Seattle daily post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, W.T. [Wash.]) 1881-1888, 1884-10-04

london lines.

LOnA@b AIIu<r-
An Incident took place is Mr. Jus
tice Chitty's Court on Thursday after
noon, which illustrates the strength
and also the weakness Of our methods
Of administering justice. A lady At
tended t. answer charge Of having
attempted IN bribe The Clerks ia
Chambers. Tue ACQUISITION j. ex-
tremely serious, and We may congrsi
ulate Ourselves on he fact tina, IL i
extremely rare. More than two cen
turtles ago another lady liiigani sent 8
BUCK 20 sir Matthew Hale on the
morning Of the day when her case
was % come before him. and that emf
nent Judge insisted on paying for
the buck in open Court before he
would proceed with Ike trial From
that day 10 the present the number
Of litigsnis who have attempted 10
interfere with the course Of justice
By bribery must be very small. One
Of the present leader % the bar -
fond 81 telling the story Of an Amer
lean client vhO once asked him 70
aGvise hox far few thousands
would 60 10 determining the judg-
ment about TO be delivered 10 pa
tent case, involving large pecuniary
interests. Whether this rrue story
has any bearing on the character Of
any American court or judge il q
delicate question which We do not
propose 10 discuss, We are content 10
believe that no delicate question cali
ever arise 10 regard 10 the conduct
Of our own judges and that the sub
ordinate servants Of the isw are equal
~ exempt from reproach. In jus
tice To The lady. whom Justice Chitty
has indulgently retrsiped from send
ing 20 prison, it should be explained
that she seems TO have no desire to
procure q Judgment in her own favor
by fraud. She seems rather io as
sumo. ike the rest Of the litigailng
world. that success is certain il her
case IL only fairly and promptly con-
sidered Sustained by the goodness
Of her cause, aud the rectitude of her
intentions, she explained TO the
learned Judge that there was nothing
wrong in what she had done. Her
case had been worrying her for seven
long years, and once more she was
called upon To face the prospect Of
being thrown over the vacation This
lady was ready 10 give goo 10 ju-
nior clerk, fl200 to the chief clerk
any sum not exceeding f4OO0 in all
10 have the case IN which she was i'll
terested brought TO an immediate
hearing. She seems % have thought
that her object might be attained by
special exertions on the part of the
officials, and IL was in order To slim
ulate their activity and To cOmpen-
safe them for extra work that she
= a6e the unfortunate offer which
brought her within measurable dis
lance of Holloway Jail. La one
point fortune has certainly favored
her: the case for which she had dared
so much was ia the cause list of Mr.
Justice Gritty, who is free from irri.
liability aud selfimportance. AS a
judge ought TO be Taking a mild
yi~w of the circumstances, and cour
teously considering the sex of the
offender. bis lordsbip dismissed her
with a suitable reprimand and warR
ing.
We cannot refuse our sympathy 10
this indiscreet but sorely tried victim
Of the administrative defects of the
Chancery Division; and she is only
one of many who mark the slttings
and the vacations as they come and
60 with ever-incresins WEAKNESS aud
disgust. Juiicature Acts are passed
new rules are constantly coming into
operation; old names are abolished
aud new names Invented; offices are
reduced and multiplied and re-organ
ICED. and the junior bar is reported "a
be- ruined by reforms in practice once
10 every five years. If litsants are
benefited by all these changes, the
have not as yet attained to the happi
ness OF knowing how well they art
off They complain OF delay and ex
pense, as in the days OF Eldon; and
no one would suppose that fifty years
have elapsed since the iron mace oil
Brougham" was applied 20 the old
Chancery practice. much to the al
miration of the Rev. Sydney Smith
Must IL always be sos l. there nc
hope that justice may some day bt
made expeditions. intelligible anc
cheap These are questions t.
which students of our lega: history
will not be too ready to reply.