The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-07-07
LONDON S CaG. .
London Mail.

London mail.
Although Mr., Commissioner Kerr has
hurt the feelings and wounded the pride
of many people, lawyers and public alike.
during his long term on the bench OF
the city of London court. the announce
ment of his retirement finds him feld In
high respect and regard.
For the world loves a character" AMI
Robert Malcolm Kerr the aged Scotsman
The is eighty years old today-Who has
for forty-twO years acted as the city's
cad, Is character so completely out
Of the ordinary line of human nature
that he might have stepred straight out
of Charles Dickens immortal gal cry.
he has been a fine old judge--capable.
| caustic, rugged. original. fearlessly ION
est, concealing under crHSty exterior Il
/ kindly heart. Talking to a group at the
annual thieves sapper' in connection
with st. Giles MISSION, the commissioner
discovered that one Of the men had been
| up before him at the Old Bailey.
Did you deserve the sentence I gave
you?' asked the Judge and the frank re-
ply, We'll, yes, | did" so plea-ed him
that the astonished ex-ccnvict was re-
warded with sovereign.
He was an enormous worker and would
get through score Of cases sometimes
in the time that many learned brother
would have occupied over one. He econ
| Tor instance, prevent the overpro yIus os
cases by redundant evidence. Don't
want any more Witnesses" he y ,uld asy
10 the lawyer conducting the poe eed-
ings. you've proved your case; now
you are trying to run up COSTS. Sit
down" For II there was one thing more
than another which angere1 Mr. Com
missioner Kerr 1t was to see waste Of
money in law costs.
More saving of time was effected by
his method of summing up. HIS general
formula was something like this
Condemnation have hear-r-d the
eevidence just as wei as I ha hoar-r-d
1t myself. / just leave the case to .he
cawman sense which juries are supposed
TO possess. Cawnseeder your va. dict
Or variant upon which he would ring
the changes was to the effect that If the
jury believed the evidence for the plain
tin they would find a verdict for the
plaintiff; if they believed the evidence
for the defendant they would find a YER
dict for the defendant: but If. ike Linl-
self. they believed neither the evidence
for the plaintiff nor that for the defend
ant. Providence alone could tell what
their verd ct ought to be.
He was maker of phrases That nsw
famous maxim that every dog IS eat,-
tied TO his first bite" was the commits
sioner's way of setting for n that a dog
must have won a character for savage
ness before 1t could prejudice its mas
ter. In a house5Iealling charge before
him once the delinquent was an elcv, n
year-oid boy who rad broken and
entered SHOP by lifting
!atch and descending two ste.s
in order to secure a handful of sweet.
The commissioner protested against tie
employment Of the whole criminal ma
chinery of the cOuntry-pol cemen macls-
terial hearing. AMI Old Eailsy trial-to
break so small a BUTTERFLY on the wheel.
The proper course to adopt" he said,
would have bcel TO take the Chi.d into
the backyard and to have inflicted pIn-
ishment upon that part of his anatomy
which a beneficert AMI fargeeing nature
had provided for the specific purpose"
He displayed his originality os thoIght
a dozen times a day. When arguments
addressed to him were loaded with pre-
ceGents and quoted cases. II Il have my
own law in my own court" he wcu'd
break in.
Re was the scourge Of money lenders
in the days of their unfettere1 exorbft-
ance, and one Shylock VINO was ont tied
to the pound Of flesh VIII ch the law gave
him was served with Portable JUS
tice. The defendant had TO pay. There
was no getting away from the debt. Al
though he had paid the ignal loan
some four mes over. he still owed ~
interest anu cHdFBSS nearly twice as
much as he had borrowed you must
pay this debt" said the commissioner
sternly, but you will ay it al the rate
of l penny month" II VIII take that
defendant exactly 3S5 years to repay the
amount at the specified rate.
He was once demonstrating al Iinst the
trivality Of a claim for compensation
for a dog bite. But. your lo-dship,"
pleaded the council for the plailtlf.
what would you do II a ferocious dog
rushed into court ard lit your lord
ship"
II should see that the policeman who
looks after the door was promptly dis