The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1892-12-31

for (as you say) little money down,
taking the rest out in trade?''
Mr. llemms was stricken dumb by
the proposal.
Icing certain that so amicablc IN
arrangement would commend itself to
You, the moment it was presented in it's
1uil advantage, | have taken the
trouble to look up the law on the sub
Ject, and will without further parley
let you know just where you stand.
lou are doubtless aware that there
have been number of acts passed in
relation to tailoring which think will
tend to make our negotiations exceed
inGly simple. For instance, there was
an act passed in the reign OF William
and Mary which made it illegal for
tailor to sew cloth buttons on Il suit
The penalty is forty shillings for every
half dozen buttons he uses, besides the
forfeiture of the goods. But you were,
of course, cognizant of this before you
threatened the law on a lawyer"
81 never heard OF such an outrageous
act. IL is certainly not the law now"
"Ah, there you are wrong. and that
shows the advantage of having the
best legal assistance. It would i'll be-
come us, Mr.. llemms. to charactcrize
the wisdom of our ancestors rs out
ragcous. There are many things per-
tanning to The law that may not com.
mend themselves to the lay mind"
"Do you mean to say that act has
never been repcalcd?"
$50 far from being repealed. it has
been affirmed and added to in other
rcigns. In the fourth year OF George !.
the law was made. to include all kind,
of buttons covered by any material
whatever and the forty shillings was
retained as the penalty. In George
the Fourth's time there was . button
act passed, forty shillings remaining
the favoritc penalty. l have often
wondered why forty shilings was
always Il popular penalty imposed or
EnGiishmcn for doing that which they
should not do. Doubtless YOU have
yourself pondcrcd on the same inscrut.
or fifty shllinGs, or So? Still so it is,
and we must accept it."
why was such an unjust law
passed."
"Do not, beg of you, term it unjust.
Respect the law. | should be sorry to
think that my custom went to man
who was not rs law-abiding and as
lnw-respecting as myself. Why was it
passed? 1t was passed to protect the
button makers of birmingham"
And do You mean TO say l cannot
collect my just debt because l have
sewed cloth buttons on some of your
suits?'
You will collect your debt the mo-
mcnt get money to pay you, but you
cannot collect it in any English court
That was tried quite recently at Mary
lcbonc county corrt, when Il Mir. King
was sued by IL tailor named Shirley.
The amount claimed was nine pounds
sterling. Mr. Shirley was a most es-
Unable man, no doubt, and probably
an excellent tailor, but people should
have the law on their side. The law
takes no account of motive. The tailor
was not only nonsuite ed but was also
fined the requisite number of forty
shilling pieces ii there are any forty
shilling pieces. l confess I am more
familiar with law than with the coin
age of this country. Mr.. King was
suited not only by the law, but the tailor
as we'll"
"is this why you asked me to come
here?"
Yes You gave me OF your clothing,
give You of the law. Each the arti-
Gle he deals III. Now if you Sign Il re-
ccipt iol the clothes, / will charge YOU
nothing for the law, nor VIII say any
thing of the just penalties you have in
Cured"
before doing So" remarked the
tailor, rising, II will consult another
lawyer"
"a most excellent resolution in or.
binary cases. In multitude OF queens
counsel there is wisdom, or at least
much law. But this case must be set
tied now. In yonr letter you expressed
wish for an carly settlement. 1t is
my own desire. 1 must have my receipt
now or will invoke the law against
you rs Il breaker of it,
The receipt was given. OF course, a
tailor is no match for lawyer. 1t is
always better to turn one of the legal
gentlemen on another. That is what
the tailor did. He consul ted another
lawyer This gentleman assured the
tailor that the acts complained of still
stand on the statute books. lie said,
however, that Blk i'll demanding and
obtaining the receipt had compounded
ieioi1y. Hor tlll5 nc could Ee brought
to boo'1 But the tailor did not want
to put Bile in Jail; he wanted his
money. Why not threaten Blk? Then
he could be settled with and the money
obtained. This. it seemed, would be
also compromising Bilk's felony, and
then another lawyer could jump on the
second lawyer. If the second lawyer
settled, then the third lawyer would
have compounded Il felony and SO the
thing would go on until all the legal
talent OF London would be enveloped
in this network of compromising fell