Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-04-03
AN ECCENTRIC JUDGE.
One OF the Earlier Legal Lumina-
ries OF Michigan.
Some Interesting Anecdotes About Judge
.ofOne ofthe Circuits In the Western For
tlon ofthe Peninsular rstate-AJudss
Who Knew His BusIncss.
Detroit FREQ Prcss.1

IDetroft FREQ Press
The following stories are related of a
Judge of one Of the Circuits in Western
Michigan. The Judge was of O conscien-
hous turn Of mind, honest and upright a
lawyer Of ability, but somewhat given to
eccentricities:
man Of questionable reputation was on
trial once before him ON q criminal charge.
1he attorney for the defendant was q
gentleman OF reputation, subsequently,
chce<3 Attorney-General of the State.
Every effort that he made In the way of
objections, and they were frequent, was
ruled against by the Court, all of which
caused feeling.
Finally the Judge became impatient on
being reminded that the defendant was en-
Titled to fair standing in court, and said
to the counsel for the defense:
The two Of you put together have no
standing In this court; you amt no better
than he is, and he ought to be sent up for
lifew
On another occasion an important law
question was being argued, several attor-
neys being engaged on each side. One of
them was making his argument. He had
read quite a number Of authorities in sup
port of his position and was insisting that
the proposition he contended for was the
law. The Judge told him in the midst of
his argument he was wrong.
"But that is simply your Honor's opin-
lon" said the attorney.
The reply was: "Yes, sir, 1t is only my
opinion, tits true. don't care for the
opinions of the Supreme Court Of Vermont
or Pennsylvania, or any other court; my
opinion controls this court, and governs
your case, and / predict you're goin' to get
beat so bad you won't know where you
are"
And the Judge was right about il, as the
sequel proved.
Another time the court was sitting in
chancery for the trial of a divorce case.
The proofs had all been taken and a solic-
itor for, the complainant had been arguing
the cause for two or three hours. The
Judge was becoming uneasy. All at once
he broke out in this way: ''Now, Clarke,
look here; you've been talking for four or
five hours and not said thing about the
case. don't propose to fool away my
time listening to slush. If you don't change
your tune pretty soon, am going home;
that's all there's about it."
The attorney for the defensc-'I am con-
Quoting my side of this case, and propose
70 present it in O manner that suits me.
and you have got to sit there and listen to
it."
Judge-"No, sir, there Is no law COM
pelling man to sit still and be bored to
death; you must stick to the case or l
won't stay here. Proceed, sir, with your
speech"
As the argument proceeded the Judge
kept getting more impatient, and at last
turned to the clerk and shouted:
"Mr. Clerk, enter up in the journal Of
this court that A. b. is fool, and adjourn
court until Tomorrow morning at nine
o'clock"
The clerk made the entry. and an inspec-
ton of the journal will show it there to-
day.
A case wns being tried before the judge
without a jury, with an able lawyer on
either side. The plaintiff was Morfit and
the defendant q well-to-do colored man.
The suit was for breach Of contract, and
there seemed to be much difficulty In ascer-
tanning what the contract was. While
Morfit was upon the stand the defendants
attorney objected to nearly every question.
The Judge overruled each objection, with
the remark that, as there was no Jury, the
reception Of the testimony could do no
harm. The objections continued, and
finally the Judge turned to the attorney
and said:
"See here, Henry, am going 10 overruIe
oil your objections as fast as you make
'em- am going TO hear the whole of this
case. There's no jury here, SO no harm can
be done, and old Morfit's got to swear
good deal stronger'n he has yet or hen get
busted all to pieces"
The trial proceeded, and when the de-
fendant took the stand, the same couree Of
objections continuing, the Judge informed
counsel he would put the questions him
self.
Judge-"Now, my good man, just tell me
all about your trouble with Morfit. Z.
Defendant-"Yas, sab; you see. judge
one night las May, Mr.. Morfit and I was
down by de co'n'r dar and Morfit says to
memo I says to Mr.. Morfit; no.-lemme
see"
Judge-"Come, come, get to the point
and tell me what was said"
The defendant proceeded again as be-
fore, but each time stopped and seemingly
could get no farther. After several fruit
less trials by the court and attorneys the
Judge said to him:
swell, l think you had better go and sit
down where you won't be in the way. You
don't know half as much about the case as
old Morft does, and he doesn't know
enough to win It."
1t is needless to add that Judgment was
for defendant, and for costs.