The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1895-07-22
Yice-ChanceIlor Bacon.

Vice-Chancellor Bacon had his aver
sions. He hated a fool, he hated a
bore, and perhaps above all he hated
barristers with mdlstaches. Il cannot
hear you,'' he SAM to one Of the tribe
whose upper lip bore the accursed
thing; "and do you know why I cannot
hear your" No, my lord" hesitating-
ly replied the learned gentleman. feel
ing sure that the vice-chancellor was
about to apologize for his deafness, but
not daring to anticipate the apology.
The answer came in tones that rang
through the court. 1T is because, sir,
you wear an obstacle-an impeachment
before your mouth
The old man had a very pretty wit;
and 1t must be confessed that now and
then he used it without a strict regard
for the feelings of those who appeared
before him. 1t was not often that he
spoke unkindly, but whenever the iras-
cibility of vigorous old age overcame
him for a moment the thing he said
was so neat and pointed that it was not
easily forgotten by the friends or enc
mics of the victim. On one occasion
he was being addressed by deaf mem
Der of the bar, to whom all the judges
questions or observations were quite
inaudible. The solicitor instructing the
deaf man endeavored to mend matters
by shouting the Judges words into his
ear in strident voice which could be
heard in the corridors and it is needless
to add that the English of the sentences
was not improved in the process. His
lordship was much irritated at hearing
his observations repeated in this way,
and, in the hope of rendering the SER
vices of the interpreter unnecessary, he
addressed the advocate with the full
strength of his lungs; but though this
strngth was considerable, the discor-
dant yell of the solicitor continued to
follow every observation, and the pro-
ceedings began to assume the complex
ion of a shouting-match between the
bench and the well" At last the pa
tience of the bench gave way. "Who
is conducting this case?" said the vice
chancellor in plaintive tones-''the gen
tleman whom I canot hear or the gen
tleman who cannot hear me?" To
make clear to the non-legal reader the
wit of the description, "the gentleman
whom I cannot hear" as applied to the
shouting solicitor one may be pardon
ed for explaining that in the superior
courts solicitors have no right of au-
dience-or, TO use the phrase in COM
mon use, cannot be heard
On another occasion the vice-chancel-
lor let fall sentence which for years
was quoted against the unfortunate
man who provoked it. A certain mem
Der of the Junior bar, very learned
conveyancer whose work lay chiefly in
his own chambers, and who, like most
of his mystic brotherhood. was far
more at ease in those chambers than
in court was arguing a case, and one
of the documents in 1t was handed up
to the judge, who began very deliber-
ately to read it. The learned counsel,
seeing how he was employed, opened a
whispered conversation with nan be-
side him. The vice-chancellor read as
much of the document as he thought
material, and, looking up, invited coun-
sci to proceed. Unfortunately, he did
not observe this, and continued his
conversation. But not for long. for
the judge. elevating his voice to It's
highest pitch, delivered himself as fol-