The Morristown gazette. [volume] (Morristown, Tenn.) 1867-1920, 1876-05-24
ORRIsTOwN, TENN, WEDNESDAY,. MAY "a. 1876

over: "Mr. Logan, do you know how
the cat got out of the well?'' "Not
that I recolIect, your honor swell,
by climbing up two feet and falling
back three r. Everybody but Mr.,
Logan. and "the cat," laughed. 1t
was relief. The crowd who gather
in court room need amusement :
the lawyers get their fees; and the
contesting parties have no business
to go to law; and why should those
outside the bar be ignored. And
then tbs so pleasant to see a great
mind unbend: and watch the help
less lawyers turn pale and bite their
lips, for you know they cant talk
back. And the judge and the crowd
look at each other so pleasantly, and
when laughing time IS up, the judge
assumes all his natural dignity Of
manner and exclaims, "Mr. Sheriff,
l wish you would preserve better or
DER" The great point with his hon
or's witticisms is, they are adapted to
the simplest comprehension
We have said he is pyramidal in
form hence be is firm-some say
obstinate," but that is malice.
Sometimes he gets the base of the
pyramid foremost in his charges;
but nevertheless. gentlemen of the
jury" his honor is handsome man
in fact lady who attends our Court
regularly, in some capacity. declared
in writing that he was the handsom-
est man in the court room, and she
ought to know. You now have the
attorneys, jury and judge, so let's
take up the case, or the arguments.
The evidence was vague; no one
had seen knife but some one had
got cut. The prosecution showed
conclusively by law and evidence
that Sam had stabbed Jim, and that
the other side had no case whatever.
The defense proved as clearly that
Jim had cut himself and there was
no case against Sam. In explain
ing their case. one of the defend
ants counsel got up a diagram to
make the matter clear. A ''code,"
on its side represented stack Chin
ney; ''sneed" on end. door and
an inkpot by the code, an old lady
sitting by the fire. Then placing
a hand on either side of the ''sneed,"
travelling to and fro on its fingers,
the combatants we're represented.
By aud by both Sam and Jim got
on the same side of the door, and
in getting Sam back into the room
where the girls were, the door fell
over on the old lady sitting by the
fire. Things looked black for while,
but they rehnng the door and
Strengthened out the old lady. We
rose to receive our charge.
His honor defined murder in three
different ways, played cats cradle
with manslaughter and assault and
battery, and then worked on battery
alone. We retired, The counsel
for the prosecution had proved that
Sam had stabbed Jim and that the
defense had no case whatever. The
counsel for the defense clearly show
ed the prosecution had no case and
that Jim had cut himself in the strug-
| gle SO we. sat oOWn anu ulScuSSeel
our spot pie'' of murder,-man-
slaughter, and assault and battery ;
and puzzled whether Sam had stab
bed Jim; Jim had stabbed himself ;
whether either or both had stabbed
one of the jury or one of the jury had
cut both Sam and jim, and we came
to the conclusion that no one in OF
out ofthe court house was guilty ol
anything in law, and returned a YER
dict of not guilty, for Sam. Wher
the jury was discharged and as We
separated, felt that l was expert
encing the loss of eleven brotheri
and an uncle. WILBERFORCE.