The Irish standard., 1900-09-08
He Played Havoc With Pigott in
the Parnell Trial.
A PERfETRATIoN OF AN IRISH BULL
Quick Answer as to the Extreme
Penalty for Bigamy.

a writer In the New Penny Maga
zine recently quoted the story of three
young barristers. who found them.
selves on the doorstep of briefiess-
ness.
II shall so to India" said one, a
man with quick, bright eyes, strong
Jewish cast of face.
"And to Schanghai," said n younr
ster whose every feature spclt culture
and refinement.
The third, an Irishman. Il little older
than either OF the others, and with
some practice of his own, tried to
henrtcn them II little, and begged his
two friends not to throw away their
lives for want Of II little patience.
They did not emigratc. and after
many years the young scion of Israel's
house presided over the House of
Lords first of his race, hy the style of
Fhrrer. Baron IIcrschcll. The youth
who drcamt of Shanghai led the great
northern circuit first, and is now
speaker of the House Of Commons
William Court Gully was his name.
And the young Irishman, after
career mt the bar almost unexampled
III brilliancy, became a Queens coun-
sci, Encouragement, a lord of appeal,
and afterwards lord chief justice of
England. At the time speak Of he
was plain Charles Russell
"Opportunity," somebody says,
"knocks ut every mans door" The
reason why so many do not succeed
In life Is because they are deaf and
do not hear, or are out, and so can
not answer the knock, or are simply
too lazy to open the door. The future
lord chief justice was none of these.
When his chance came he seized 1t
ana held 1t. Almost two years af-
ter his call to the bar he was briefed
IN II case at Guillhall. The late Mr..
Justice Compton was presiding and
the unfortunate Edwin James, then Mt
the height of his fame, was leading
the subject of my sketch. They were
for the plaintiff, II money lender, who
was bad even for a usurer His con-
duct, indeed, as revealed in the course
or the case, had been so particularly
scoundrclly that the great James
eventually threw up his brief and os.
tentatio,lsly left the court. The time
came round for the plaintiffs counsel
to address the jury; and up rose the
enterprising junior.
"Who are you?" inquired his lord
ship
"The plaintiffs counsel, my lord"
Rather testify, the judge reminded
Mr.leussell that his leader had thrown
up the case; but Mr.. Russell declined
to be put down.
There are II few points, my lord"
said he, chat l think l ought to put
to the jury" and with great force the
young advocate proceeded to address
the twelve "lawful men," At first
there were signs of impaticnce visi-
bic on the bench; but at the end of his
address his lordship paid the daring
Junior the compliment Of saying that
his presumption in speaking under the
circumstances had been justified by
the event. The plaintiff did not win
his case; but his junior counsel started
that day to win Il reputation as an
able, clear-headed and fearless advo.
cate. He had three pet abOminatiOns
frivolous libel actions against news
papers, shady company promoting,
and the all too common practice in
business circles Of giving commissions,
tips and all manner of bribes to SER
wants to induce orders. With regard
to the aforementioned practice, in
case in which firm of manufacture
ers made a present to the buyer of
London business house, the chief JUS
tice declared the practice to be can
|ser eating the life out Of honest trade
And as to shady promoting, his lord
ship in n recent public occasion ad-
yised the city to boycott rascally pro-
moters.
The newspaper story that he had in
sisted on entering the Horse Guards,
and had nearly driven over the sentry
who had attempted to bar his passage,
was the occasion for one Of the lord
chief Justices most piquant Teminis-
cences. He severely condemned the
Americanization Of the Eng
lish press, which lent itself to the