The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1880-06-05

A Court of Justice.


Did you ever attend Court Of Justice.
Messieurs Editors? No doubt you have.
It's queer place, isn I it2 Iattended Court
myself, this week, aud have iotted down some
OF my impressions. Yes, it's a queer place.
TO the novice, at least. When you enter YOU
uncover your head, unless you happen TO be
woman, aud then yen need not observe this
iormality. But, mind you, whether man or
woman, you can say hoo 10 a goose. z" un-
less you speak ia a whisper. Its the priv.
lege Of the Judges and the lawyers to do ali
the talking in Court, unless they put Won on
the witness stand, aud then yon can Jaw back.
There sits the Judge Tor Judges, as the case
may be- looking grave aud digniiied as be-
comes the representative Of the dignity and
majesty OF the law. o, it's an awful place.
isn't IL, to one who was never 10 Court be.
fore3 There are the lawyers, within the bar.
saying and doing smart things towards each
other, to the Court or to the Jury, and there
stands rural innocence, without the bar, with
mouth agape aud with open-eyed wonder, lis.
iening to AL the smart things the lawyers are
saying, while they are postnring, attitudiniz
ing, gestieulaling and airing their vocabulary.
A Court room is queer place, to the close
observer Fortunes change hands in there,
some times, At the bidding OF these lawyers;
but ] reckon they don't ''devour widows,
houses nowadays, 20 the extent that the
good book says they used 20, ia old times
don't know, though reckon the old fable of
the monkey, the cats aud the cheese, still holds
good in law matters. 'sSilenee in Courtg''
shouts simultaneously, in stentorian voices,
two men with long poles in their hands, sit.
ting on either side oil the Court room. .iYho
are those men making such noise ~ ven
tured to ask man standing near me- Chose
are the tipsinves" said be, "a sort Of bob to
the old Judicial Kite, which modern progress
has not yet Topped Of, aud Of about as much
use as the 9th wheel to a coach. looked
across the room, to the right Of the Judge,
and there sat twelve men called the jury.
To my unsophisticAted view they looked ike
twelve men IN limbo for some misdemeanor,
but believe they we're hearing case to de.
termine Il some one else should OF should nct
be put in limbo. What blessing trial by Jury
10, so the books inform Us, and ] suppose Il
must b. so, seeing they are selected ON ac-
count OF their virtue and intelligence, and are
expected 10 hold the Hypothetical scales IN
exact equipoise between man aud man. o
yes, me thought, trial By Jury is d great
thing-a jury OF your peers-and In this gate
Of mental cogitation looked around for the
colored Juror, but did not have the plensure
Of seeing him. They told me he had no,
served on panel during the Court. For.
tannis man, thought, ali pay aud no work
Well, it's better TO be born lucky than rich
the old adage says, aud us mighty nigh true
OF else I'm no judge. These are stranec
times, generally. Not emily the courts are
strange but eyeyyihing else IS strange. Seems
V me the world is heine tnfRad nps IL down,
OF & coming 70 an end-as fast as i eBu---and
viii bring lbis lone feftWl q an eIa, lea l
tire You. IL | cap ano iimss nfler going over
NY corn, maybe yoa MAY hear from me
again. PergR PIowsuARE.