Los Angeles herald., 1908-02-24
SUPERIOR COURT
BAILIFF BECOMES
REMINISCENT
Lawyers and Clerks Hear Tale of Old
Clock Which Ran In WASH
ington Many Years
Ago

The judge looked at the clock on the
wall opposite him and again gave his
attention to what the attorney was
saying. Fifteen minutes later he again
glanced at the slowly moving hands,
and taking out his watch said: "Mr.
Bailiff, 1 wish you would have that
clock repaired. 1t is about twenty
minutes SLOW"
An hour and a half later during the
noon recess the clerk and three or four
attorneys watched the bailiff as he
regulated the pendulum.
THAT clock reminds me of an Incl
dent that happened in Washington"
said an attorney who was at one time
connected with one of the departments
in the national capital. ut was in a
barber shop near the capitol, and these
self-setting clocks had just come into
use. They were curiosity then and
l have seen a score of persons stand in
front of one just before IL o'clock in
the morning and watch the hands move
| to their proper place, regulated by Wire
| from the observatory
well, one day young fellow came
in the shop and wanted hair cut. He
liked to talk and told the barber he
was from some little town across the
Potomac and was going to see WASH
ington. AS he got up from his chair
he pulled out big silver watch, one OF
the kind you see on farm or in a
pawnshop window.
"'Say, that clock of yours is wrong
he said. Well, the barber was proud of
that clock. which never varied more
than three or four seconds from the
correct time. He looked at the young
fellows watch and saw there was
difference of ten minutes.
Clock All Right
"'Oh, guess that clock is all right,
he said; you better set that watch
The stranger insisted his watch was
correct.
"'How do you know? What makes
you SO sure?' the barber finally asked.
| He was Just little bit angry, too, for
| 1t was the first time anyone had in
suited his clock.
"'Well, just set it with the whistle
before I left home said the young fell
| low, and then he wondered why every
| body laughed
81 knew an old fellow in Frisco who
lost everything he owned In the hre,
| said the bailiff. HE worked at night
| on some newspaper, believe, and every
other Sunday night he was on duty;
He had always wanted date CLOCK,
as he called it-you know, one OF the
kind with long red hand Whlcn points
| to the date of the month.
"After the fire he built little home,
mostly with his own hands, working
during the day on 1t. Among the first
things he bought was date CLOCK,
and he certainly felt proud when IT
was installed in his new home.
"It was too weeks before his sunday
holiday would come, and during that
| time he was in a constant stew. Well,
| the day came and after supper he told
| his wife he was going to sit up and
watch the date hand turn The thing
moved perhaps a half inch every mid
Ellis little S-year-old niece was living
there and she coaxed the old fellow 70
| let her stay up and watch the hand
move, and became so persistent that he
| finally told her to go to bed and he
would call her just before the happy
| event and that they coud both watch 1t
"At five minutes before midnight ne
awakened the little girl, and when they
came out of the bedroom he found the
hand had turned while he was away.
| Do YOU know, that old fellow came 10
me next day and told me of his dis
| appointment with tears in his eyes
when he thought of the two weeks he
would have to pass before he could
again"
1.-THE superior court is now in SEES
sion," interrupted the bailiff. and the
| group broke up.