Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-03-26
AGED LEGAL PAPERS
Those on File at the Local
City Hall.
SOME CURIOUS WRITING
WILLS AND OTHER DOCUMENTS
OF GREAT INTEREST.
Building Occupied by the Courts of the
District-Records of Cases OF
Great Moment.
SOME CURIOUS WRITING
Written for 'rhe Sunday Star.


ago, was given the name of the noted Amer
lean jurist who served so ably as the fourth
chief justice of the Supreme Court of the
United States. The background of this
statue of Lincoln, and the obstacle that
marks the northern terminus of the thor
oughfare that is so appropriately named, is
the United States court house, or as 1t Is
popularity termed. the "city hail." the lat
ter expression being a relic, so to speak, OF
the days, half century ago. when the city
council held lis session in the structure and
the militia organizations of the national
capital had quarters there.
The court house, at the intersection OF
Louisiana and Indiana avenues, and at the
head of John Marshall place, is the local
temple OF justice and, usually, is one of the
busiest places in the District OF Columbia.
And ii is far from being devoid of national
historic interest. When the sightseeing au-
tomobiles and street railway cars move past
the building, as they do several times udllJ'
the megaphone manipulators of such per-
sonally conducted tours of the city, never
fail to direct attention in stentorlan tones
to the windows of the court room wherein
Charles j. Guiteau was tried for and con-
yicted of the assassination of President
Garfield, and which was the scene or the
famous star route trial. the sensational
hearing in the NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. preach
of promise case. and, only recently, of the
trial and conviction of some of the con-
spirators indicted in connection with the
Post Office Department Irregularities.
Washington's "city hail." dingy, entirely
out of date, and wholly inappropriate for
the purposes for which 1t is used, is the
home among others, of the Supreme Court
of the District of Columbla-a tribunal OF
considerable, and generally unappreciated,
Importance. In this court alone can legal
action be instituted against the heads OF
the executive departments of the govern
ment, and it is kept active considering and
disposing of that class of cases which con-
stitute only an intinitesimal part of the
calendar. The Supreme Court of the Dis
trict of Columbia has jurisdiction over
equity, law, criminal probate, mandamus,
habeas corpus, lunacy and bankruptcy
causes sits as a United States district
court and hears appeals from justices OF the
peace and from United States commission
ers. The membership of the court includes
chief justice and five associate justices, APP
pointed for life by the President. The ap-
pointments must be confirmed by the Sen
ate.
Some of the Courts.
In addition to the Supreme Court of the
District of Columbia, the court building
houses the Court of Appeals of the District
of Columbia, the United States attorney for
the District OF Columbia, the library of the
Bar Association, the grand jury, the auditor
of the Supreme Court of the District of Co.
lumbia, the United States marshal for the
District of Columbia. the clerk of the Su-
surveyor of the District of Columbia. the
recorder of deeds for the District of Co.
lumbia, and the register of wills for the Dis
trict of Columbia.
The Court of Appeals is made up of a
chief justice and two associate justices
The Appellate Court passes upon appeals
from the Supreme Court of the District of
Columbia, the Police Court, the commits
sioner of patents and from the board of
medical supervisors. The court room of
the appellate tribunal is at the southern ex-
tremity of the upper floor of the west wing
of the building. Each of the three justices
has a private room, en- suite, directly off
the court room, and communicating, are the
offices Of the clerk of the Court of Appeals.
The United States attorney, a few weeks
ago. surrendered his private room in order
to provide additional quarters for the clerks
office of the Court of Appeals. A spacious
Jury room" was fitted up for use as the
private office of the United States attorney.
The latter's force of assistants are cared for
in three large rooms on the second floor be-
ginning with the northwest corner room and
running east. Next to the offices of the
United States attorney are two spacious
rooms, which constitute the library of the
Bar Association. Following is a room to
which juries retire for the purpose of de-
Nberating over verdicts. Then is found
small room used as an office by the mem
bers of the detective force detailed to assist
the United States attorney in the prepare
tlon of cases. 1t also serves as a waiting
room for witnesses summoned 10 appear be-
fore the grand jury. The latter body holds
Its sessions in the room at the northeast
corner of the second floor In the east
wing, second floor, are the offices of the
auditor of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict of Columbia, and the room of Equity
Court No. =. The latter is the most attrac-
lively appointed court room in the build
ing, in this respect being far superior TO
the other chambers.
Court Rooms Main Floor.
The main floor is given over to the court
rooms of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict Of Columbia, five in number; the con-
sultation room and the private rooms of the
judges, the offices of the clerk of the court,
Of the United States marshal and Of the
District surveyor The clerk of the court
has two rooms, one known as the law"
side OF the clerks office, and the other
the equity side. All legal proceedings of
civil nature are instituted in the clerks
office That official and his assistants also
issue marriage licenses and naturalization
papers, certify TO the certificates sigma
lures and seals of notaries public, and per-
form scores of other duties. The marshal
has a suite Of rooms in the east wing in
Guiding a locker room for his deputies who
while they are on duty in court must be in
uniform. The surveyor with his assistants
and craftsmen, are accommodated with
rooms in the west wing.
In the basement the northwest corner
room is used as the public office of the re-
corder OF deeds. 1t has just been refur-
nshed throughout, old wooden desks and
latest type OF freproof metallic file cases,
desks, counters and other Office equipment
In this office are original desds to land in
the District coded by Indians, whose sigma
lures are in the form Of snakes. grasshop-
pers and the like. The copyists and other
employees of the recorder OF deeds occupy
all the basement rooms of the east wing Of
the court house.
At the opposite end of the building in the
basement. are the offices of the register of
wills. That official is also fortunate in hav-
Ing recently had installed metal file cases
and other fittings, including a freproor
vault room, TO protect the valuable docu-
ments committed to his care These include
the original wills OF President James Mon
roe, Dolly Madison and many other notables
The superintendent of the building has his
office in the east wing, in the basement
There, too, is the entrance TO the cell
ROOM where prisoners whose presence Is
necessary in the criminal courts, upstairs,
are safely kept until called for by the
baillffs. A lunch room is also in operation
in the basement.
During the past summer and fall the old
building was remodeled to the extent of
adding two file rooms above the criminal
court rooms. One OF these is for the files
OF the Court OF Appeals and the other for
the files of the District Supreme Court