The Palatka news and advertiser. [volume] (Palatka, Fla.) 1908-19??, 1914-12-04
A Daniel Come to Judgment.

A Daniel Come to Judgment.
30 wise and upright Judge:
How much more elder art thou than
thy looks"
! Honorable Hal. A. Irish, Judge of
the Second Judicial district of the
Fruitland Peninsula, which embraces
the bailiwicks of Pomona, Lake Co.
mo, Sisco and Dunn's Creek, sitting
at Pomona, had a most interesting
case before him last Saturday. 1t
was case which brought out the
people from miles around and caused
them to forget their own troubles by
listening to those of others.
Merchants abandoned their sordid
Saturday chickering's for dough, hus-
bandmen quit their plows, orange
packers picked a recess and the pro-
fessional man and politicians plucked
a blossom for their buttenholes and
hiked for the hall where justice sat
enthroned. Even the sky pilot was
there in the majesty of his whiskers
and wearing fierce, though faded,
crouch of righteous indignation which
subtracted the usual JUNCTION from his
calling and election.
The case was entitled "Eccles VS..
Hobbs; assumpset; damage $75."
The plaintiff, for sometime past
a resident of Pomona, and whose
home on the main boulevard of the
town bears the name of Marguerite
Palace" in order to give a glamour
of eclat to its setting and make the
ordinary Cracker of the second dis
trict throw fit.
The defendant was Mr. w. E.
Hobbs, until some two weeks ago a
resident of the same place and resid-
ing in the "rhubarbs," where he
conducted a small delicatessen to
which was attached a small print
shop. Mr. Hobbs had lived in the
town great many years and the
worst that had heretofore been said
of him was that che was some slow"
But this, when it is considered that
in making a point he desires to COW
er every possible APPROACH and leave
the point sticking out so clearly that
the wayfaring man though little
mushy in the cupola need not doubt
his vision, is not much. Mr.. Hobbs
now lives at Crescent City. His case
was handled by Col. Merryday of Pa
latka.
The suit was brought by Miss Ec-
Giles; Hobbs put in a counter claim.
The plaintiffs case was stated by sew
eral witnesses, including herself. One
of her most forceful witnesses was
the Rev. R. C. Drisko, ex-rector of
the Church of the Pilgrims. He an
swered questions put to him by the
attorney for the defendant by turn
ing to the jury and expostulating
(that word seems good in this conec-
tom in prolonged periods of punk
concerning an orphan asylum in
Washington, D. c., which the presiding
justice ruled to be "irreverant," and
pinned down to the subject matter,
his reverence was compelled to ad-
nit that he didn't know anything
about the case, except as it had come
to him second hand.
Mr. Hobbs didn't get in much tes-
timony, but in giving in what little
he did he became scared to the point
of heart failure. The plaintiff vas
her own attorney. When Hobbs
took the witness chair, she approach
ed him with fire cleaning from her
eyes. care you, sir, the defendant in
this case?" she demanded in shrill
and strident tones. 81 used to think
| was" replied Mr.. Hobbs, looking for
the exit. "Where were you on the
'steenth day of that month which in
the Gregorian calendar is called Mar
titus, but here in Pomona is usually
and commonly called March, Ammo
Domini, 1912" continued the inquisi-
tor. 81 was here" replied the now
trembling defendant. Then
came other questions, and when the
did not suit this second
Daniel come to Judgment" she came
back at the thoroughly subdued wit
ness with, THAT is untrue, and you
know it." +aa
Back in the audience the reverend |
spectator several times backed up
the inquisitor with EXPLANATIONS of |
approval until the presiding Judge had |
to sternly reprimand him and finally |
threaten that in case he uttered an
other word he would be fined for con-
Tempt. With a seemingly superhu-
man effort the reverend interrupter
succeeded in supressing himself.
But not so the plaintiff attorney;
she did the admonishings; the court
was but clay in the hands of a potter;
he plaintiff had her say.
But the jury, composed of good
men and true, gave a verdict to the
defendant Hobbs for $25, and this,
With the costs of suit must be paid
~ the lady who pleaded her own
,ause, a case similar in character to
he young lady of Niger, who smiled
is she rode on the tiger; they re-
urned from the ride, with the lady
inside, and the smile on the face of
he tiger"