The Montgomery advertiser., 1909-06-27
MIR. AGEE WRITES OF FAMOUS
JUDGE.
Eccentric to Degree. Judge Pickens
Held an Honored Place ON The
Alabama Bench for Many
Years Before the

War.
By N. A. AGEE.
| Ezekiel Ptckens was one of the most
honest, original and interesting pub
lie men of the last century in. Ala
bama history. He was original &C.
centre type o. his owh Nm, SUI ee hole
the records so he would have no coun-
! terpart.
He was small in statue. of diminu-
tive sized far below medium and never
married He was always serious, sell
dom smiled or Joked. and might be
designated as grand" gloomy and Pc
culiar, especially peculiar
He lived in Dallas county. Was
| Judge Of the second judicial circuit
from 1886 to 1850 save an interim of
two years, when he was defeated for
| reelection before this Legislature. But
| when the election was referred to the
! people. h, was restored to his own
Judge Plckens had some of the. art
| of the demagogue, but he had
! hold on the voters of his circuit for
his sterling honesty and ruling, which
eccentricties and idiosyncratices In
fact. these seemed to facsinate the
| people, who took pleasure In calling
him Little Zeke." In the early his
tory of Alabama the lawyers rode the
/ circuit" followed the Judge from
county TO county and from court to
court, and rode horseback in company
and with the horseback rider sof wig
and ermines. There was nosTespecter of
person. dignity and contempt of court.
| All were on an equality.
They had a jolly time, Coke and
Blackstone forgotten and many were
the, Jokes and pranks perpetrated on
each other, and the Judge too. Their
law books were few, perhaps copy
of blackstone. Aikens Digest in their
l n -. \. a. -.
hats. Later in Judge Perkens time,
of which I wflte-1s46-47--th judge
rode in a buggy from court to court
and the lawyers did not follow the
judge in groups so much around the
circuit. But, not yet were they en-
numbered with United States Supreme
Court decisions and ofevery State in thtS
Union. Clay's Digest and a few Ala
hama Reports from three to twelve
then, was their stock In trade. They
could carry them In their buggies. not
enough then to confound the judges
and confuse the Juries But they did
not have half the fun and jokes Of the
older days
Judge Plckens' circuit comprised six
counties of which Dallas was a COM
ponent part. He was an upright.
conscientious judge. He had vary
ing and distinctive charges for each
grand jury in the several counties and
lecture would he about. He was
given to hobbies; one time 1t would be
advice about farming, next time on
science or morals and again on psy-
cology. physiogomy or phrenology
But on whatever subject he was an
enthusiast.
His diction was not always Addison
IAN pure English undehled, but il was
emphatic. One of his common, If not
favorite, expressions was. My Cod"
Whether imprecation or Indignation,
history does not record. 1t was not
what he said, SO much as his quaint
mode of expression. At one term of
the conecuh Court he lectured the
grand jury on farming.
He was lover OF fine horses and
especially mis- pet buggy horse. He
had stopped for the night at a farmers
house the night before court en- route
10 Sparta. the county seat, and told
him he wanted his horse well provided
for give him plenty OF corn or oats
and fodder.
The farmer said, Il have no fodder"
''Then give him hay; he eats good hay
just as we'll"
81 have no hay"
my God" said the Judge, and
farmer. too No fodder ard no hay!
What is the poor horse to do? He has
been used to corn, oats, fodder and
nay ana l IllOuBHl IN d COun-
try he would get plenty"
The next day he took occasion, in
his charge to the grand jury, to tell
them Of this default. and lectured them
about their improvidence, told tn en-
they should raise more corn, oats and
peas, cut their grass and save hay and
fodder. If they didn't. their horses
would suffer and they would have no
meat hogs to kill for spareribs, back
bone and sausages. which were the
best part of the hog, or any other ant
NAL for food. In faet,sa farmer with
out these luxuries was no farmer at
all, and he had better quit the bust
ness, live on acorns and loeusts and
wild honey. He was no good to him
self and family or the stranger ySthin
his gates.
You have good soil and cool cli-
mate. and there is no excuse" he said.
At another term of court-this time
in Clarke County--he had phreuology
for his hobby. lie scanned every mans
head, and the man was good or bad,
according to the bumps on his head.
At one term of court a man by the
name of Blackwell was indicted and
tried for petty misdemeanor, perhaps
assault and battery. and acquitted by
the Jury. The Judge told him that he
was discharged this time, but took oc-
casion to lecture him, saying:
:Mr. Black well. the jury says-yes.
the Jury says (emphpsizing jury)-that
you amt guilty, bit take care--take
care-you have got a bad head and
you Will be here again"
One OF its citizens was tried for mu--
Ter and acquitted. to the seeming dis
rust OF the Judge. The next case was
a man on trial for petit larceny and