Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1885-04-10
A Lively Iudge.


Carolina, who has been acting as coun-
sci for Gen. Hazen before the court
martial, is very queer fellow. He is
an elderly man, but his hair and mus
tache are still yet black and his eyes
are as piercing as ever. He is a man of
excellent ability and good education,
with a most remarkable flow of words.
lie can talk fer three hours without
stopping for breath. Senator Morgan
Of Alabama is the only other man in
Washington who can do this. BIackey
is man of excellent family, too, and
very proud of it. One of his near rela-
tives was the late DIR. Marion Sims of
New York, whose memoirs Judge
Mackey is compiling. Unlike most of
the southern Judges" the old gentle
man has right to his title. They
make judges out of all sorts of materi-
al south as well as north. Mackey was
n very good judge, 10y the way. When
he was appointed, he applied for and
obtained admission to the bar, out of
Difference to the general opinion that a
judge ought to be lawyer. But he
didn't know enough law to hurt him.
The lawyers Of his circuit lit was down
in South Carolina laughed,when his ap-
pointment was made, and laughed when
he was admitted to the bar. But do
not know that they laughed again-at
least at him. The first day that he held
court in his circuit the lawyers regard, d
him as an object of curiosity, who
would soon be an object Of pity. Court
met that morning, as usual, at ten
O'Clock. At 1880 o'clock Judge Mack
ey said: Z" The court will now take a
recess until o'clock, for dinner 3" The
surprised lawyers protested that they
had never heard of such a thing: it
was always customary to adjourn court
at or > O'Clock for the day. Judge
Mackey responded that it was such
practices as these which had thrown
the cases on the docket so far In arrears
and announced his intention of bring
ing them right up. So the court took
half an hours recess. At O'Clock
Judge Mackey returned, and court
promptly opened. Some Of the lawyers,
used to the easy ways of former judges
were still at dinner. As their cases
were reached they were called and, no
response being made, were put aE the
foot of the docket. When they came
sauntering in an hour or 50 afterward
these delinquet lawyers found that their
protests against the judges action were
Of no avail. At five o'clock, after dis
posing of many cases, Judge Mackey
astOnished them all again by announc-
ing, The court win take recess until
Z 7O'clOck this evening, when business
win be resumed" "But, your honor, {"
protested the lawyers, I'VE have been
working hard all day $50 have II
broke in Mackey-" working harder
than any OF you. Court meets at Z
o'clock" And it did,, The cases of
those lawyers who were not present
were placed at the foot of the docket.
Court sat that. night until IL o'clock.
Then Judge Mackey said: "This court
stands adjourned until tomorrow
morning at s O'clock" The lawyers
were to sleepy to protest. Besides,
they knew it would be of no use. I'll 9
next day Judge Mackey heard argu-
ments from s O'clock until II 80, from
10 5, and from to IL O'Clock. The
next day the same, and so ON for sever
al weeks, until he had caught up with
the arrears. He decided the cases as he
went along, always determining in IA
vor of the side which seemed to his
sensible mind most worthy. The brief
of counsel for that side formed the basis
of the judges opinion. AT the end of
the term the docket was clear, the peo-
pie were delighted, but the lawyers were
furious. The lawyers said the decisions
of Judge Mickey would be reversed by
the court of appeals as a matter of
course. But they were not. He had
fewer reversals than any other circuit
judge. His career on the bench was
most creditable. II goes to show what
a sensible, busIness-like Iayman can do.