The Daily times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1886-1889, 1889-11-20
CURRENT CON MENT.
THOUGHTS AND THEMES By The
MAN-ABOUT-TOWN.
New Fad in Club Observation-Disclosures
Versus Jurors--Model for Law Books
Thanksgiving Manufactured Commit
toe NyStery Hu.tiuvs Court.

societies. some men plunge iDlO tntm WV,
all the abandon that characterizes the mao
leap Of n green skinned buii-frog going
through thicket Of briars, into pool OF
water in a gully twenty feet deep. Others
siff themselves in gently, like the setting
SapOr Of a burst mushroom. But most men
gel there. and some Of them come 70 stay,
ike a great many Union soldiers did' VINO
came South in the early part OF the siAtles'
I'm search Of homes. and found them-siA
by two The attractions OF tue cluu tut
nroye as the day grows older. and are seen
10 better advantage under electric light. and
M late hours of the night than nj any other
times. secret societies get IN their best
work nj night also. In fact, night Is
fayorite time for secret work, ana very
much valuable time is improved In this
way. This is why societies find the night
time so popular,
There is A well-known club man in Rich.
mond. who is fond Of remaining at the club
late at night. This j. affecting his eyesight,
and makes his head swim. His wife CON-
blamed Of his falling over chairs at night,
and told him that his behavior made her
head ache. He told her voluntarily that bis
did too. experimenting the confession with
,be statement, link mush be in hatmos-
pierre"
The latest fad in club circles is known as
the Whitechapei club. 1t is an improve
meut on the white-cap organization. but Is
devoted 10 social reform, and pays homage
Ia Jack the Ripper II is the thing
i'm the large cities: and Notwithstanding the
horrible name Of the club. and the fact that
the chief dignitary must be known rs Ga
brlel. and that he wakes up the members
with a horn, it is destined to become rs pop
ular as foreign prince.
CURIOUS Qualification.
"IIaye YOU formed or expressed any
opinion as 10 the guilt or innocence Of the
prisoner ut the bar" is the question that
| the Court is required 10 ask Of a yenire
i'm criminal cases. II the yenireman SAYS.
II have" he is told 10 stand aside.
II YOU were Obliged 10 select a person 10
attend 60 an important transaction. you
would be- very apt 10 look out for some one
who was well posted A. 10 the intricacies OF
the transaction you wished attended TO.
You would hardly send a man TO purchase
a hamdsaw who could not tell the difference
between one and a hawk. II you did. it
would be by chance that you ever owned a
/ handsaw.
| Yet the man who never formed or ex-
pressed an opinion. man who. i'm these
davs of newspaper reading, had failed to
make up his mind about the surroundings of
some OF the most important events which
! 20 10 make up the great book Of life and
| law. is deemed at law peculiarly qualified
/ 10 act as eXpOunder of Justice. of right and
OF Law. II he has studied the case. looked
at + bearings upon the body polite. and
/ is capable of iudluiOusly sitting the tares
! from the wheat. he is deemed bad material
for iifth-rate lawyers 10 melt and mould in
their filnsy and fallacious crucihles, in
which all sorts Of theories and wild yagaries
melt and are wont 10 drip.
The fact il. the lawyers generally sway
law making bodies. aud they have a sharp
eye 10 professional practice when they play
AT legislation, and generally succeed in
making statutes 80 vague that there is a
chance for plenty Of fees in eNpoundiBg
them. They themselves do not understand
tlcm to mean anything. except. everything
nothing. 4 law book ought not to Nc big
ger than an amanack, and yet be 50 sim.
ply written that every child in the house
could read and understand it.
NOVEMBER.
I'm this tough old month OF November.
\ when the woods are quaint and bare, and
the streams are like newspaper reporters
purses -iull--Inere is plenty Of food for re-
Elective minds.
This is the month when one Ice man stops
his visits. and another, equally remorseless.
takes his place. One wants money. and II
must be shelled ont, or YOU get no ice: the
other takes his satisfaction out in making
you run ZIP coal bills.
Turkeys Of experience will remember the
month. and if they value their carcasse-
will roost high. II il hog-killing time and
there Will he big eatngs and a heap of hard
work on the plantation. II is a murderou-
month. more game being killed in n than
I oh, Of IL
mo warmth, no caeerfulness. no helpful
No comfortable feel In any member;
l No htde. 10 SHINE, m bu terfil = no bees,
No fruits. $50 flowers, no leaves, 10 birds
November
WHERE DID IT COME FROM.
Sometime ago, when petitions for the use
Of the First Regiment Armory for other than
military purposes were coming in fast (the
weather being suitable, and the public
being in the humOr). one was read from 4
committee OF the second Baptist church
| fcoloredD before the Committee on Grounds
and Buildings. The petition opened in ap-
proved style, including Honorable" &c.
and closed politely. with the following
names attached: 7. j. Willis, 4. \.
Brown. VI. l.. Jones. II. {. Winston and A.
&. Davis.
The earliest part Of the session Of the COM
miiiee was presided over by Mr.. Lewis -.
/ Crenshaw, Jr. lie found a sealed c0mmu-
nication lying in front Of him ON the table
addressed to the ch lirman Of the Commit
Tee on Grounds and Buildings. He took it
up aud his first impulse was To- open il, but
remembering that Mr.. harles |. Phillips was
the chairman. he laid it down again.
Later on. Mr. Philips came in. assumed
/ the chair. and. finding the missiye where
] Ne . ha IuI I.ff nd
opened il. He had il read, and, the COM
mittee. after some discussion, refused the
/ petition.
The pastor Of the church denied that any
| committee had ever been authorized TO ask
/ for the ArmOry from his church.: and az
once inquiry was set Oh foot 90 find ont who
presented the petition 10 the Council COM
mittee. Mr.. Higgins, as a member of the
committee. asked the question at the last
meeting al the Committee on Grounds and
/ Buildings. but no one could answer him
satisfactorily.
The question is, where did it come from
/ Who brought the petition into the commit
/ tee room and placed il on the committee
table: Is there such people rs Willis.
] Brown. Jones, Winston and Dayisy Is il
complete mystery as the Cronin ease, or
/ is il in the yernacular Of the times "a fake."
HUsTING COURT SCENES.
The Hastings Court met at II o'clock yes
terday morning; Judge Samuel b. Witt on
! the bench.
! One of the comical eases that came up 10
break the monotony of the court was that o.
| Alfred Richardson. a small colored boy
very black-charged with stealing an UNI
brpla. When his case was called he arose
and said:
Judge, yer honor, is you gwyne ter try
my ease today"
YES" said Judge Witt.
But my lawyer a'int come"
Cant help IL; the ease has been set
several times, and must be tried to-day"
said the court.
But" said the little niger, 1T is i'm
possible ter convict me 'cept got alawyer."
That little nigger's idea Of lawyer has a
smack OF philosophy in il as well a. hnmOr.
But the court does not always have
amusing cases. They come occasionally like
riffs Of sunshine through dark clouds.
The stern administration of justice fire.
quently brings in its train pangs OF keenest
| pain. and whei the Court is made Of stern
determination TO discharge duty at all
| hazards. and at the same time Is sensible
OF the most acute sympathy for trans
gressOrs Of law. the Office becomes any
thing hut 4 he'd Of roses.
No man can bear stronger attestatiOn 10
| the truthfuness Of this statement than