the oath I have taken; I scrape it clean away from my tongue that made it." Thereupon he scraped his tongue, and spat away his oath, thus validly releasing him from it. In conclusion, I would state that savage
penal laws appear to be as fixed, regular, and well known, as inflexibly bound by prece dent, as often improved by the intelligence of individual chiefs as penal laws are in more advanced societies.
TWO JERSEY TALES. BY LLADNYT. DOWN in Cumberland County, there is an incident, oft related by both lawyers and laymen with great dramatic effect, which con cerns the De Vecnion brothers, who, during their lives were at the head of the Maryland bar. When Thomas died, his administrator found his books in a Tather confusing condi tion. One unsettled claim was for a large sum against a client for whom the deceased had labored long and successfully and to the detriment of other business. During the trial to recover payment, the defendant took every opportunity to belittle and scoff at the recog nized ability and integrity of the dead lawyer. No attention, however, was paid to him by the other side. Finally, the brother arose to sum up. He related in detail the services of his brother and the estimation in which they were held by the community. At almost every word he was interrupted by the sneers, hisses and scoffing of the heartless defendant. Finally, unable to longer endure the taunts of the dead man's dciamer, De Vecnion turned his livid, grief-stained face toward the defendant, and with tears coursing down his cheeks, exclaimed : "Sneer if you will, for the brain that thought for men; the tongue that talked for men; and the hand that wrought for men are now at rest beneath the sod of the val ley. De Vecnion sank down overcome with grief. It seemed to those present as if the spirit of the maligned man had come from the earth and solemnly spoke the word. In Eastern Jersey, the quick-witted exploits of a certain county prosecutor with a mili
tary handle to his name are still told with zest by his professional brethren. One day the General was pursuing his favorite sport, hunting, in season and out of season, but a few miles from his home and had bagged several quail and rabbits when an old and irate farmer came up and demanded the game and damages. The General was will ing to pay for the trespassing and for the game but would not release his booty. The farmer then took the General by the shoul der and walked him to the office of a justice of the peace and made a complaint. But to the farmer's horror, his prisoner declared emphatically that he had not been trespass ing. He, himself, and none other, was the owner of that farm; and he made a counter charge against the real owner for disorderly conduct. The justice was about to proceed with the hearing when the General declared that since the title to land was in question his court would have no jurisdiction and he must send it up to the court of common pleas. Amazed beyond expression the irate farmer engaged a lawyer and learned that it might cost him five hundred to conduct his suit and that if he did, it would possibly throw a cloud on his title. That anyone should question his title to his own land, worked for fifty years by himself, was a puzzle to the yeo man; and he gladly sought out the General and compromised. Nor was his astonish ment the less to find his prisoner the Prose cutor of the Pleas for his county.
