New national era. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1870-1874, 1874-06-11

farming business after the manner of tho
African tampan. Wonder not, then, thai
complaints of hard times are frequent here.
had thought of writing something of oul
politics in this letter, but consider it unwisc
as the explosion of the brilliant Arkansas
CONT is of too recent date to allow ANYTHING
which could be said Of our dull affairs n mo-
ment's attention. People have treated the
Arkansas affair rather lightly. "IIow is Ar.
kansas ." has long been fashionable street
question, asked rs blandly as if the State
only suffered from 4 slight attack of one OF
her native dumb chills. They didn't seem
to dream that the commonwealth lay with.
ing under the agonics Of two-fold disease
native fever and imported cpizootic. But
the ghost is gone, and although we can't say
"ioy go with it," we all exclaim "pcacc be-
hind it,"
Passing by the courthouse yesterday eve
ming, l noticed a crowd lounging on the steps.
going over, 1 learned that there was to be q
case tried by his honor, the Probate Judge.
The crowd consisted, with one or two excep-
tons, of white country gentlemen, who came
very near staring me out of cOuntcnance. l
bore up hravely, however, about an hour,
when the solicitor appeared Oh the scene.
lie went in, and came out of, the courthouse.
Then, quoth he to the sheriff: "Call the
Judge" "You went in, why didn't you tell
him." responded the sheriff. The solicitor
smiled and went up to the courtroom. The
sheriff disappeared, reappearcd with the
Judge, and both went up to the courtroom.
We-the crowd-followcd. The witnesses
were got together after much calling, and,
numbering about a dozen, they drew up be-
fore his honor to be sworn. Our race was
represented by a tall, untidy looking fellow,
who held up his hand and Sigglcd the whole
time the oath was being administered. was
not ut all aflronted when the case was over
and he had not been called to the stand.
The case was a suit by Mr.. IIuitt, to re-
cover damages to the amount of six dollars
from Capt Gurlcy, alleged receiver of stolen
property. The cross-qucstionmg began.
The judge leaned back in his chair with an
assumed air of ease. But his discontinue
"s'S Ill tiIC COlOI
of his face. He had before paid no attcn-
ton to what was being done, but seemed
deeply absorbed in something behind his
stand, which, for want of a reasonable doubt,
We concluded must have been a book :;
whether blackstone, Shakespeare, Milton,
Miss Braddon, or n dime dialogue, VIC did
not know; but, in all probability, it was the
latter.
Iluitt was a simple, inexperienced man.
Capt Gurlcy, of guerilla fame, who has no
doubt made many blue coat bite the
DUST is n man Of the world. During the
trial a witness testified that the Judge told
lluitt to push his case, because, the Gurleys
had injured him, and he Uhc, .judgc) ''just
wanted to get n pull at them in his court"
The lawyers at last wcaried Of their sport,
and leaning back in their chairs, n significant
smile playing about their mouths, said that
they would " submit the case without arsll-
ment." The judges face REDEEMED and he
began to talk confuscdly. The smile about
the lawyers mouths grew over their faces
and spread to the spectators, many of whom
showed a broad grin.
Twas straining both ears to get into the
sense of the judges remarks, when suddenly
he ceased to talk and the lawyers rose to 60,
so abruptly that was dumbiounded. Twas
ignorant whether the judges "pull" had
sent poor guerilla Gurlcy to the gallOws or to
the poor-housc. would have inquired of
his honor, but my natural timidity ovcrcamc
me, when, on going out with the crowd, l
heard many illiicrate fellows modcstly claim
that they would make better Judges them
selves, concluded that eli the child is father
of the man," then his hOnOr's father was
certainly not one of those children whom the
good old mothers, with an owonous shake Of
the head, declare "too smart to live"
The judge is carpenter, and his time be-
ing nearly out and not standing the slightest
chance of reelection, it is to be hoped that
he will return to his former bench, for which
he is better fitted than the one he now Occu-
pies. TIMID ALVIN.