Waterbury evening Democrat., 1889-12-06
WESTERN JUSTICE.
Rough-and-Ready Ways Giving
 Way to Eastern Formality.
"Reminiscences of Lawyers Who Onco Upon B Time Practiced in Frontier Courts A Fly Young Sprig of the Law
 Taken Down Few Pegs.

taurant the othor night, says the New York Tribune, and as one of them was from Montana and another of them had spent some years of his younger days in Nevada, the conversation naturally drifted into reminiscent channel. ''l suppose your judges out West are diff ferent class of men from what they used to be years ago, when tho country was more uncivilized," said one. 1T re- member once we had great difficulty in securing jury in a newly laid out town in Nevada. Nobody seemed willing to serve that counsel on one side or other had not serious objections to. Finally 8 desirable-looking stranger was called. "'Your honor,' said he, I am not qualified to serve. I am not a free | holder
 "'Where do you live?' said the judge. "'In my tent out on Washington | boulevard was the reply. "'Married?'
 "sNo.'
 "'Living all alone?' "sYes.'
 "'For how long?' l "'Six weeks
 "sYou'll do,' said tho judge, decisive 1 ly. I never knew a tenderfoot yet to ! keep bachelors hall in tent for six weeks but he had accumulated enough l diet to be freeholder.' So the man l served.''
 l "That's pretty fair sample" said the Westerner, "of the rough-and-ready style of the old-time justice, and it has not all died out yet by any means. Not long ago miner, who had experienced all kinds of fortune, from the hardest l up, struck it very rich in his old age, married young wife and started on a 1 prolonged spree which ended in his | death. A will executed few hours be- fore he died left all his property to lis l wife. His relatives in the East began | suit on the ground that tho testator was out of his mind when he made tho wsill. The case came up before a judge who is | known as good liver and a gallant man. Certainly some remarkable freaks | were proved to have been performed by the old miner in the last few weeks of his life and tho widow was put on the l stand.
 "'What were your husbands last words?' said her counsel.
 "'Id rather not tell said she, blush ing prettily and itating. "'Why not?' said her counsel. You must tell. The judge will think you are afraid it will damage your case.'
 Still blushing, the pretty widow de- clined to tell. Finally the judge him. self argued with her and told her that if she persisted in refusing it would go far toward confirming his suspicious that tho man was insane.
 "'Well, said the widow, reluctantly, he said: ''Kiss me, Fuss, and open an other bottle of champagne.'
 "'Scnsible to the very last,' blurted out the judge. And so he decided and would hear no more evidence"
 "That reminds me- said another, "of rebuko administered by one of our old justices to fly young lawyer who came out there from tho East with de- termination to show every body just how things should be done. He was we'll connected and well introduced, but soon got into debt and was an inveter- ato borrower from his friends and even from chance acquaintances. One day three justices were sitting on the bench together, and had also united in sitting on our young friend, who forthwith tried to get off the old gag about contempt of court.
 '''I wish your honors to fine me five dollars for contempt of court said he,
 "'Why so, MT. Smith?' said ono of the justices, who did not at once tumble to the point; you have not displayed any contempt
 "'But I cherish decided contempt for this court and am willing to pay for it, said Smith with rhetorical flourish.
 "'Your contempt for this court is not to be mentioned in the same breath
 with the courts contempt for you,' said the second justice.
 "And we won't fine you, MT. Smith, said tho third with a triumph in his eye, because we can't tell which ono o1 us you would borrow tho money from to
 pay it with
 ''While the ushers were trying to re- store quiet in tho court out of the tu
 mutt of laughter that followed this neat
 and cutting reply, MT. Smith got away | s~,I IaI