Fergus County argus. [volume] (Lewistown, Mont.) 1886-1946, 1901-07-10
PUZZLES FOR JUDGES
SIMPLE WORDS THAT HAVE TANGLED
UP ENGLISH COURTS.

Some Terms OF Almost Everyday
Use That Proved to he Too Pro-
ound Foo the Intelligence of the
Learned Bench and Bar.
In n case that came before n famous
lord justice some time ago the counsel
for the prosecution In the evidence had
10 mention a blouse"
The judge asked what n blouse was,
and IL was explained that this was part
of a lady's dress. But the case came TO
a dead stop for the time, for the judge
did not know which part, and after
some hesitation the barrlster admitted
that lie wasn't sure. Several learned
brothers gave their opinion. some opin-
ing a blouse was the upper half Of a
lady's costume, while others insisted II
must be the lower half. The entire
court. filed with learned celebrities
whose heads held all the laws Of Brit
ain, from pitch and toss to m%anslaugh-
ter, argued it out, but nobody was sure.
The Judge thought 1t "a the lower
half. but a Junior barriStcr who had
la'cly heen married said he thought
that that half was called 4 skirt, but
did not feel certain. AT length n lady
was called, who set the court right.
Another odd dilemma happened not
long ago when in the HobSou "hogsc
taking case the word "fctloeL" arose.
a fgtlocs, as everybody Snows, is the
ankle Of a horse. The court asked
what Il was, however. and The prose
cutting counsel was nOnplU~r1. The
witnesses were out OF CpCst save one,
and lie knew nothing Tie judge
thought n fetlock was q sort u hind
knee, otherwise block 'C' one learn
81 brother was quite certain L was the
lock- Of hair that hangs pros 4 horses
forehead. The defendants solicitor
op!ucd It was that part 90 the harness
wLich slips over the tail. the crupPer,
aud another legal celebrity agreed with
the Judge. Finally the court had TO call
a stable groom to clear up the mystery.
In Il case that was settled some years
since the recorder was brought up
short by n phrase used by the counsel
for defense, who spoke of a transaction
concerning n pound of ~'blacklead.'
This Is a common and useful article,
but the counsel on being asked to *
plain its nature said il was n black
substance used for boot polishing. The
recorder thought 1t was a mineral used
in lead pencils. but another barrister
asserted it TO be n slough Kind of lead
used for roofing houses" The case was
brought to n standstill. and one lawyer,
unsurpassed in legal knowledge, de-
clarcd that blacklead was n slang term
for pig iron as produced IN the north
country. 4 fourth %eXpounler Of the
law vaguely suggested Il was the OPP
posite Of white lead. and finally a do
nestle servant put the court right, and
the assembly at last learned that il was
used FOR backing stoves.
Another dilemma was produced a lit
tie willie ago on the western circuit by
tie introduction Of the words dry
nurse In an address to the court. This
bewlldered the judge. who asked If a
dry nurse was a nurse who dried ba-
bics after they had been washed. That
solution lid not occur to the learned
counsel, who, after some hesitation,
said he thought II meant n nurse who
was not addicted to drinking and there
fore most suitable 10 look after infants.
Nobody seemed 20 know what the term
really meant, though several more
gucsses were made. the last Of them
that n dry nurse was Il who could
not amuse children,
The court was again nonplused by n
statement made that somebody con-
cerngd In the case supposed to suffer
from MClancholia was really "as jolly
rs 4 sandhoy." The Judge wanted 10
know what a sandboy was in order to
form some idea as t. the exact degree
OF iollity involved. The counsel could
not tell him. though one suggested il
was a boy who sandcl the roads and
the other thought II might be a lal
building sand castles on the seashore.
The whole court stopped to discuss
what 4 sandboy was and why he was
Jolly, but they could not solve the prob
lem.
1t Is hardly believalle that anybody
should not know what n ''snatle" is,
but a London magistrate recently deslr-
cd 10 he Informed, and nobody could
tell him what n snaiile might he. \
solicitor thought ii was the same thing
as the ''curb," and the clerk had an
idea 1t was a kind Of cold in the head
which horses caught. causing them to
shuttle a good deal.-London Answers.