Lexington weekly intelligencer. (Lexington, Mo.) 1871-1887, 1873-01-08
The Best Book to Road First.

II NC UeSt OOOk 10 feau nfBtI salC
Judge r., repeating the question
put OH entering his Office % q law
student.
That's the best book to road frst,
and last, too," he added, laying his
hand OH wol!-thumbcd king
James Bible," OH which less dust
had been suffered to accumulate than
I have often seen on the same vol
ume on u professors parlor table.
"But l didn't come here TO preach" "
l answered little perlly.
"Yes You did," replied the Judge.
"And the better you preach every
time you get before the jury, the bet
ter you'll succeed"
"l'li provo it," said he quickly,
noticing my look Of incrcduIi,y.
Aud wheeling round in his chair,
bringing his Ley. to a cross, aud use
ilrg his cat for a pourack, be pro.
ccedcd:
"The first year after my 'admis-
.ion,' was elected States Attorney.
Ny maiden case was one Of petit lar
csny. Bill Dawkes, QUO Of those
,r,timg, good sort OF feliows--so call
Ell because good for msthimg-had
bccn found in recent possession of u
carcass Of mutton, which the owner
had left hanging ont over night, and
which was non est, that is to say.
.t..r"ed ap ,uisai"S.' in the morning.
IL drafted tho Indictment with
great care, charging, with painful
psrticulsri,y, that ono William
Dswkcs, yeoman, not having the
fear, ETC., but moved and sedluced ss
o cvrtaiu parsonage whom it was
common TO include in every iudict-
n.eut ~ aa accessory botore the
fxct,' on etc., at etc, OF the gooGs,
chsitcls, and personal property OF
ono relatiah Potts, out Of the pos
session, aud against the will Of the
said Pelaiiah, feloniously aud with
force OF arms, did steal, take and
carry away.
"Waat's the NATTER asked
sharply, when my friend Bob c.,
burst out laughing Oh hearing me
read over this, my first professional
production.
".It's the best joke of the season !!
said Bob, with another gutixw.
"'What is?'
"Why, that pun-calling a sheep
;;.ief a yeoman.'
my Office wasa scene of confusion
at the end OF five mi. utes. Bob's
head had gone through the glass door
of my bookcase, two of my three
chairs lay with broken legs; and Bob
end / had II pair of black eyes be-
teen us. 1t was more than a month
before either spoke to the other.
"Dut I'm wandering from the
point. In due time the prisoner vas
brought up for trial. Old POLLOK
appeared for the defense.
"Old r. was a character. The
only law book he bad ever read was
Swans Treatise for Justices of the
Peace; but in that. and the Script
urcs, he was powerful. lie had a
way Of quoting aud applying the lat
ter, which, in religious community,
made it difficult to oppose him with
out incurring a suspicion OF ortho-
doxy. His forte lay in carrying the
jury, whom lie generally succeeded
in convincing that he and they W re
OIL one side, and his adversary on the
other. His style of grammar was
original.
81 had set my heart on winning the
case. i'll could only beat Old Poll
fox before jury, my cap would be
fsathcrcd.
81 had carefully written out my
opening, and when 1 read it over to
Nellie Wynne, to whom was paying
attention at the time, she said it was
real nice,' which, l knew was fem
iniae for 'bully!'-an ecomium l felt
not n little proud of.
"When the case came on, spoke
my piece without blunder. cited
my authority TO prove that he in
W hose possession stolen property is
found soon after the theft, is iu law
presumed to be the thief. Iwas pre-
pared to prove, said, that the prop
erty in question had disappeared in
the dead hour Of night, when all hom-
est people were i'll their beds, and
had been found at early dawn in the
smoke-housc of Dawkcs, the dsfen-
dant.
81 put my witness on the stand,
and proved the ownership, value
aud identity of the property, its mys-
terious disappearance and subsequent
rcappearance in the constructive pos
sessions of the prisoner, and rested.
"Old POLLOK sat in solemn silence,
his eyes closed, and his red bandana
over his head. He asked no ques-
tions and called no witnesses. was
disappointed at tho old fellows Civ
ing in so easily. 1t would take away
half the glory of the triumph.
"But was reck oning without my
host.
"Old POLLOK slowly got upon his
legs, and removed his baudana, and
taking up the bible OH which the
clerk had sw orR the witnesses, began:
":I an grieved my bretbering,' he
always called the jury his 'brethering.
81 am erieyed and sore amazed to hear