The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-07-07
SOME SINGULAR oLD LAWS.

Eaok Number Statutes That Have Mover
Econ Repealed.
"Uncle Joe" Brown of the county
clerks Office is one of the quietest men
In the courthouse and also one of the,
best informed. Whenever any question
Of an especially puzzling nature comes
up for settlement and no one else can
answer it the seekers for information 90
back to the room where Uncle Joe"
works. and he explains it to their salts
faction. This sort of procedure, says
the Indianapolis News, is u matter of
daily occurrence and the old gentlcman's
encyclopaedia fund of knowledge is
proverbial.
The other day after delegation of
information seekers had learned what
they were in search of they hung
around Uncle Joe's" desk to hear some
of his "reminiscences which their qucs-
tions called up fresh to his memory.
ut is strange how the old laws cling
to the statute books" he said, mcdita-
lively. I'm the eastern states many of
the strict colonial laws stand unrc-
pcaled on the books. Of course, where
they conflict with the more advanced
ideas OF to-day they have become dead
letters. / was the victim of an attempt
to revive one of the old staturcs myself
when lived in Washington City good
many years ago. / was the manager of
the Washington gas works and some
religious enthusiasts brought prose-
cution against me for violating the Sab
bath by operating the works on Sun
day. knew that unless the works ran
on Sunday there would be no gas on
Monday night, and on the ground of
public necessity felt sure 1 would be
sustained in the suit.
TO my surprise found the law not
only exactly against me, but learned
that it was supplemented with severe
penalties. For the first offense the
penalty was heavy fine, and for each
succeeding otfensc term of imprison-
ment / finally had to settle the case
out OF court by the payment of con-
siderable sum OF money and the grant
ing of some concessions. That law still
stands on the books, but 1 have heard
of no attempt to enforce it since nv un-
happy experience.
Tobacco is n legal tender in Wash
ington at the present time, thanks to
another of the old colonial laws In
the days when Virginia had plenty of
tobacco and very little money, law
was passed which made the weed a
legal tender for debt If were in
Washington to-day, and had a debt to
pay, could trundle load of tobacco
down to my creditors place of business
and pay the debt and he would have no
right to refuse the offer. 1t would be
surprise to the members of congress
some fine day if they should find their
salaries paid in long green When
this law was made, what is now the
District of Columbia was part of,Vir-
GINA, and when it was coded to the
general government it retained the old
statutes.
THE qucerest of the ancient laws
which has been allowed to remain I'M
repealed in the District of Columbia is
one which makes it n crime to deny be-
lief in the Holy Trinity, and fixes the
punishment at imprisonment If that
law were suddenly put into force to-
day it would cause lively agitation. It
was on the books when John Quincy
Adams was president of the United
States and he was n pronounced Uni
tartan. Every Sunday he would go to
the little Unitarian church down on
Sixth street and lead in the singing.
There was strange spectacle during
all that administration of the president
Of the United States living in open
violation of the law"