The Telegraph-courier. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1888-1946, 1899-11-30

eEt1ng Facts RELATIVE TO kenCucky Law
yers and the Bar of the State-Goebel
Election Methods Arouse Factions and
Incite Violence.
A letter received by relatives in this
city from former Kenoshan, of Pres
tonsburg, KY, gives some very inter
esting information regarding legal
customs and proceedings in the Blue
Grass state. The following is quoted
from the letter:
"Terms of court begin with the GRIM
ina1 docket, which is set for the first
week. The civil docket is then sup
posed to have the right of way. In
the Pikevi11e court last month we
waited for expiration of first week,
and then (our cases being numbered
near the nead), were on hand for trial.
Found misdemeanors and fe1onies ga
lore, still pending. Hung around
day or two and then the court conclud-
ed that it could not reach any civil
business that week. Sent our witnes-
ses home and tried again the next
Monday. Found that on the Saturday
before the court had decided to try two
murder cases which it was thought
would be continued. We waited. The
first case was that of a young man
who had been intimate with his unc1e's
wife. The uncle objected Ia course
which is not always followed here,)
and the young man killed him. AS
some witnesses testified, she shot six
| L.. Nv
one witnesses. None of them saw the
killing. The.young man had the most.
They swore that the uncle had threat
ened; and, although the young man
was not hurt, the jury acquitted on the
ground of se1f-defence. [ have seen
and heard a. man acquitted on this
plea, in our Prestonsburg court, when
the victim was shot in the back and
trying to run away
'EThe case we waited on took three
days in hearing testimony. Judges
here allow lawyers at any time to take
witnesses into side rooms, to shape up
evidence, and where more than one
lawyer represents.sa side they can re-
tire at pleasure for discussion. Mean
while the Court waits, In this case
there were four lawyers on each side.
One of them Counsel for the prisoner)
was the Judges son. It was his maid
en- murder effort, and in order to give
it full vent, the Judge decided that
each side should have three speeches,
with no limit as to time.
The young man started at $50 a. m.
The dinner hour found his tongue still
moving, and when court convened
again at 100 p. M, it had enough vi
ta1ity left to wag another hour before
running down.
"O1d Grandpa Burns then got up for
the Commonwealth, and in tedious
numbers exto11ed his own virtues, and
gave biographical sketches of his fam
| lily in proof; mentioning, incidentally,
that his sainted mother, when he was
child, could go out in any part of the
night, and tell the time by the seven
stars. He finally gave fifteen minutes
to the case, and sat down in time to let
ex-Judge Be11cher get started before
court adjourned. The remaining
speeches consumed all of the next day.
''The Courthouse has a clock with a
shaky support in the be1fry. When
the clock strikes the court stops. The
time between strokes is long enough
to realize tramp's idea of rest One
day during this trial the clock held the
court inactive while it snai1ed through
ten strokes. Grandpa Burns then
arose, and said, "The striking of that
clock reminds me that I have some
medicine to take. Will the court please
wait until go and do it 2" The court
would, Grandpa trernbled to side
room for his hat, fa1tered through the
Court room, down stairs through
| yard, across the street, and half a
block away to his hotel, where l pre-
sumo he eventually got his medicine.
l endured ten minutes of the Courts
rest, and then went out to try and
hear someone swear little.
'sThe court took up another murder
case and finally adjourned without
reaching the civil docket. We hope for
better results next time.
"Prestonsburg furnishes Congress
man tom Fitzpatrick for this district
of sixteen counties. He is very large,
mostly drunk, and practices lazy be-
tween times in the local courts. One
day while in Paintsvi11e court, with
the situation dry, the Judge waited for
him to go into a side room to confer
with witness. The door was hardly
closed when Toms nose detected
whiskey in the mans stomach. "Have
you got any moresof that?' said Tom.
''No''; said the witness. 'Where did
you get it?'' ''Of Jim B1evins, out
thar in the yards. Tom excused the
witness, hurried into the court room,
and said, ''Wi11 your honor have jim
B1evins ca11ed?" The crier called
B1evins three times and he came,
frightened into court. Tom took him
into the witness room and said, '1ook
heren' you've got whisky and want
some. A bottle of moonshine was
produced. The Congressman took a
big drink; paused, then another and
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