Daily Los Angeles herald., 1879-07-02
"OURIOSITIES OF LAW"
The Cruel Joke PerpNrated Upon One of Gold
Hills Learn d Barristers.
Virginia Oh ronicle. ]

The Comstocker who does not re-
member Tom Harkin has o very
bad memory indeed. When his
name was mentioned In Judge
Knox's court room last evening
every one of the old pioneers pres
ent cooked up his ears at once and
Inquired: "Whatinell's become of
him anyhow" Harkin had been
copsteb lie at Gold Hill. and during
his service in that capacity had
picked up such an extensive knowi-
edge Of roguery that upon the ex.
piration of his term he felt justified
in hanging out tin sign and be-
coming police court lawyer. He
rigidly confined his practice to
Judge Wright's court. The name
of Harkin moved lawyer in
KNOCKS court room last evening to
tell how two Portuguese were ar
rested in Gold Hill for a breach of
the peace, in loudly abusing two
Frenchmen. Harkin was retained
by the vengeful Gauls to prosecute
the gentlemen from Portugal, and
Major Foote lhe, poor fellow, like
Judge Wright, has gone to his
gravel represented the defendants.
Harkiu soarei aloft in his opening
speech, and painted with all his
well-known eloquence the terrible
outrage to which his clients had
been subjected.
Then Major Foote got up gravely
and winking slightly to the Judge,
took the astounding ground that,
this being an English-speaking
country, it was impossible to shat
ter its peace with any amount of
the Portuguese language. The
Court stared, but another sly wink
from the Major explained things.
Harkin was evidently In panic,
and was breaking out into cold
sweat OF apprehension, when law
yer Kelt0n, who had caught the
Majors wink, leaned over and
whispered to Harkin:
"Send to Foote'S office and get
Viduc's 'Curlosities of Law and
on page 659 you'll find decision in
your favor on this very point"
Harkin whispered to a friend,
who at once bolte for the MAJORS
library to look for the impossible
work mentioned by Kclton, and
when Foote sat down the ex-Con-
stable began an oratorical charge
against time. While he was in the
midst of a trem endous howl of in
dignant eloquence the messenger
who had gone for the book returned
and whispered that the book wasn't
to be found. Then Harkin an
nounced to the Judge that he de-
sired time to go out for a moment.
1t was his wish to bring ami lay be-
fore the Court the well-known
standard authority, Viduc, who in
his celebrated volume, "rhe Curl
osities of Law" on page 653, had a
decision with which all lawyers
who had a right to call themselves
lawyers should be familiar. The
time, In spite of vehement pro-
test from F00te, was granted, and
| Harkin rushed over to the Major's
library and eagerly ran his eye over
| ttlc NoiuihCSs 4NO BdCi WDIh as
| Viduc's "Curiosities Of Law" could
be found, but on the top shelf there
was a vacant space from which a
volume had been taken, and Har-
kin, in a boiling rage, returned to
the courtroom. He Informed the
Court and oil assembled that up to
this time he had regarded Major
Foote as gentleman, but now he
could no longer dignity him by that
title. 'For," cried Harkin, shak-
ing his finger at the Major, who by
this time was on the verge of hys-
terics, "for, sir, you, well knowing
Viduc's unanswerable decision on
this here Pint, have gone aud hid
away that there book of hisl You,
sir, knowing how damaging it
would be to your case. and so i'm
portant to mine, have stole an Sc
GREETED Viduc's 'Curlosities of Law
Such conduct, may 1t please the
Court, Is a Disgrace to any member
of the purfession who calls himself
a gentleman
TO Harkin's no small astonish-
ment and delight, the Court, rap
ping down the shrieks Of laughter
in which all the lawyers, save the
puzzled Harkin, were relieving
their feelings, decided that the
peace could not only be broken in
Portuguese, but that to its mind
Portuguese was a tongue peculiarly
fitted for that sort Of illegal exer-
else.
i Up to the time that Harkin left
the town he had never learned
why n lawyer always went into
commissions when he inquired II he
happened to have Viduc's "Curios.
tiles OF Lawn in his library.