The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1889-07-05
BRAINS ON THE BENCH.
\ Glimpse OF the Indiana Supreme
Court.

\ Glimpse OF the Indiana Suprem
II Court.
y indianapolis sun.
II you walk northward 10 the end q
he second floor hall OF the state houss
passing the big ststue Of Justice, who
about the only unblindf0lded Justice ex
'lisn'. YOU will reach the quarters wher
: i've grave and reverend seixneura OF IN,
law. alias the supreme court judges Q
Indiana. earn their salaries OF ~ 900
year They not only work but liy,
there, for each has = room In the stat,
house for sleeping accommodations
Judges Elliott, who resides in the city
and Ods are the only ones that do not
occupy their apartments. The cnstom
'lof furnishing rooms for the judges hs,
grown from the rule that all but the rep
resentative from the district including
this CITY must be non re.idents Of lndi.
annapolis. for Il would not be exactly IN
contormsncc with ih~ law IL upon Their
election they shond AZ once become citi.
zens Of the metropolis Of the state. Tneir
living rooms are richly but not gorge.
ousiy furnished. They board at hotels
or restaurants near BY. Every third
week they are permitted to 60 home for
a period Of seven days without having
their wages docked. They take with
them the documents bearing on certain
cases and pore over them 1T home. In
fact their business IL poring. They have
comparatively few sessions in the big
couri-room. decorated with designs in
subdued aud aesthetic iints OF red and
yellow, tut they do deal Of thinking
all the same. II is IN extremely high
room and its acoustic properties are not
o. the best, but Il isn't q stuffy apart.
nent like that occupied by the United
States supreme court, nor do the judges
wear the ridiculous black silk gowns
that make those OF the United States tri.
bunsl look like old grsnnies. One OF
the latter is an inveierate tobacco che wer,
aud one day when lawyers In dress suits
-yon have 10 wear them 10 conform TO
the dignity OF the highest tribunal Of the
land were arguing the Bell telephone
case the writer saw The jurist summon .
page and send him TO the retiring room
behind the black curtain In rear Of the
judges. The page returned with pack.
age OF fine cut Tobacco. the Judge took .
liberal chew aud then gave his attention
To the case. There IL : member OF the
supreme bench OF the Indiana tribunal
who chews, too, but he doesn't send .
page out after his tobacco. lie carries 1
plug abe ut . foot long, and when he
reaches back 10 hia pistol pocket TO get II
. lawyer before him might imagine that
his honor was going to draw gun, but
he doesn't do so.
The members OF the bench meet Ia the
morning for conference. On the cases
each has been considering the points ere
discussed and an opinion written out.
IL all concur In II, that settles IL once
and for ell, unless the litigants should
have the desire and the money to take II
before the United States supreme court.
But the main work OF the court IL done
by each jurist in his room, and such
work! The judge must wade, some
times for days. through drcsry pages of
Testimony before he can form an opinion.
Judge CofEey was considering . contest.
ed will case the other day. "A stack OIL
type-wliiten legal cap foot high con-
stituted the evidence in the action, butt
he frankly admitted that he really en-
joved reading the evidence. Each judgeI
has, aside from his dormitory, . 1argeI
airy Office provided with . law libraryl
and the tools OF his trade. Each room
has big bible elaborately bound In giltl
decorated morocco. "Yes," said JudgeI
Cohey, when . visitor called his atten-
ton to the apparently often used bible
In his room, that is the foundation oil
all law" The judge is one OF tho most
pious members Of the bench. lie WasI
the most persevering, too, 10 bis early
career. lie entered the army as privatel
and carried . copy OF Blackstone with
him in his knapsack. lie didn't read Il
in ss cursory manner % some law ers
do. lie fairly learned II by heart, and
when he came out OF the army he wasn't
very long establishing himself in good
law practice. The story Of how he. stud
led law reached the ears OF the governor.
there was vacancy on the bench and
Mr.. CofIcy was appointed 10 il. The
with which he, . republican.
was afterwards elected Judge in demo-
cratic stronghold was pretty good proof
Of the Judges popularity. He IL Z rather
frail, slender man, with thin features, but
Is still In the prime or life.
Judge Berkshire, who has 4 room
across the way, is perhaps the eldest OIL
The quintette. He halls from q district,
where be eat as . judge for perhaps .
quarter Of century. lie is q fair type
81 the tall, angular, hardy IIoosier jurist,
with full grey beard, large hand and
manners lie wears home.
pun grey socks, and people from his
section are constantly dropping in to see I
lin. The ministers call him "Brother
"That." said he, us not on
ny own account, for am not member
u the church, but because my wife IL ac
Judge Berkshire says he
lever sentenced but one man 70 be hang 4
ID, but that ordeal was more than he
'arcd 10 endure. Ii considering . re-.
ent appeal In the case OF man about 4
o be hanged, the judge and HE associ. q
tcs found that the able aud zealous law. Z
,er who bad defended the doomed man
lad BY one act In his cagcrness 70 save Ii
Tim closed the only loophole through !
which there might have been poasibili. Z
y OF bis getting . new trial. snd thels