Springfield globe-republic. (Springfield, Ohio) 1884-1887, 1885-03-15
A HOOSIER LAWYER.
Sims Colley, One of the Oddest Charac
tiers That Ever Practiced at the
Indianapolis Bar.


Sims Colley, says writer in the In
dianapolis Journal. was one of the odd
est characters that ever practiced at the
indianapolis bar. The writer says this
advisedly. though with his eyes on
three or four odd legal luminaries who
still make the justices courts and court
house resound with their eloquence.
Colley was brought up on farm. and
was the son of renter down about
Greenwood. He came to this city.
then small town, when he was about
Is years old, and was employed to
drive wagon. In later years he was
very proud of narrating how he used to
make bricks for Uncle Jimmy Tur-
ner" In his Young manhood and
along toward middle life he was q
shouting Methodist, fervent and ready
in prayer. During.a class-meeting a
brother was called upon who expressed
the fear that he could not make the re-
quired supplication. Sims was on his
feet in a moment with Here's one
who can''-and pray he did.
He was so social and easy of ac-
quaintance, and so pronounced in all
his ways, that he speedily became one
of the best-known men in town. With
a desire to be conspicuous, he soon ap-
peared as a candidate for office. He
was elected town marshal when .he
late Judge Newcomb was mayor, and
served in that Office term or so. While
he was marshal, Judge Newcomb said
he used to take great interest in all
cases brought before the mayor, and
was apt to espouse one .side or the
other of every cause. After leaving the
position of marshal he took fancy to
practice law. although he had never
read a word of law, except what he had
read in the statutes as marshal. His
force as lawyer consisted in his gen.
eral acquaintance, which enabled him
to make up juries sagaciously. and to
pick up witnesses readily. He was a
very large man, with girth like Fal-
staff, and was like the fat knight in
that he had keen and ready wit. He
was as bluff and hearty as Shakspeare's
famous old sack-swigger, though Sims
constitution required the more potent
beverage, whisky. He was not at all
scrupulous in his legal methods. He
never knew the meaning of words, but
had warm, uncultivated imagination
and a good deal of natural sagacity
and horse sense, and made considera-
BILE impression upon jurieS.
He liked words that were long, ro-
tund, and sonorous, and used them, as
the colored preacher said. ''irregard-
less" and without clearly comprehend
ing their meaning. When the late
Judge Samuel Z. Perkins delivered his
famous opinion of the supreme court,
declaring the prohibitory temperance
law to be unconstitutional, the Judge
had stated that certain section of the
law might be pharaphrased in GER
tain way, of which he gives an exam
pie. Afterward the Judge was a wit
ness in case against Colley, and
Sims, in referring to the judges evil
dence, convulsed his auditors by the
declaration: '.And here comes Per-
kins-the venerable Perkins has
moaned, and groaned, and wept, and
paraphrased."
Colley's ignorance of the law, coupled
with his amazing impudence, led men,
bers of the bar at times, naturally
enough, to speak slightingly of him, or
show by their demeanor their apprecia-
ton of his deficiencies. On this score
he made a number of appalling exam
piles. One of those harpooned by Col,
ley's wit was Judge n. B. Taylor, then,
as now, recognized as thorough law
Yer. Colley's drawl and old kaintuck
way of ignoring his RS and fiattening
his as were inimitable, and can not be
even approximately reproduced in
print. With whitening glance and a
contemptuous wafture of the hand to-
ward the offending counsel, he said:
''N-a-p-o-l-e-o-n B-o-n-a-p-a-r-t-e T-a-y-
l-o-r. Whew! What's in naher'
Gov. Porter was once opposed to
Colley in a case in which a woman was
prosecuted for keeping a house of i'll
repute, Colley, of course, being for the
defense. The governor was at that
time reporter of the supreme court. In
citing authorities, Colley said: '.May
it please the court, ! will refer your
honor to Sth John ('and the Scribes
and Pharisees brought unto him a wo-
man taken in adultery etc.) and 9TH
Porter" which had the effect to serious
ly disturb the dignity of the court
for the remainder of the trial, at least.
Colley's business was, of course, en-
tirely with the lawbreaking elements
of society. He was a criminal lawyer.
When culprit was arrested and Jailed
the first thing to do was to secure Sims
Colley, who in the latter years of his
life was the ..Mr. Jaggers" of the In
bar. He would first get the
to tell his story, making a
clean breast of it. He would then be
asked his fee. Five hundred dollars"
or some large amount, would be his
answer. The miserable culprit would
assert his poverty-he could
not possibly raise any such sum. ..Very
well, sah, very well," the crafty Colley
would say; that's my price, sab. If
you want cheap lawyer, a second
rate lawyer, You can employ Porter,
Harrison & Fishback, Mr.. Chapman,
MIR. Gordon, or somebody else. If you
don't want me shall probably engage
on the other side. With the terrible
TACT staring him in the face that he had