Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1892-11-10
a TOUGH LAW CASE.
By an Old Georgia lawyer.

The opening OF legal career Is
usually probation of severe trial .
The young lawyer" suffers
anxieties, secret humiliation, and
anguish, of which the outside
world forms no conception; and
for which an after life of success
is scarcely compensation, bur
dened, as It must be, with constant
care and vigilance. In the Superior
Courts, indeed his way is smooth
enough, except the troubles which
necessarily arise from his own
greennesa and timidity; for there
the presiding Judge will look with
indulgence upon his, youth, and
remembering his own early trials,
will carefully refrain from Wound-;
ing his sensitive pride, and often
protect his inexperience from the
consequence OF, blindness or the
superior skill 6 the hardened
old brothers: while the latter old,
fellows themselves, are often
disposed to treat him with consid-
Grafton or even tenderness.
But his natural enemy, is the
Justice of the Peace, and especially
the country Justice. If opposed
before one of these by an old law
yer, .His Honor" in total .ignor-
ance of the really difficult ques-
tions which often arise before him
always follows implicitly the
argument, or rather directions:
of the senior advocate, taking it
for granted that he knows more
aboutla than the youngster. IF
.unopposed, the old Magistrate is
almost sure to decide against the
young lawyer, lest the bystanders
might think, he did not know as
much law as the upstart boy, or
that he had made His Honor
change his opinion for the harder
the head, harder will he hold,his
. point against the hardest logic,
Indeed, the case often takes the
turn of fight between the young
lawyer and Justice, instead of the
plaintiff and defendant.
!, Every lawyer has had his first
experience of this sort. Ours was
before g Georgia Justice
here It's:
A country schoolmaster sued
one Of his patrons for tuition of two
children. The case was first tried
before the Justice, without a jury)
each party managing his own cause
in propria personal. Judgment for
defendant. Plaintiff appealed to
jury and came to town and
employed US to fight bis battle.
We had just been admitted to the
bar, and on the next Court day of
the district drove out with Stokes,
our client, and arrived a little be-
fore old Crabman, the Squire. The
Court was held in little log
school house, on the roadside. a
few hundred yards from the
residence of our Justice, who was
a country farmer. Very soon we
saw him coming down the road on
foot, with his negro boy behind
him carrying jug. The old codger
had a fiery red face, rough iron
gray hair, and was self-willed,
stormy-tempered man, wearing a
green blanket overcoat and yellow
plush cap pulled down over his
ears. Our client had given
mortal offence by appealing from
his decision, and it was apparent
that We had a hard day before US,
when the old fellow passed through
the crowd to the door, with q
loud "good morning" to everybody
but Stokes and the writer, at
whom he glanced with angry con-
tempt, as he entered the house.
The crowd followed into the room,
where the jug was deposited on a
table in the centre of the floor, the
cob-stopper drawn, and all present
invited to take pull, except poor
Stokes and his lawyer, the old
Squire concluding the ceremony
with frerce look at US over the
jug handle, as the stuff mounted
his nose. Court was then solemnly
opened, and ours, was the greatcase
of the day, soon reached and the
jury sworn. The defendant was no
where to be seen, and after proving
our claim, and making modest
little speech we ;at down and be-
ban to anticipate an easy victory,
Notwithstanding a good deal Of
annoyance from the Justice when