A Doubly Heinous Crime

Lord Eskgrove was a very "wordy" judge. Lord Cockburn says he heard him, in condemning a tailor to death for murdering a soldier by stabbing him, aggravate the offence thus: - "And not only did you murder him, whereby he was berea-ved of life, but you did thrust, or push, or pierce, or project, or propel, the le-thal weapon through the bellyband of his regimental breeches, which were His Majesty's!"

An Officer and No Soldier

Jeffrey, when addressing a jury in a certain trial, had occasion to speak freely of a military officer who was a witness in the cause. Having frequently described him as "this soldier," the witness, who was present could not restrain himself, but started up, calling out -

"Don't call me a soldier, sir; I am an officer!"

"Well, gentlemen of the jury," proceeded Mr Jeffrey, "this officer, who, according to his own statement, is no soldier, was the sole cause of the whole disturbance."

An Honest Lawyer.

In his professional character, Hugo Arnot had a most punctilious sense of honour. He would not accept of a case unless perfectly convinced of its justice. On one occasion being offered a cause, regarding the merits of which he entertained a bad opinion, he asked the person desirous of employing him -

"Pray, Sir, what do you suppose me to be?"

"Why," replied the would-be client, "I understand you to be a lawyer."

"I thought," said Arnot, sternly, "you took me for a scoundrel!" and indignantly dismissed the litigant.

A Clever Lawyer

An eminent advocate was called on unexpectedly to plead in a cause in which he had been retained. He had been in company with some friends, and was a little "elevated". He mistook the party for whom he was engaged, and delivered, to the amazement of the agent who had fee'd him, and to the horror of his client, an eloquent speech in favour of the other side. As he was about to sit down, the trembling solicitor in a brief note informed him of his mistake. This would have disconcerted most men, but had quite the opposite effect upon him. Re-adjusting his wig and gown, he resumed his oration with the words: - "Such, my Lords, is the statement of this case which you shall probably hear from my learned brother on the other side. I shall now, therefore, show your Lordships how utterly untenable are the principles, and how distorted are the facs, upon which this plausible statement has proceeded." And going over the whole ground, he so completely refuted his former pleading that he won his cause.

-Alexander Hislop, 178