The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1874-08-27
Our Rowing Correspondent.
He Attends Court in Tyler County ana
Describes tho Administration of JuJtioe,
MDDLRDouRNE, TYLER Co, !
"a .H August 25, 1874, {

| SSAANSSAANAl AA11"' WV
- .H August %, 1874. !
EdltosSof Tho 1ntellIgcncer:
We found ourselves not alone on thu
road to this place yesterday. There wa
q continuous stream flowing on 10 Thu
county seat. Some were Jurors, som,
witnesses, some bent on trading or selling
and still others were coming just because
1t was court day. All Of course werl
anxious to find out whether HosIa was 4
be presented for unlawful hshine with 4
seine, or Hosia, 6r., for. tearing down Mrs
ls chimney, And among the crowd werl
the learned Judges; not Of the crowd and
yet with It,, for, COMFORTING themselves
with that true Virginia Democratic dig
nifty, they looked every inch Judges.
But We are at Middlebourne, and court
Is In session, The Chief Justice and thu
two Associate Justices are on the bench
the Sheriff has issued his proclamation
and silence is supreme In that awlul pres
ence. We have q seat Of honor, Just be
cause we had cheek enough 10 take Il, al
the attorneys table, where sit Gen. Boy.
era, W. l. Foreman, D. D. johnson, T.. ].
HuguS, and D. F. Pugh. The court room
10 crowded with an orderly crowd, and
all are anxious to
. CATCH RvRRY WORD.
The Grand Jury Is called, sworn, and
instructed by the Prosecuting Attorney,
Mr.. Pugh, and sent 10 their room. And
now the calling Of the docket commenced
This case Ia passed, that case Ia continued,
another Is dismissed at deiendants' cost,
stlll another at plaintiffs, and so on. But
finally q question arises. 1t IS a simple
question, and yet has sgitated many
minds In many ages and courts. II %
simply this: Does the sum in con,ro.
very include interest? One attorney said
no, another yes. Our smooth talking
friend Of the negative commenced his or.
gument, when dialogue something like
this followed between him and the Chief
Justice; 49,
Attorney-May It please the Court
Chief Justice-But it does not please
the Court. q
All Imay be allowed to proceed
. C.J.-You will please take your seat
A.-But am not yet done, and
=. 1.-THE Court understands the gen.
tlemsn on the other side to say he has 40
authorities to sustain him; we ask for only
one. .T
A-Does the Court know what 1t Is
talking about? 81 ..
C.J.-You will please take your scat
But why give more of this interesting
dialogue, during which the counsel held
his temper and the learned Judge would
not notice an implied insult. But the
case was finally settled by deciding that
the amount in controversy must not in.
clude interest.
But soon another question arises which
sgitates the Chief Justice more than any
one else. 1t came from q suit brought for
debt, but the original summons did not
give the amount sued for. This case was
sent up from Justice Howard, one OF the
best in the county. On the one side II
was claimed that the error was technical
and therefore not fatal to the case; on the
other that 1t was material and necessarily
fatal. A short argument and the Chief
Justice decided the error technical. But
oh, ye fates The uncertainties Of things
certain in this lie The Judge had de.
cided upon his own responsibility solely,
and had not counted upon the eminently
respectable gentleman on his left, nor the
same upon his right, and 80, partly proha.
bly, through chagrin, these two Justices
politely but emphstlcaIly told the Judge
to reverse that opinion and decide tho
error material and throw the case out Of
court. soyou can't most always some
times tell about how questions stand until
the decision has been given and
had I1MH TO cool.
But business is dispatched expeditions
lY, and night draws on and the bench gets
tired. And now the Grand Jury comes In
and hands in eighteen indictments, twelve
being for SEEMING in the creeks OF the
county and the balance principally for
assault. ~
The Grand Jury is dismissed until TO-.
morrow, the Petit Jury until the same
time, the crowd steals out, the Sheriff IN
his shrill, clear voice watts his final pro-
clamation forth on the evening air, and
we find ourselves leaving the, room and
Inadvertently talking on our lips the
Sherift's last sentence, "God save the
honorable Court" NosIDDA.
Hon. Nathan COT, ST., Of Harrison
Enunfv.tfnk rnn1Ka10