully comprehend the situation, then
closed his lecture in the most emphatic manner,
addressed to the sheriff, Take him away, MIR.
Halliday; take him away, sir. and whip him at
once; give him thirty-nine, sir, lceH land on, he
shan't insult the cour: with impunity.' 1t may
easily be imagined that the prisoner was removed
with no little confusion in the courtroom. But
the Judge was not yet through with the annoy
ance of this case. The p0blic whipping post
stood Just in the rear of the Court House, not
more than a hundred feet from His Honor's seat,
and the court had got another case under way by
the time the sheriff had completed his prepara-
tons for carrying out the law on the person Of the
irreverent culprit, and one of the lawyers was
engaged in his opening speech when the blows of
the sherif7s cowhide and the screams of the suf-
ferer again disturbed the Court. The Judge, by
this time, had recovered his selEpossession, and
in a most placid manner, requested the gentleman
to suspend his remarks for a short time. Dis
patching a messenger, he had the sheriff brought
into court before he had half completed his whip
ping. "Mr. Halliday said he, t'do you sup
pose, sir, that this Court has no feelings; take
away, sir lake him to the woods and whip
him. Mr.. Clerk, enter a fine of one hundred dol
lars against Mr.. Halliday for insulting interrupt
ton to the court, and he may think himself fortu-
nate in escaping with SO light a punishment"