The New Orleans daily Democrat. [volume] (New Orleans, La.) 1877-1880, 1879-04-06
A COURT HOAXED.

| BAsTRoP, LA, April |, lsID
! To the Editor 81 tho Democrat:
Knowing that some of your readers enjoy
good joke. / have concluded TO give you al
account of the h,lgest April fool that has been
perpetrated In this parish for years. Our Dis
| trlct Court IL In session, and, knowing the
| hlgh esteem III which our bar holds Chiel
Justice Manning. IL occurred I" me early this
/ morning that | could sell out the court and
bar. SO | went to the telegraph office and
| fully posted the operator, and went back Into
court. About ten minutes afterward the
telegraph messenger walked In. and ap-
preaching our grave and dgnifled Judge
Parsons handed him telegram. The Judge
adjusted bis spectacles and read
MONROE La, April j 1879.
Zion. s. q. Parsons. Bastrop. La:
"Telegrams received here last night an
no,luce the sudden death OF Chief Justice
Manning from heart disease last evening.
rs. u. McENERY."
| watched the Judges countenance and saw
1t flush crimson rs ones countenanee when
startling information is first conveyed, and
then instantly he became as pale as the white
horse that Asrael the angel Of death. fs said
To ride. Id nervous, trembling voice, he an
nounced to the bar that II was his painful
duty to convey intelligence OF the death OF
I,ouisana's greatest iurist, and one of her
most honored citizens, the Chief Justice Of
the State Here he read aloud the dispatch,
COL. II. b. Todd, grave, dignifled lawyer, of
fine address and legal attachments, rose
amid most breathless silence and began an
impromptu eulogy upon one whom he said
an entire State loved, and whose death would
carry sorrow to every heart where love Of
and literary attachments were appreciated,
He would be mOurDed by all who appreciated
high mental and moral culture, unfalterng
devotion to duty, and exalted worth In all
that adorns human character.
will not undertake to follow him through
bib speech and viii pass II by as soon 90 I
, have told you that It was one Of the best Of
forts of the kind have ever heard.
He was followed by Mr.. @. Newton, young
but rising attorney, whose fine fancy carried
where he was strewing imnortelles and she'd
dug tears that one who had lent 90 much
grandeur to human character, who had
brown 80 much light and splendor upon the
labyiinthine intricaces OF the law. whose de-
csons read like romanees tempered with the
stern justice Of God, that such 90 man
should be cut or Ia the prime Of strong man
hood was to him source OF unieigned sur-
row. Exhausted he sat down looking very
picture of grief He was followed by Samp-
sou Levy, JuIEs jas puSsSy, bHNlu Jbuu,
J Harvey Brigham and Cspt. w. +. Hall, all
of whom
Knew him but to love him.
And named him but 10 prsise.
This ended, a committee was appointed to
prepare suitable resolutions.
At this moment, according to preeoncerted
arrangement. the telegraph messenger came
into court and handed the Judge d second dis
patch He read II. flushed angrily, and ex-
claimed: Gentlemen. it's all villainous
trick You've been shamefully imposed upon.
Listen!" He then read the dispatch, rs fol-
lows:
MONROE, La, April |, 1879.
Hon. s. q Parsons. Bastrop. La:
ibid the bench and bar bite at an innocent
April foolP Answer. s. ID. MoENEEY.'
At this moment it would have been worth
fourteen years Of u mans life to have seen
these men who had wasted such fine OrattonS
Id vain. That blank, mean look that ones
countenance assumes when he discovers that
he has been made the victim Of vitlainous
joke was on their aces. o ye Gods that |
could have painted them 1t Is needless to
attempt description. You can imagine it
better than can describe 1t. JUDEx.