The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1874-02-21

own contemplate proceedings, and that
the fine must be paid.'' finally succeed
ed in borrowing the money to pay the
fine, for [ was convinced that no ex-
ceptions could be taken to the ruling of
the court upon that point.
But | have no intention of giving you
description of the trial, or to narrate the
many amusing Incidents that occurred
during its progress; neither do intend to
give you the "Iowee lar'' as laid down by
the judge in the case. Suffice it to say
room had been slit up' (?) by some half
dozen tallow dips, long ere the case went
to the jury, when we were obliged to va
cate the room and retire to neighboring
grocery, (kept by Jimmy's son-in-law), to
allow the jury to deliberate upon the YER
dict.
In about an hour the Sheriff called for
us to ''come over" and we once more as
sembled in the hall of justice to listen to
the verdict.
Jimmy seemed to take conviction for
granted, for pushing his iron-bowed spec
tacles far up upon the top of his head, and
carefully laying his freshly filled pipe upon
the stand before him, he carelessly re-
marked: sEAy coorse we've found the de-
findint guilty, Mister Foreman ?''
To Jimmy's great surprise, the foreman
replied, in terms that admitted of no mis-
understanding 1--WE find the defendant
not guilty.
For an instant the stiffness of death
reigned throughout the room; it was
first broken by that peculiar smacking
sound that is sometimes heard to proceed
from an Irishman's mouth while endeav-
oring to procure a little comfort from the
lffolacc IF Il sElr1daov1 .5
was for the moment striving to draw COM
fort from an imaginary pipe, utterly obIi-
vious of the fact that his own lay smoking
upon the table before him. while amaze
ment, anger, Indignation and contempt
seemed striving for the mastery in jim
my's face.
Turning with sort of dazed expression
to the jury, he smiled a sick smile as he
said:
Gintilmin ov the jury, did l hear your
vardict Alright? did yez say, not guilty ?''
The foreman bowed as he replied t'We
find the defendant not guilty.
Thin ye'ye done wrong" angffly ex-
claimed the court; and, pris'ner, veil
sthand up and receive the sentinee ov this
coort."
In vain did Iprotest against such an un-
warranted proceeding; in vain urge the
verdict of acquittal Just rendered. Jimmy
would listen to nothing, his only re-
mark being: /" Pris'ner, sthand up and re-
ceiVe the sintence ov the coort.'
Pale, and trembling with excitement,
scarcely knowing whether he was in the
body or out of the body, the prisoner final
ly stood up, in spite of all my efforts to
have him retain his seat, while the court,
in iHy-suppressed rage, thus addressed
him:
Pris'ner, ye'Ye been thried by jury
ov yer country and found not guilty, but
the eoort behaves yez guilty, andsthe coort
behaves that If ye're not guilty Dy this of
fince yer guilty ov others eaquilly as great.
The coort behaves it to be his dooty to sin
tince yez accordin' to lar, and the eoort'll
now procade to do it, widout fear oy
any mon casting triumphant glance at
me@.
The sintenee ov the coort is, that We be
taken to the Cottonwoods (the little jail
built of cottonwood 1ogs1, where yen lie
for ninety days, and at the ind eV ninety
days yen pay fome oY two hundred dol
lars, and if yez don't pay it at the ind oV
ninety days ye'll lie there till yez do pay
it, and may God Almighty hev marcy on
yer sowl, for this coort won't. Mister
Sheriff, ven take the pris'n 'ner, and adjourn
the coortn
Springing to my feet, hastily moved
the discharge of the prisoner, at the same
time threatening the sheriff with an action
of false imprisonment if he presumed to
detain my client. The threat was render
ed of no avail, for Jimmy assured the
sheriff that such an action brought in
" Jimmy Sloan's coort wouldn't sthand ez
long ez he was lightin' his pipe, and he
TYlirht ract azU on that Sporn .;
But why rehearse the many arguments
that were used before finally succeeded in
securing discharge of my client. 1t was a
hard fought battle, which was obliged to
win over and over again, for Jimmy was
like our gallant old Taylor in Mexico, he
didn't know when he was whipped, or
how to stay whipped. Through the in
tervention of the prosecuting attorney
matters were finally adjusted and the
court, lawyers, prisoner and Spectators
all adjourned to the grocery to part friends:
but the experiences of that day in 'Jim-
my Sloan's Coort" were never forgotten
by Jimmy, who, many times thereafter
caused me to remember with regret the
victory that 1 once gained by wearing a
tight overcoat and attempting to remove il
in the courtroom.
Although it was my fortune to appear
many times afterward in Jimmy Sloan (
court, never succeeded in gaining anoth.
er victory before him. / regarded this as
an offset to the many disheartening defeat;
that sustained through his rulings
and am sure that my readers will pardon
me if relate one more case here, promis
ing that it shall end my experiences In
practicing before his Honor, Judge Sloan
A CHINA woman was stolen from ont
husband by another husband in Sacra
mento. After long search the police
found her, and she was taken before Jus
tice CantWell. The husbands were there
and equally strenuous in pressing theil
claims. There was no evidence in sup
port of the claims of either and Justict
Cantwell was puzzled. Out of this di
lemma, however, an expedient found ;
way. The husbands and the wife wer'
ranged in row in front of the bench, ant
the woman was told to choose between
the two men. She hesitated a little, bu
finally took the youngest, and the polio
| were instructed to keep the other fellow
a1vav in fiTtIlrn The chosen husband wa