Custer chronicle. [volume] (Custer City, Black Hills, D.T. [S.D.]) 1880-1890, 1889-11-30

w DAAAA tNa@ 1879 ~A~
| not forthcoming. / am, however, wei
versed in the case. and, with your Lord
! ships permission, will do my best with il.
Every well, Mr.. Short" said the learne'
Judge looking at him almost with pity
Estate your case"
James. in the midst OF a silence tina
could be felt, unfolded his p~leadings. and
as he did 80 for the first time, a sickenin
sense NJ took hold OF him anC
made him treni-le, and, Of q sudden, hi:
mind became dark. Most Of us have I'm
dergone this sensation at one time or an
other, with less cause than had poor
James. There he was, put up almost for
the first time in his life. to conduct, sim
~gle-handed, a most important case, upon
which it was scarcely too much TO say the
interest Of the entire country was concen
trated. Nor was this all. Opposed 10 him
were about twenty counsel, all of them
men of experience, and including in their
ranks some Of the most famous leaders in
England; and, what wa more, the court
was densely crowded with scores Of men
of his own profession, every one OF whom
was, he felt, regarding him with curiosity
not unmixed with pity. Then, there was
the tremendous responsibility which lit
terally seemed TO crush him. though he
had never quite realized it before.
MAY it please your Lordship," he be
gan; and then, as / have said, his mind
became q CHASTITY blank, in which dim
and formless ideas fitted vaguely to and
fro.
There was n pause--a painful pause.
Read your pleadings aloud" whispered
a barrister who was sitting next him, and
realized his plight.
This was an idea. One can read plead
ings when n cannot collect ones ideas TO
speak. IL is not usual TO do so. The coun-
sci in q cause states the substance Of the
pleadings, leaving the Court TO refer 10
them if it thinks necessary. But still
there was nothing absolutely wrong about
IL: so lie snatched at the papers, and
promptly began:
'lI) The plaintiff is the sole and uni
versal legatee under the true last will OF
Jonathan MeesOn, deceased, late of Pom
| pGlour Hall. in the county OF Warwick.
who died on the sd of December, 1888, the
said will being undated, but duly executed
on, or subsequent 10, the I'D day OF De
cember. lSo5."
Here the learned Judge lifted his eye
hrows in remonstrance, and cleared his
throat preparatory to interfering; but APP
! parently thought better of it, for he took
up a blue pencil and made a note OF the
date OF the viii.
.rIIJn went on James. "On the 2lst
day of May, 1886. probate OF an alleged
will of the said Jonathan Meeson was
granted 10 the defendants, the said viii
bearing date the 10th OF November, 1870,
The plaintiff claims
20 That the Court h revoke pro
| bate OF the said alleged will of the said
! Jonathan Meeson, h9ariSg date the 10Th
day Of Noyember, 1855, granted 70 the de
PENDANTS on the 2lst day Of May, 1886.
"i2.) A grant of letters OF admlnlstra
tioa 20 the plaintiff with the will executes
on or subsequent TO the &c day Oh Decem
Der, 1885, annexed.
.tSignedJ JAMES SHORT"
May it please your Lordship," Jane:
began, again feeling dimly that he had
read enough pleadings, 1.-The defendants
have filed an answer pleading that TIT
will Of the 29d of December was not duly
executed in accordance with the ia ute
aud that the testator did not k ow anC
approve its contents, and an amtnd d an
swer pleading that the said alleged will
if executed, was obtained by the undue in
huence of Augusta Smithers"-and ono
more his overcame him, an
y
Then came another pause even NOR
dreadful than the first.
The Judge took another note, as siowl.
as he could, and once more cleared hi
throat: but poor James could not 20 on
He could only wish that he might theI
and there expire, rather than face tn
hideous Humiliation on sseh failure. Bu
he would nave failed, for his very braiI
was whirling like that of a drunken man
had il not been for an occurrence &a
caused him forever after TO bless the nam
of Fiddlestick, Q. c., as the name of a
eminent counsel is not often blessed il
this ungrateful world. For Fiddlestick
.. c.. who, it Will be remembered, wa
one of the leaders for the defendants, ha
been watching his unfortunate antagonist
till, realizing how sorry was his plight,
sense Of pity filed his learned breast
Perhaps he may have remembered som
occasion, in the dim and distant corner c
The past. when he had suffered from
similar access Of frantic terror, or perhap
he may nave been sorry 10 think that
young man should lose such an unriyaleI
opportunity of making q name. Anyhow
he did "a noble act. AS il happened, b
was sitting at the right-hand corner of tn
queens counsel seats, and piled up on tn
desk before him was q tremendous mas
OF Jaw reports which his clerk had Al
-anred there. containing cases TO which
misn, Uecone necessary 70 refer. Now
In the presence of these law reports, Nj
tfddlestick, in the goodness of his heart
saw an opportunity of creating a diyersior
and he created il with q vengeance. Fol
throwing his weight suddenly forward a
though by accident, or in "A movement @
Impotence, he brought his bent arm
against the pile with such force that h
sent every book. and there must have bee
more than twenty of them. over the edg
of the desk, right on TO the head and shoul
ders of his choleric client. Mr.. Addison
who was sitting immediately beneath, o.
the solicitors bench.
Down went the books with a crash a n
a bang, and, carried away by their weight
down went Mr.. Addison on TO his nos
among them-a contingency that Fiddle
stick, q. c., by the way. had not ~foreseer
for he had overlooked the fact of his eli
ent's vicinity
The Judge made an awful face, an
then. realizing the ludicrous nature of tn
scene. his features relaxed into a smile
He bounded up OF the floor. books slippin
of his back In every direction, and, holc
ing his nose (which was injured) with on
hand .a~a SEspninn rfnht ~ HE roarna