Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-01-13

and let me assure you there were
| giants in those days
Judge Enoch Foster presided when
/, with others, was admitted to the
bar; and when someone suggested
that the class were not very well
| posted, he smiled and said They
probably Know enough to BEGIN the
practice of law" and we were admit
ted. You are all familiar with the
stories about Chief Justice Peters.
and his Lincoln county trips; of
Walton and his methods of discipline;
of McCrillis and Jewett, of Baker
and Heath. which time forbids me to
relate.
Chief Justice Whitehouse soon aft
er he was appointed to the bench
! came up TO Aroostook with the idea
that he would rush matters and clear
up n docket in three weeks, which
usually took six weeks to try out.
Forty jurors were summoned and il
| happened that | was in the first three
! cases tried before him. The first
case was a long one but ended early
in the day and His Honor sent the
! jury out. and Immediately impaneled
another one and tried a very short
case and sent them out, and without
| waiting q minute, impaneled another
| jury and ordered me to proceed. /
Ventured TO ask the Court if he did
| not think he was rushing things L
little and he jokingly, informed ME
that he wanted to show me how to do
Uat.ly ir,f h., of
was pleased to say that he never be-
fore had three jnrics working at the
same time in the same Court. But
! when the three verdicts were render
ed against me- / informed him that I
preferred a single pass to Z team
drop, to which he replied that it was
| evident that | did not understand the
! rules of the game.
! The present CHIEF Justice on one
of his first trips to Aroostook county.
tried 4 case in which q celebrated
| character of our county named jon
athan Curricr. WAS the plaintiff, and
during a grilling cross examinations
, Jonathan became thirsty, and seeing
Il pitcher OF water on the Judges
| desk, turned around to the Court and
| said, Judge, give us 4 drink" The
| Courtroom was in an uproar. but the
, genial Judge said Certainly" and
! passed Jonathan the pitcher and
j tumbler. Jonathan was no friend of
/ the Law Court. partly no doubt on
! my account, but unit, the day OF his
| death, he always maintained that
Justice Cornish was great Judge
and Christian and a certain mem
Der of the bar said that Jonathan
! probably concluded that he was a
Christian because he was so free
with water.
The stories which have come down
tc US about great lawyers of the past
showing their versatile character are
too numerous TO be recited here. I
| may say IN conclusion that the work
! or the older members of the bar of
Maine resulted in monument to
! their memory which we may fitting
| ~ eau the common law of our State:
and the high ideals, noble character
and great achievements of the men
who honored our profession in the
days long past have laid legal foun-
cation upon which the people of the
! present generation and the genera
ions of the future may build with
safety; foundation against which
the storms of disloyalty and the
floods of anarchy will ever beat in
vain.
OF those men not only the humble
country lawyer but the great CITY
practitioner, it can be truthfully said
as of the men of old.
Ihey rest their lahors ana their
| works do follow them :,