Bismarck daily tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1881-1916, 1901-06-17
PUZZLES FOR JUDGES

BIMPLE WORDS THAT HAVE TANGLED
UP ENGLISH COURTS.
Some Terms 81 Almost EVERYDAY
Use That Proved TO BE Too Pro-
found For the Intelligence On the
Learned Bench and Bar.
I'm case that came before q famous
lord Justice some time ago the counsel
ferthe prosecution in@the evidence had
to mention q blouse SE
The Judge asked what a. blouse was,
and it was explained that this was part
OF q 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 barrister admitted
that he 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 1t
must be the lower halt. The entire
court, filled with learned celebrities
! whose heads held all the laws Of Brit
ain, from pitch and toss to manslaugb.
ter, argued it out, but nobody was sure.
The Judge thought It was the, lower
halt, but q junior barrister who, had
lately been married said he thought
that that half was called q skirt but
did not feel certain. At length q lady
was called, who set the court right.
Another odd dilemma happened not
long ago when ID the Hobson horse
faking'' case the word ;a.fetlock'' arose.
A fetlock, as everybody. knows, is the
ankle Of q horse: The court asked
what 1t was, however, and the prose-
cutting counsel was nonplused. The
witnesses were out of court save one,
and he knew nothing. The Judge
thought q fetlock was q sort OF hind
knee, otherwise .ahocikk,"H but one learn.
ed brother was quite certain it was the
lock Of hair that hangs over q horses
! forehead. The defendants solicitor
opined 1t was that part of the harness
which slips e the tail, the crupper,
and another legal celebrity agreed with
the judgeYtEinally the court had to call
q stable groom to clear. up the mystery.
In ase that was settled some years
since the recorder was brought up
short by q phrase used by the counsel
for defense, who spoke of a transaction
concerning a pound Of 'blacklead.D'
This is q common and useful article,
but the counsel on being asked to ex-
plain it's nature said 1t was a black
substance used for boot polishing. The.
recorder thought it was mineral used
In lead pencils. but another barrister
asserted It to be a tough kind Of lead
used for roofing houses.nR The case was
brought to q standstill, and one lawyer
unsurpassed In legal knowledge, de-
clared that blackkllead vas a slang term
for pig iron as produced In the north.
country. fourth expounder OF the
law vaguely suggested twas the ops
posite sof white lead, and finally a do.
nestle servant put the court right and
the assembly at last learned that It was
used for blacking stoves:
Another dilemma was produced q lit-
tie while ago on the western circuit by
the introduction Of the words s.dry
nurse. In an address to the court. This
besWNiillderrssdS the Judge. who asked IL q
dry nurse was q nll1rse who dried ha-:
bi lss, after # they had been washed. That
solution did not occur to the learned
counsel. who, after some hesitation,
said he thoughtit meant a nurse who
was not addicted to drinking and there.
fore q suitable to look after infants.
Nobody seemed to knew what the term
really meant. though several more.
guesses were made, the last .of them
tia. asSdry nurse was one who could
not annse children.
The court was again nonplused by a
statement nude that somebody con-
cerned IN the case supposed to suffer.
from mn~eIkanleehholia wa. really. asaas jolly:
as q ssaandboy." The judge. wanted To
know what q sandboy was In order TO
!! form some idea as to the exact degree:
OF 3ollfty involved. The couinse could
not tell him. though one suggested &c
was q boy who sanded the roads and
the other thought It might be q lad
building sand castles on the seashore.
The whole court stopped to discuss
what q sandboy was and why he was
jolly, but they could nof solve The. prob
lem. H&x sR @8 Z
Ut Is hardly beiieYable that anybody
should not know what a 'ssnaffieps IL,
but q London magistrate recently desir-
ed 10 be Informed, and nobody could
tell him what snaf1e might be. S.
solicitor thought 1t wasEthe same thing
as the .ccuirb,"" and the clerk had az.
idea It WAS q kind OF cold iii the head
which horses caught, causing them to
sprfla q good deal.r-zLpndon Answers.
Only Eunhurned. 8
Last summer two little girls In d
College aYeeanaluue family were repeatedly
rernonstraated With BIZ their tndnlgent
mother o playing bareheaded III Tie