The Van Buren press., 1874-09-01
NO. 20
Technicalties..


once heard q pretty good thing in tho
s. j. Count at Portland The case. vas
one Of severe assault upon the 1rst ef3csss
OF a Yankee barque, BY one Of The crew,
which assault occurred on shore. Judrs
s. was on the bench. Hs was . susn
man very peat 10 dress. N VERY fSHff1f,s'
ous resting firmly upon ~ judicial
nifty q first class lawyer md withal nv;
clined to be selfsufIicieut and crusty. No,
attorney at the bar ever vensursd to take
liberties with Judge S.. x
The principal Witness in The present
case was en- old weather beaten sailor
named Jack Miller, - and q more perfect
specimen Of the unsophiseated son Of the
ocean I never saw He was born on ship
board, and during aslife of three and Rfty
years hc had hardly spent twelve month
on shore II wasAR study--thosc two
mea--the Judge upd ahe hsnch. smooth
as glass, and ~ po bed. his whin h1iE
brushed down y eugt every particular
siivArp iLread haxf ,an lsi4li. 49, f.i-s>.
while stern, unyicldRg dignity sat like
frost work upon kI01, the old sailor upon
the stand, gaunt and square shouldered;
his swart face scaeped and corrugated
like the shell Of an .15Iigatof, his coarse,
grizzled hair not ul1tke the hirsute coat
Of bear; while hieewhole mcin and
bearing was that Of 66fnan who had made
up his mind to take lis chance, do his
duty. and trust the Fcs6lt to Providence,
rs he had been wont to do all his life.
Now Jack was sslled to testify against
his shipmate, as had Witnessed the as.
sault, and inteFosS$ed to terminate II, but
he was anxiols TO tell as little as possi-
BILE; and further more, to soften down
and excuse What he did tell. and this led
him to bsAa little rambling in his testi
mony. The Judge had been making
notes with his pencil. and as Jack was
wandering of into an unnecessary expla.
n ton, be lifted his head, and evidently
forgetting for the moment the exact
standing Of the witncss---wlth his mind
partially upon his notes--ae testify cx
Claimed:
/" Come witness. ad rem, adpropwirvm.
Don't wander So" Is
The witness stopped, and locked up at
the Judge wondering ffe repeated the
| abstruse words to hiinself as nearly as he
could pronounce them. and then, with
earnest simplicity. asked M SKI.
| Yer Honor what docs them words
mean p .a
Never mind, never mind. I" returned
the Judge, with an impatient wave OF the
hand. They are technical terms, used
In law, not for men In your position to
understand. Go on--go on.
There was o litter IN the court room
as Jack turned. rather crestfalIen, back
to the examining counsel Pretty soon
the witness sought to explain that his
shipmate, when he made the assault, was
not himself Said he, hair 70 tircrou,Isrl,
and half to the jury.
TON were pooty hard on for 1t. He'd
spliced the mainbrsce, an doubled the
tub, an tapped the admiral morc'n--"
The lirtle smooth head OF Judge S.
bobbed up at this point 4. y ~
stop. witness don't comprehend.
What do you mean by doubling the tab,
tapping the admiral, and the other equal.
~ ambiguous expression ?"s p spsA1
Jacks eyes snapped just single spark
and then he was calm and serene 40 the
bark Of an old gnarled oak.
"Why, yer Honor" ho replied with
patronizing respect and Difference,
+" them's tccknicle terms, used on shir.
board, which aren't expected at men IN
yer Honors position would understand. =.
While his honor was suhsiding, ntit-
ter broke loose In the court room which
would have swelled TO n roar if the sher
if had not sternly BIT his lips, and com
nanded ORDER Waveriy.