The Evening critic., 1882-03-28
sTRAW-BoND ATTACHMENTS.
Novel Court Proceedings Boone's
Counsel Reads the indictment to

Him.
Perhaps the most singular scene ever wit.
messed In n courtroom was seon In tho Crlmi.
nal Courtroom yesterday during tho arraign.
mcnt Of certain OF tho parties indicted in the
straw-bond cases. The great length Of the in
dictmcnt, owing TO the vast amount OF verbiagc
made necessary by the rules Of the common
law, under which these indictments arc
framed, utterly precludcs their being read
during the ordinary business hours of the
court, if,the court Is to do any other business.
So 1t had previously been agreed that WHOM
the regular business of the court was con
cluded on Monday some OF the indictments In
these particular cases would be taken up and
Read from Day to Day
until the Job was finished As Mr. A. +. Boone
was desirous OF leaving the city to attend TO
important private business It was decided
that he should stand up to the rack first and
take the medicine prescribed. He was In
dlcted for subornation OF perjury, aud con
spiracy with other parties in two cases ad H.
uonal TO the Indictment read on last saturday.
When 0 o'clock caine and the ordinary bust
ness terminated, Judge wylie announced that
the clerk would proceed with the reading of
the straw-bond Indictments. This declaration
had the effect of clearing the courtroom of all
except Mr.. Boone and his counsel, Mr.. Charles
Pelham, Assistant District Attorney Taggert,
the clerk, a few bailiirs and newspaper men.
The clerk started to arraign Mr.. Boone ON the
Indictment for subornation of perjury. $50
on reading" said the Judge,
Will he Back Directly.
and SELLING his hat he quit the bench and shot
out the courtroom door. In about half an
hour he returned smoking his cigar and took
aseat down on the floor and entered into con-
versation with Assistant District Attorney
Charles s. Moore, who entered the chamber
few minutes before him. This indulgence
emboldened others, and soon the reporters
were regalipg themselves with weed and
spreading themselves in comfortable positions,
1t taking two or three chairs to set them out
in ease. Boone, Pelham and others laughed
and chatted among themselves, and not a liv-
ing soul in the room gave any attention TO
Clerk Williams as he plodded along through
his unenviable job, except now ana then to
throw toward him
A Glance OF sympathy.
In about an hour he concluded the reading
OF the Indictment, and had received the plea
of Mr.. Boone before the Judge was aware of
what was going on, so deeply was he engrossed
with cigar and conversation. When he real
lied ized that the clerk awaited him, he proceeded
court, but Mr.. Pelham pleaded that the Job be
finished as to hts client, so that the latter
could go away and attend to his private af-
fairs. The Judge did not object, but suggested
that 1t was too much of a strain upon the
clerk. To overcome this difficulty Mr. Pei
sstant clerk; that Mr.. Williams read the
opening and closing OF the papers and he
would read the middle portion. This satisfied
the judge and he resumed his chair and
smoke. Clerk Williams started on one of the
indie ments for conspiracy, and, after readin G
three or four lines, Mr.. Pelham took It up.
hctt, incls MtS pEcoclitu bue unprecedented
sight OF
An Attorney Arraigning His Own
Client.
The latter took II in good part, and with others
1ndulged in good laugh at the singularity Of
the whole proceedings, but paid no attention
TO the reader. Mr. Pelham Is certainly the
boss reader he can wade through more
written and printed matter in less time than
any other man living, Judging by his work of
yesterday. Sometimes he mOuthed his words
or 1umbled his sentences, but he managed to
find the end Of the indictments with remark
able celebrity. 1t was about 80 o'clock when
the work was finished and the court al
journed.