The Chapel Hill weekly., 1958-12-11
| Like Chapel Hill
BY Billy Arthur

Well in advance of holding Superior Court IN Gull
ford County, Judge Frank Armstrong of Troy let
everyone know who going to push the buttons
that run the justice machine.
For better atmosphere in dispensing justice; he
announced that no reading talking babies would
be permitted in the courtroom Attorneys wouldn't
be permitted to confer with their clients to
if the fee-sble
Judge Armstrong, to our knowledge is the first
TO out and say he going to run the court
his way. But he is far from being the first North
Carolina urst to impose his personal opinions on the
court the cases, and the law.
Governor T. w Beckett told of the justice of the
peace who lived farm and his fence was right
the North and South Carolina line. One day his
and the hired man got in fight The old justice
mounted the fence and in his duty called out In the
name Of the State Of North Carolina command the
peace" The fighters didn't stop, and the hired man
seemed to be getting the best of the boy. The old
man jumped from the fence into the State of South
Carolina and shouted Give him hell, jim I've lost
my jurisdiction"
In Union County, however, the Monroe Enquirer
had the last word about Judge w l.. Norwood who
too drunk to hold the January term of 1897 "Our
people prefer the old-fashoned way of opening court
rather than his way of opening it with corkcrew,
said the Enquirer. In February it complmented him:
His Honor, Judge Norwood, is conducting court this
week IN entirely satisfactory to people
He has been sober all week.
New Bern attorneys complained about the way
Federal Judge l. NJ Meekins of Elizabeth City
his court by water bottle. The judge didn't like 4
the New Bern water and always brought five-gaon
dem John of water from home When his water gave
out, he adjourned the term.
Judge Meekins always visited his brother in Wash
ington n G.. several days at the end Of New Bern
court. One term, however, had into Thursday
and it looked if the visit impossible That is
to court observers. They couldn't see how case
being tried could be finished But Attorney Will Dunn
bet Lawyer r +. Whitehurst he would be non-suted
before O'Clock
Whitehurst called the bet because he said, There
is not bit of law evidence which he do it."
At 80 Judge Meekins interrupted the trial. "Mr.
Clerk enter verdict of non-suit against the plaintiff
Mr.. Marshall, adjourn this term of court
Attorney Dunn explained how he had to be
prophetic: Il overheard the Judge ask the clerk to
find out what time the last bus left for Washington
he could get there in time for supper and the
clerk told him o'clock SO knew he was going to
be that bus"
Judge Armstrong admittedly has some good ideas
in establishing proper decorum in his courtroom The
lay public, which ofttmes does not understand the
slow processes Of the law doubtless will get better
impression Of courtroom procedure therefrom. But
if Judges and lawyers would throw away those old
English phrases and write and speak in plain Eng
lish they would not only do me favor but also the
average lawyer
The announcement that Hertford will have an out
door drama next year makes noise like cash register