The Tupelo journal., 1905-11-03

LlfluSCY were uClcilulIlS q IIldl
by the name Of John Best on
the charge of killing an old resi-
denter, named Ayccck, and they
all recognized it as a kind Of des-
perate case, and Billiard said to
me, you must make a speech
in the case, it will be fine training
for YOU" When the venire was
drawn my brother John was on
it. When we came to pass on
John, | told them he was a great
law and order man, and if it was
the kind of case he thought de-
served hanging he would swing
him up, but they said take him
byall means on account of his
relationship to you. But let me
tell you the only thing that kept
Best from hanging was because
some body broke the old Jail and
turned him out, still | had an
opportunity of making my maiden
speech at the term at which |
was admitted in an important
case, which does not come to
many lawyers.
The following lawyers and law
firms were in active practice at
Fulton when Finley and | were
admitted to the bar. R. O. Beene
w. w. Gather, ]. j. Lindsey, M.
M. Shelley, J. Robins, J. D. Bar
ton, Owen and Owen, and Bull
lard and Kitchener, besides a
very strong bar representation
from Aberdeen, P%ontotoc, Hous-
ton. Jacinto and Ripley. To be-
gin amid this array of talent and
experience, which we lacked
both knowledge Of the law and
experience in its proceedings and
nomenclature, was an up hill bus
mess. But generally we found
kindness and due allowance the
rule among the brethren.
After | came to the bar, and
probably before it was customary
forthe young lawyers to start out
for different justice courts either
Friday evening OR Saturday NOR
ming, each on horse back with
two or more law books in his
saddle-bags, to attend to business
wherein he had been employed
or in search Of business he hoped
to get. But that was the extent
fof his effort. He placed himself
on the eroaad where he could be
seen and heard but he got no bus
mess unless those having it to
give applied to him. Shelley
Lindsey, Kitchener, Finley and
| made these circuits. 1t was
as necessary for us to have sad
dle-bags as it was for aphysician,
only ours were required to be
larger, and made differently. |
had been years at Tupelo before
my old saddle-bags were worn
out. The idea of taking a trip
in q buggy then was never
thought ofwhen looking after a
law suit in the country. We
frequently kept the court and
jury till after dark, and all the
regular courts were held on Sat-
urday. | remember very we'll
the first case | was employed in.
I got the case through the solic-
tation Of old Jim Wright a man
from whom | was renting an
Office, and who was very well
aware Of the fact that he. got no
rent if | got no business. The
case was before a justice of the
peace, bat instead of being in
some old school house out in
the hills, it was in the court house
al Futon, and my old precepter
Judge Billiard, was the opposition
lawyerinsteado of some of the boys
I have mentioned. | succeeded
in my case for a wonder, but
zone little incident of the trial has
been fresh in my memory all
these years. 1t was a case in
which the evidence showed the
woman against whom the suit
was, owned all the property, and
in speaking Of her, for want Of
the knowledg Of a better term,
I said that which | had heard
all through the years, she is a
free dealer" Judge Billiard
after | had beaten him in the