The Washington times., 1906-07-22
COUNTRY COURTS
SWIFT JUSTICE
Trial of SatterWhite in the
Famous Belmont Lot Case
Had Its Humorous Lights. .
CHARGES HAD NO STANDING
Officers Race 10 Resuest Victim on
Charge of Sunday Violation
After Acquittal.

On the piIared porch of Justice
Loughborough' s colonial mansion. wh"e
birds twittered In the caves, law and
the dignity OF order held sway yester-
day afternoon in the case of a. L. Sat
terwhite. the cOlored man charged with
acting as a real estate broker without
a license and also accused Of violating
the Sabbath by conducting "a sale on the
holy day.
The place was the Justices house on
the River road in Maryland. and the
hour was the time OF shadows. when
the sun sinks TO the western horizon
and the cows are guided from the pas
ture 10 the stable yard. Prominent per
Sonages in the assemblage on the porch
We're Albert Richmond, town marshal
Of Somerset, Md. who had accused Sat
terwhite of selling the Belmont lots
without a license as real estate brok-
ct; Thomas Dawson, Of Rockville, at
torney for SatterWhlte. States Attorney
r. B. Peter. Deputy Sheriff Councilman.
and Justice Loughborough.
Satterwhite's Friends There
Also. clustered on the steps Of the
porch and standing in the yard under
the gracious shade Of trees a century
old, there were three friends Of Satter-
white and numerous witnesses sum
moned ID tell what they knew Of the
celebrated accusation against Satter-
white that, in disposing OF the Belmont
lots, he had acted without a license.
The fire for each 3ffense Of the nature
charged is fixed by the Maryland law
AT $500 If the accused man had been
fined the maximum for each lot ne
claims 10 have sold he would have had
10 pay a total Of $50 900. Consequently.
all were eXCited-eXCept Justice Lough-
borough, who presided over the proceed
ings with all the calm expected in a
man who has weighed grave causes in
the scales 5f justice. and who, by matHe-
mauCal calculations. has often found his
fellow beings deficient IN many things.
Town Marshal Albert Richmond was
called 10 tell his story. As he took the
impromptu witness stand there fell an
ominoUs pause The scratching OF the
chickens in the yard was audible. and
one OF the witnesses looked up 10 the
caves where spaTrOWs were wooing in
the sunlight.
Witnesses Were Hired.
Marshal Richmond then explained that
A. L. Satterwhite had plainly violated
the law Of the Common weaIth Of Mary
land in selling the Belmont lots without
a license as q real estate broker Then
the State attorney rested his case while
the dozen or more witnesses present in
response 10 summons wondered why
they had been sent for.
Attorney Dawson then called Satter-
white 10 the stand. The attorney wore
an air of confidence. This air translated
into the vernacular, meant It's a
Cinch." Satterwhite declared that he
was owner of the Belmont lots which
he had sold. When he concluded At
torney Dawson eIoquently submitted tC
Justice Loughhorough that no man
could be prohibited from selling his oTn
property. The state attorney frankly ad-
mitted that this was so.
There ensued another pause. long with
suspense and heavy with meaning. JUS
tice LoughborOugh was about 10 rule.
Hanging in the balance was $4,000. The
hush of the evening hour was unbroken.
Principals and witnesses alike were
anxiety personifed. The justice did not
have TO consult the statutes OF Mary
land He ruled off-hand He supported
the able argument OF Attorney Dawson
and dismissed the warrant.
The crowd dispersed. Satterwhite.
with the three friends who had stood
by his side Loyalty through the tri3L
went across the hill toward the cat
They were we'll pleased with the ruling.
Behind them at a iudicious distance
followed States Attorney Peter and
Lawyer Dawson. buried deep in discus
sions OF legal lore.
When SatterwhiJe and his friends had
disappeared over the hill and the two
brethren in the law were near the sum-
NIT of the incline. Deputy Sheriff Coun-
Gilman rushed past the two lawyers. He
hesitated long enough 10 tell the attUr-
news that he was on his ways arrest A.
i. satterwhite for violating the Sab
bath by selling lots on that day. He
continued his hot pursuit and was sue
cessful.
Had a Second Trial.
once again Satterwhite was hailed be-
fore the court on the pillared porch
while the chickens cac6led in the yard
and the BIRDS cooed in the caves. He
stood a lightning rod for calamity, be-
fore Justice Loughborough. Pursued by
the officers of the law, he invited only
justice. He asked no mercy; hts atti-
tude was plainly that af a man who
needed no mercy.
Attorney Dawson. i'm the meantime.
had also returned. Nothing daunted he
advanced once again to the defense of
his client. His eloquence and logic
struck against The pillars of the porch
and were echoed down the glen
once again the justice prepared TO
rule. Now the shadows had grown long
and the sun was against the tops of the
trees 10 the west The chickens had
ceased their evening. meal and the birds
cooed sleepily. The silence was broken
only by the distant call of the kline at
the stables. All waited in a stiffness
that emphasized beyond words the i'm
portance of the moment.
The justice ruled, precisely and In a
few words, freeing and acquittiug sat
terwhite The crowd dispersed.
Thus ended this double-barrelad dis
pensation of justice in the cool OF a
Maryland afternoon, with the voice OF
nature all about and the call Ct the
birds punctuating the legal phraseology
which such functions always neCessitate.
HER ANSWER.
Dearest % / said, and whispered low.