The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1895-11-18
Judge Learns How Cornell
Court Was Named.
Sons of HellaS Now Own the
Chestnut C00kerieS.
Coal Bar0ns and BarOnets---RefOrm
Movement That Fizzled.

II was a favorite contention OF that
prince OF detectives, Sherlock Holmes,
that the average mortal is deficient IN
the power of observation. "You see a
great many things" he was Won't TO re-
mark to his friend and occasional assist
ant, DIR. Watson, "but you don't OBJ
~serve.n Every day hundreds OF citizens
pass the county court house on College
street. Doubtless many nave seen the
signs recently put up at either entrance
to the court which sounds the building
on the south and west; but how many
have observed the name upon those signs!
Probably moi five in every hundred.
Had not Sherlock Holmes brilliant
career been ended by that Alpine catas-
trophe, and had he paid a visit 10 the
city of Roger Williams, he would not
only have seen those signs but have OBJ
served also that upon them are the words:
ssCornell Court" Then would follow
the application OF his deductive process
somewhat after this fashion: ''This court
surrounds the court house. What more
likely than that IL should be named IN
honor OF a judge? Yes, Cornell must
have been a judge-a chief justice in all
probability, because here sits the supreme
Court of which the chief justice is the
head. Now arises the question OF where
Cornell's name stands on the roll OF chlei
Justices. Was he the first, or one of the later
ones TO fill that important stat1onY Cd
servation teaches me that Americans are
partial TO pioneers. They perpetuate
their memories by naming cities, towns,
villages, public parks, squares and streets
after them. From this established sys-
tenn of nomenclature l conclude that the
name Cornell was borne by n pioneer
chief justice, the first chief justice, in
fact, of Rhode Island" That is the way
Holmes would have worked ont the re
suit. and he would have been correct.
Mt an NTH ana ~ tha ingfiQaa of the
Supreme Court. He saw those signs a few
DAYS ago. He also observed that they con-
tanned the words. "Cornell Court" but
he failed to apply the deductlve process.
He preferred the investigation method.
Meeting Colonel Pettis, who has charge
of the paming and mum boring of streets,
he began TO question him.:
II see, Colonel" he said, "that you
have named that passageway u the
court house Cornell Court; pray where
did you get that manner"
'Why, / thought you would recognize
it at once" replied the colonel, evidently
surprised. "Gideon Cornell was the first
chief Justice of Rhode Island, and rs |
had to find name for the little thorough
fare I d decided / couldn't do better than
give il that OF the pioneer law-giver.
Don't you think 1t APPROPRIATED"
~"Eminently appropriate" and with
this remark the judge passed on In =
XQutluk moOos Ia
Gideon Cornell, first chief justice of
Rhode Island, was elected in May, 1747,
and served until May, 1749.
When you pass the roast chestnut mer-
chant at the street corner, do not put
him down at once as a son OF Sunny
Italy, for you are likely to be mistaken.
Indeed the chances are nine TO one
against you. Time was, and not 30 long
ago, that you would have been correct
IN chasing every chestnut rooster you
met as an immigrant from the land OF
lemons and gorgeous sunsets, but times
have changed and men with them, par
ticularly the chestnut men. Now, when
you are moved TO indulge in a few nuts
which have been tUasted over a charcoal
fire, IL is some expatriated son OF Hellas
Who serves You and smilingly pockets
( your nickel Today there are some 40 chest
nut cookeries in operation in the city and
the great majority OF them are presided
over by Greeks. When trade is brisk
the chestnut xnsn makes a handsome
profit. He pays &. rs a bushel for his
nuts, from which he gets 256 fve-cent
portions, or a total of S12.S0 a bushel.
But he DOESN'T sell a bushel in a day nor
always IN a week. Thus, though his
margin of profit is bigger than that o:
most ~monopolies, his income isn't sufi-
cient TO enable him to build marble
palaces or purchase impeaunious lord
lsngs as husbands for his manageable
daughters. The reason for his failure
TO become n multi-millionaire is that
chestnuts are not a necessity. IL they
were he would probably form a chestnut
trust and we should soon see our Hellenic
friends counting millions with the sugar
kings and the coal barons.
Coal barons are regarded as n pretty
grasping, hard-hearted set. Popular senti-
ment is not very far astray in its esti-