Evening star., 1938-11-20
High Court Museum
Houses Rure Items
Bu Frederic J. Hdskin.

of historic, sentimental or other interest,
and the Supreme Court of the United
States is no exception. 1t has its own
collection of items of antiquarian in
terest. The collection, it is true, Is OF
interest primarily to lawyers and the
public is not admitted to the sanctum
within the vast white marble building
where it is kept, carefully protected un-
der glass from profane or any other
hands and from dust.
Perhaps the document OF chief popular
interest is an original copy OF the "Rulea
of the Supreme Court" The American
people have come to think of the Su-
preme Court as OF sort OF Delphlc
oracle, remote from the world OF men,
although now and then giving utterance
to ruling wisdom. Or if the court is
thought Of as something more than
voice, then the picture is one OF grave
and dignified majesty. Those who have
visited Washington and have seen the
building which houses the court must
have their impressions heightened, for ii
is one of the most majestic edifices in
the world From here come decision
from which there is no appeal, on mat
ters Of life and death, of poverty C:
riches.
So it is OF more than passing signifi-
canoe to look at the original copy of thr
Rules of the Supreme Court" Whel,
the court first sat it is doubtful If Il
had any appropriation at all save that
for the meager salaries Of its member
and clerk. Today thousands are appro-
priated annually for stationery alone and
the court building cost millions. Not so
then. So some one, probably the CLERK,
went out and got copybook, the sort
used in such few schools as existed in
those 18th century days. At the top OF
the cover is written in slanting script
Rules of the Supreme Court" The
cover bears a woodcut design, q crude
curious picture illustrating the story OF
Aesop concerning Hercules and the
WAGNER, and, in paragraph below, the
story is printed in large type, such as
would be readable to a copybook using
child 1t tells how when the mired
WAGNER prayed to Hercules for help that
god of strength told him that if he would
put his own shoulder to the wheel Her.
cules would help him. The originally
blank pages within are filed with the
rules of the Supreme Court which. With
little modification, govern practice be-
fore that great tribunal today.
Everything. of course. was hand writ
ten in those days. There is a sheet
oF cir for
1892 John Jay. the first Chief Justice
of the United States, signed it and be-
meath his slightly fading signature ap-
pear those of the Associate justices;
William Gushing, James Wilson. John
Blair, Ia Iredell ard Th. johnson. An
other one for 1796 shows first the sigma
ture of Oliver Ellsworth as Chief Justice
and also the new name OF Samuel Chase
the justice who later was impeached.
Justices Of the Supreme Court in the
early days did not have private secre-
taries and batteries OF stenographers at
beck and call. They did most of their
own pen work In the collection appears
a docket kept by Justice Bushrod Wash
were argued and crossed off when dis
posed Of.
Lawyers did not run to the printer
every time they had a brief to file H.
those days. even for the highest court in
the land. Here appears brief filed b,
Henry Clay in the case of Pringle versus
Trustees a case involving land titles. II
ir fy,c
though black. hand and with his sigma.
ture at the end For that matter tbs
august court itself could afford to have
little printing done. 1t was not until
1881 that the first printed transcript OF
a case from a lower court appeared
That transcript is in the collection, con.
cerning a commercial dispute which
came up from the lower court sitting al
Tallahassee. There is a handWritter
decision by Chief Justice John Marshall
He was poor penman, who wrote
somewhat scratchily with his lines slant
ing abruptly upward.
Reports of cases we're privately printed,
however. and judges and lawyers pur-
chased them. For that matter. even TO
this day, the decisions of the Supreme
Court are not printed by the Govern
ment but by private printer. although
the Government pays for copies for Off
cial use. Here is copy OF Reports OF
Cases Argued and Decisions of the Su-
preme Court covering 1901 and 1903
terms Of the court. 1t is especially inter-
esting, because it belonged to Daniel
Webster and his autograph is on the title
page. Also in the glass case is the
| hanGWritten oath of Office of Chief
Justice. This one is in professional S
copper plate hand, but the signature,
, very small, is in another hand. 1t is
that of Salmon p Chase
Lawyers have deep interest in the
history of the law and things anti
quarian appertaining to it. There is an
impressive, though small. collection Of
extremely rare and valuable law books.
Here are several from the press of Rich
ard Tottell. who, from 1852 to 1893
printed law books within Temple Barre
at the Sign of the Hand and Stare
Tottell employed the usual Elizabethan
versatility in the spelling of his name as
did his contemporary. William Shake
speare. His first name appeals spelled
different ways and his surname IL.
In the collection is his "Booke of Prece-
dents" and also his "Boke of Assisses
showing that he was various in spelling
generally. The gem Of the Tottell items
~.