Clarksville weekly chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1873-1890, 1880-07-10

, The court of exalted Jurisdiction
whose very title is unknown to tn
uninitiated except under the guis
of the hieroglyphics which hea,
this paper, held its annual sessio
last Wednesday in the eonsecrate
grove set apart for that solemn oh
servance. The uninitiated viii her
object that the day appointed b,
immemorial usage for the session
of this dread tribunal is the fourtl
of July, while last Wednesday wa
the seventh of that month. Sucl
cavils are only excusable coming
from persons ignorant of the all
comprehensive Jurisdiction of tina
court. Those better informed viii
know that the judge of that cour
has plenary authority to declare
any day in the year the fourth Of
July, and that, should it seem good
to him that the court should sit Oh
Christmas day, or Thanksgiving
day, or any other day in the calen.
dar, that day would become, for all
legal and judiciary purposes, the
fourth of July.
The time, place and weather were
all propitiOus. The sacred fountain
poured out its lustral streams in
bright prOfusion under a canopy of
verdant foliage supplemented by
the blue vault of heaven itself,
which was from time to time shaded
by silvery clouds; and after a short
interval allowed for the arrival and
bodily refreshment Of the members,
the judge took his seat and the court
was organized.
The first thing in order was the
initiation of four gentlemen as MEM
bers of the mystic order. The neo-
phytes We're the Hon. w. A. Mill
ken, Messrs. Michael Savage, +. G.
Gilbert and I'll. N. Leech.
1t was superfiuous giving their
names, as anyone meeting them
and noticing the moral elevation in
their cOuntenances resulting from
the probation through which they
were carried, may recognize them
as men elevated to a new plane of
being.
Then commenced the sitting of
the court. At the present session a
very grave offense had to be visited
with the animadversiOn of the court.
The defendant was Col. A. G. Good
lett, and the offense for which he
was tried was that, being a member
of this order, and entitled to the
highest consideration attainable to
human nature on that account, he
had endeavored to set himself above
his fellow-mystics by advancing
such lower claims as were grounded
upon his alleged advantages, pro-
feSsional and pecuniary. The case
was argued with consummate abil-
ity; counsellOrs G.. G. Smith and I.
l.. Yaneey appearing for the prose-
cution, and cOunsellOrs VIM. Quarles
and II. w. Watts for the defense.
II was the popularity of this trial,
it from those which
occur in inferior courts, that the
strongest case against the prisoner
was made out by the counsel for the
defense, while several mitigating
circumstances were CLEANED from
the pleadings of the prosecuting
counsel.
The judge, who in this court COM
bines the functions of judge and
jury, pronounced verdict and SEN
tence in one breath. We are not
permitted to reveal the terrible ma
ture of the penalty, but the prisoner
being sick and very penitent was
allowed to suffer it vicariously, and
the vengeance of the court was satIs-
fed with its infliction on the cOun-
sci for the defense, who had GER
tainly richly merited it by the style
i'm which they had conducted their
case.
The Iabors and emotions of the
day had now reduced the bodily
systems of the members to state !
of exhaustion which demanded inn
mediate refreshment, and after a
short space devoted to customary |
libatiOns and grave Capitalization,
all proceeded to the deeper recesses
Of the grove, where sumptuOus
had been set out under the
auspices of the great GrchinadgeirOS,
Reason Warfield. Here indeed the |
energy and proves of the members
was marVelOusly manifested in the
luickness and completeness with
which mountains of savory viands
were made to disappear. Stalwart
sable ministrants, the established
of the court, passed again
and again from the furnaces Of the
nrchinadgeiTOS to the loaded tables
bearing ponderous burdens of fest
i've material, and consumption kept
pace with supply, and renewed de-
mand followed upon consumption
till even the vast capacity of the III.
C. G.. was duly filed.
Then followed the joyous festival
Of soul and intellect. Speech and
song, gay narrative and sparkling
wit and converse entertaining and
filled the interval
after the feast until in the cool of
the evening the members returned
to their homes elevated and in
structed by the days proceedings.
We have only to add few Off
cial prOmulgatiOns issued by the
court.
The following resolution was
passed i'm full session of the court:
Whereas, The Hon. G. A. Henry
has, from its first establishment,
been an hOnOred and a jealous men,
Der of this high court and of the
mystic order associated Herewith,
and is this day prevented by sick