Connecticut western news., 1901-08-15

some Terms of Ainost ENers s.ay
 Use That Proved to He Too rra-
 found For the IatcIIIRcncs of che
 Learned Bench and nnr.
 In case that came before a famous lord justice some time ago the counsel for the prosecution in the evidence had to mention a blouse"
 Tho judge asked what blouse was. and it was explained that this was part of lady's dress. But the case came 10 dead stop for the time. for the judge did not know which part, and after some hesitation the barrlster admitted that he wasn't sure Several learned brothers gave their opinion, some opln- ing n blouse was the upper half of a lady's costume, while others Insisted 1t must be the lower half The entire court, filled with learned celebrities whose heads held all the laws of Brit. min, from pitch and toss to manslnugh- ter, argued 1t out. but nobody was suret Tho judge thought it was the lower half, but junior barrlster who had lately been married said he thought that that half was called skirt, but
 
 was called, who set the court right.
 Another odd dilemma happened not long ago when In the iIobson ''horse faklng" case the word "fetlock" arose. A fetlock, as everybody knows Is the ankle of horse. The court asked what lt was, however, and the prose- cutting counsel was nonpluscd. The witnesses were out of court save one. and he knew nothing. The judge thought a fetlock was sort of hind knee. otherwise "hock," but one learn cd brother was quite certain It was the i. lock of hair that hangs over n horses forehead. The defendant's solicitor oplned it was that part of the harness which slips over the tail. the crupper, and another legal celebrity agreed with the judge. Finally the court had to cali a stable groom to clear up the mystery.
 In Il case that was settled some years since the recorder was brought up short by phrase used hy the counsel for defense who spoke of n transaction concerning pound of "blacklcnd." This Is a common and useful article. but the counsel on being asked to ex- plain its nature said it was n black substance used for boot polishing. The recorder thought lt was n mineral used in lead pencils, but another harrlster asserted lt to be a tough kind of lead used for roofing houses" The case was brought to n standstlll, and one lawyer, unsurpassed in legal knowledge, de- clarod that blacklead was slang term f,.t. t.fr Iast Itt h.k h country. X fourth cNpounder of the law vaguely suggested lt was tue ops posite of white lead, and finally do. nestle servant put the court right, and the assembly at last learned that lt was used for hlucliing stoves.
 Another dilemma was produced lit. tie while ago on the western circuit by the introduction of the words dry nurse" In an address to the court This bcwildored the judge, who asked If a dry nurse was nurse who dried ha- bics after they had been washed. That solution did not occur to the learned counsel. who, after some hesitation. said he thought it meant nurse who was not addicted to drinking and there fore most suitable to look after Infants. Nobody seemed to know what the term really meant. though several more guesses were made the last of them that a dry nurse was one who could not nmuse children.
 The court was again nonplused by n statement made that somebody con. ccrncd in the case supposed to suffer | from melancholla was really "as jolly as sandboy." The judge wanted to know what n sandboy was In order to form some idea as to the exact degree of jolllty involved. The counsel could not tell him, though one suggested lt was boy who sandcd the roads and the other thought lt might be lad building sand castles on the seashore. The whole court stopped to discuss what sandboy wns and why he was jolly, but they could not solve the prob | lem.
 It is hardly believable that anybody should not know what 'snaffie" is. but London magistrate recently dcsir- cd td be informed. and nobody could tell him what n snafiie might be. A solicitor thought if was the same thing as the "curb." and the clerk had an Idea 1t was kind of cold in the head which horses caught, causing them to annfiIe a good denl.--London Answers. | - MIL Fall Support.