Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 07.pdf/172

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Communications in regard to the contents of the Magazine should be addressed to the Editor, Horace W. Fuller, 15^ Beacon Street, Boston, Mass. The Editor will be glad to receive contributions of articles of moderate length upon subjects of inter est to the profession; also anything in the way of legal antiquities or curiosities, facetia, anec dotes, etc.

was all " the Clerk and Master." The additional incidents, that the assassinated judge had not only got half the clerk's profits, but had borrowed money in addition that the clerk had borrowed from others, and that he intended to appoint his son clerk instead of the former creditor one, are superfluities to the THE GREEN BAG. main point that a judge has to eke out his living by OUR " Disgusted Layman " offers a few more such methods. An amusing incident that came out while I was noteworthy comments as the result of his there, was some fellow in Knoxville, who had been observations during a recent visit to Tennessee. convicted of bigamy and sentenced to imprisonment, applying to the Supreme Court for a stay of his going Editor of" The Green Bag." Dear Sir:— I was down at Knoxville, Tenn., to jail, or penitentiary (whichever it was), until he about a month since, on some lawsuit business (I am could apply to the governor for a pardon. That brevet lawyer of our concern), and being thrown in struck me as immensely cheeky, but when I read the company of lawyers constantly, was rather impressed long-winded opinion of the Supreme Court, that the with two incidents connected with courts, that fellow had been guilty of a very heartless seduction, struck me as interesting, yet would be passed over and had married the girl just to save her character, by you in consequence of your not knowing the inner had deserted her and subsequently, in a different histories of them . One was the assassination of a judge state, had married agan, on the ground that his first (a "Chancellor" I think they called him) by the marriage was only " a form," it was immense. clerk of his court, what they always call ' ' Clerk What struck me as the joke was, that by his appli and Master." The mere assassination was nothing cation to the Supreme Court, he was making it of general or fundamental interest, but the underlying certain that the decision of the court would either causes were very peculiar and striking, It seems be a strong support of his application for a pardon, that this Chancellor is only paid $2,^00 per year; he or a tremendous argument against it, and as the holds forth in the capital of the state, his office is a court sat down on him and called him some pretty rather high one and he must live in some sort of .hard names, showing that the only plea he set up was style; yet it is evident he cannot do it on $2,500 per his " respectable character " and his cool assumption year. Now he has the appointment of the "Clerk that he was at liberty to determine for himself how and Master " of his court, which office is worth over binding his first marriage was, it seemed to me that $20,000 per year. This particular Chancellor seems the Governor would have to have an immense to have made a bargain with his Clerk and Master, amount of nerve to pardon a man after the Supreme that the fees and profits of the Iatter's office should Court saying he wasn't entitled to even a temporary relief from imprisonment. You might be both be divided between them. This is the striking fea amused at and interested in these two matters. ture, that a judge only paid $2,500 per year lias Yours truly, the appointment to office where it pays five times as A Disgusted Layman. much, and I understood that the practice of making such a division of profits was thought to be common and the rule. What a shocking commentary on " judicial dig LEGAL ANTIQUITIES. nity"? I think that this Chancery Court has charge Roger North gives an instance of the lawyer's of sales of property, settlement of bankrupt estates, attachment to mere forms. In his day the etc., what is called sheriffs sale in this state, and the clerk of the court is master in such proceedings; Court of Common Pleas used to sit in West I attended the sale of the property we had a lien minster Hall, close to the great door, in order on, and there was nothing said about the sheriff, it that suitors and their train might readily pass in M7