The free lance. (Fredericksburg, Va.) 1885-1926, 1899-07-20

While sitting at 3 hOtel table IN
small city OF Southern Iowa short
time ago | got into a conversation
with q well-known lawyer, and re-
marked that the death of Sir Joseph
Chitty had removed the Que prom'-
nent lawyer who wOuld have been
ANYTHING like a match for any one I'D
the arts of chat and word fencing.
The General seemed surprised that
lawyer named Gritty had been alive
within the present yesr.
"Why, bless my SOUL" he said,
"nearly half a century ago when !
began to study law, | used to tear
my hair over one Chitty, whose book
on pleadings was as hsrd as mails,
and over another book written by q
man of the same name on contracts.
told him that for FIVE or six gor-
erations there had always been some
man named Gritty in the front rank
Of the legal profession.
After few other "reminiscences
the Iowa lawyer turned TO me ana
said:
"Let me tell you what | remember
about Chitty,sD ! have never been
in England. Like most young men Of
my time in Iows-sbOut the middle
of the century, had to hustle TO
get a profession, and when got It
the difficulty was to make anything
out of it. hung out my single, and
for many q weary month watched
it rustling and swinging in the
breeze.
Suddenly came the call to action
A neighboring farmer bought horse
that soon manifested all the defects
that such animals are capable Of
possessing. The farmer came to me
as a client and told me he wanted to
get his money back and to return the
horse. | went into the facts with
him, and from what he told me /
felt able to advise him that the seller
had given him a verbal guarantee Of
soundness. This was enough. he
told me to proceed with the case.
1.-THE trial was to take place before
q Justice of the peace in an adjacent
township. So on the day appointed
| borrowed horse, put on black
coat and q slug hat, and with copy
of Chitty-the only law book l pos
sessed bearing on the case, however
remotely-in my saddle bag, | went
on my way. In those days we took
our law wherever we could find 1t
and law books were scarce. After
my statement of the facts l produced
my Gritty and read what the great
legal light had to say an the subject
OF q verbal guarantee.
"And then, while working up 10
my 'peroration,' ] closed the book
and laid it on the table. The oppOs-
ing counsel-who, by the way, was a
local roustabout that had never been
admitted to the bsr-took up the
book:and opened it at the title page.
He read it carefully, his bleary eyes
followed slowly his dirty thumb. lie
looked up at me with scowl, threw
q fierce glance around the room, and
then fixed his eyes upon the Judge.
"When | was through, quite salts
fed that the Judge had been i'm
pressed by my argument and author
tiles, Jim Burton-that was the
other fellows nsme-bounced to bis
legs. yer honor he said, this is
most extraordinary way for a lawyer
to defend his cause in your court.
hold in my hand the authority from
which so much has been quoted
You may like to hear something
about this wonderful authority-law.
Here it is, right on the first page.
This old book, with the broken back
to indicate the rottenness of the law
il pretends to expound, was written,
it seems, by 8 man named Joseph
Gritty, ESQ, bsrrister at law, Of
Lincoln's Inn, London, England.
Your Honor never heard of Joseph
Gritty, Esq no more'n l did ! bet.
Norman in this court ever heard tell +
him. Nobody in this township knows
who he is or was. Barrister st>law
What's that9 In the name of all
that's holy We've heerd of attOr-
ney, and solicitor, counsel, advocate,
Judge, jury and prisoner at the bar,
but whoever heerd tell of bsrrister
before this n The only fair presump
ton, yer Honor, is that IT'S some
scsllywag that was brought up to the
bar to have a drink-the whiskey
bsr-an' they call such fellows IN
England barristers! An ye see such
presumption must be right, because
the writer-who, for all we know,
may be nothin' more than a plague
rist-lives in an inn, a common low
dive of place. tavern a third rate
hotel, as yer Honor knows such
places are called in England.
eyer Honor, are we in Iowa, to
take our law from some travellin'
circus man that was brought up to
the whiskey bar an lives in one Of
them dens of infsmy that the British
ers called an inn Yer Honor !
want to ask the court if the law made
here in the United States of America
isn't good enough for us9 When
we have to decide on the merits of q
horse, owned by reputable farmer
in the State Of Iowa. must we 90 for
instructions to one Of them bloody,
brutal Britishers that we kicked out
of this country so many years ago 7
Yer Honor will, of course, dismiss
this case, an send my friend with the
plug hat hat back to his home with a
nea in his ear, AN broken backed
Gritty, Esq. of the London tavern to
keep him company
"This was said with a fury that
reused the angry passions of the
Court and court room. The case is
dismissed said the Judge; we dOn't
want no British law from the dwellers
in London taverns in this Court.
You're right, Jim Burton. The
Court is with you
"Leaving. the room. | had talk
with nov client, and told him that OF