The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1890-05-15
WON HIS CASE.
The Novel Lega. Maxims Used ON Geor-
gia Justice.
From the Atlanta Lonstitu,

[F'-om the Atlanta Consultations.
Private John Allen" of Mississippi,
who became the wit Of the House of
Representatives with the death Of Sum
set Cox, tells good story on himself
ofhow he came to be profound law.
yer.
A party of members were telling
yarns in the cloak room of the House
yesterday; and when Aliens turn
came he told this one:
81 want to tell you of the greatest
legal victory of my life,'' ssid Allen,
as he lighted cigar and propped his
feet against the wall in true Southern
style. at was down in Tupelo, dur
ing the trying period just after the
war. / was at that time practicing
1awyer-that is, 1 practiced whenever
| had any cases to practice with. One
day old Uncle Pompey, one of the
old negroes of the settlement, came
into my Office and said:
"'Mars John, I want you to cl'ar
me. Use gwine to be arrested for
stealin' of two hams out'n de cross
road store"
%Well, Pompey, | asked did you
"'Mars John, I just took 'em.'
".Did any one see your I asked.
"Yar, Boss said the old negro dis
consolately, two ole white buckra's.
"Well.. Pompey,' 1 replied, can't
do anything for you under the cir
cumstances.'
"'Now, Mars Johp,' said old Pom
pey, here's ten dollars. jist want
you to try
"Well, 1 consented to try" said
Allen. "The case was to be heard be-
fore an old magistrate named Johnson.
He was totally uneducated, aud was
moreover a perfect dictator, and no
negro ever came before him who was
not fined the maximum penalty ami
sent to his field to expiate the crime in
the sweat of his brow.
"Tho magistrate heard the case.
Every possible proof was brought to
show that Pompey stole the hams.
There could be no doubt of it from the
testimony. I did not put a single
question to any of the witnesses, but
when the testimony was all in l arose,
and in my most dignifed manner ad-
dressed the magistrate:
"May it please your Honor,it would
be useless for me to argue the position
he holds. and before one who would
adorn the Superior if not the Supreme
Court bench of this grand old Com
monwealth. And may say that
those who know best say that you
would grace even the Supreme Court
of the United States, the highest tri-
bunal in the land. 1t will be useless
to dwell upon the testimony. You
have heard it, and know the case as
well as l do. However, it may not be
out of order for me to call your Hon
or's attention to short passage in the
old English law, which clearly decides
this case, which. for the moment, your
Honor may have forgotten
"Then I fished down into my pock-
ct and drew forth, with great -four
ish, an old copy of Julius Cesar, [
opened it with great dignity to the
first page and read the lines which are
familiar to every school boy, Omnia
OGtSeG IN pdTteS Tres OIUIS0 est. lnat
decides the case said 1, throwing the
book upon the table. That clearly ac-
quits the defendant
, "With great dignity and solemnity
1 then took my seat. The old magis-
trate was completely nonplussed. he
looked at me a moment quizzically
and scratched his head. Then, turn
ing to Pompey, he raised himself to
his full height and said:
"'Pompey, / know you stole them
hams, but by the ingenuity of your
lawyer. I've got to let you go. Git
out, said he, as he planted his No 8 in
the seat of Pompey's pants, and if you
ever come here again, lawyer or nc
lawyer, you git six months. -"