Year: 1860




particular, nearly half century ago, there
dwelt in the town of -, in Old England
a remarkable oddity, in the person of an
attorney at law, who, although not fair to
look upon, (lor he was, in truth one of the
homeliest specimens Of humanity ever be-
held by mortal man, was withal a person
Of sound Judgment, great henevolence va
rcd learning, poet, painter, and wit
Of no mean order 1t so happened that
the aforesaid gentleman, G--Gi--,
Esq, was appointed high sheriff of the
/ town OF --. He was man Of fortune,
and had kind heart, as many poor pris-
oner could testify who partook OF the good
cheer with which the prisoners were liber-
ally supplied at Christmas and other well
known festivals, from the private purse Of
the high sheriff


1t was, Of course, the duty of the high
sheriff to summon a grand and petit jury,
to attend at the quarter sessions, at which
the recorder, mayor and alderman Of the
borough composed the court In the per
formance Of his official duty in summoning
the petit jury, our high sheriff INDUCED in
some ct the strangest and drollest freaks
that have probably ever been heard of in
any other town or country.


In the first place, he summoned for the
October court a jury consisting Of twelve
Of the fattest men he could find in the bor-
ough, and when they came to the book to
be sworn, it appears that only nine jurors
could sit comfortably in the box After
good deal OF sweating, squeezing and scold-
ing, the pannel was literally jammed into
the box, and, when seated, they presented
to the eye Of the court, the tightest fit of
a jury ever seen in a court room. Literal
ly, they became, much to the amusement
Of the court and its robcd advocates, a
packed jury and no mistake


For the January term, our facetious high
sheriff On consequence, it is said, Of some
hint from the recorder that there should be
no more fat pannels summoned to his court
went to the opposite extreme. lie sum-
moned twelve Of the leanest and tallest
men he could find in the borough and
when they took their seats in the box, it
appeared comparatively empty-there was
indeed room enough for twelve more Of the
same sort and dimensions.


For the April term Of the court, our
humorous functionary summoned a jury
consisting of twelve BARRIERS. Now it hap
pened that among the latter were the very
perruqulers who dressed the recorders and
barrister's wigs, and, some of the latter,
arriving late at the bar, had to appear that
morning in court with their wigs undressed,
so as to cut a very ridiculous figure amid
the smiles and half suppressed Taught
er Of the by-standers. The high sheriff
enjoyed the fun amazingly, but looked
grave as judge, while he tried to keep
silence in the court room.


But the crowning joke of the waggish
functionary occurred at the summoning of
his fourth and last jury at the summer ses-
sion in July. For that term Of the court,
the high sheriff not having the fear Of the
recorder, the mayor and the alderman be-
before his eyes, actually summoned squint-
ing jury, twelve as queer looking bipeds as
ever took their seats in a jury box-a jury
that was probably more looked at and
laughed at than any Of the appointed
twelve that ever was sworn to we'll and
truly try, and true deliverance make, be-
tween their sovereign Lord the King and
the prisoner at the bar


But the scene was so irresistably droll
that the learned recorder could not main
tain his gravity. The mayor and alderman
followed suit. The barristers laughed,
while their wigs became bald, powderless ];
nay, even the poor prisoners in the dock,
who were to be put upon their trial, and
some of them to undergo transportation,
could not refrain from joining in the gen.
eral cachination And when the recorder
commanded the high sheriff to bring the
court room to order, and intimated, with a
half suppressed laugh, that the latter ought
to be. ashamed of himself for summoning
such jury, the drollery of the court scene
was considerably heightened by the quick,
ready and sonorous response of the high
sheriff, who, looking at the same time at
the squirting jury, exclaimed All good
and lawful men, your honor


But our humorous functionary has long
since shut1ed off this mortal coil