| Show A good and honest judge in the life of the late gov plumer written by his son wm plumer pil imer imen jr is is all an interesting account of john dudley of cf raymond new hampshire who was a judge in that state from 1785 to 1 1807 07 our author ays says a this extraordinary man who was for twelve years judge of the court had bad not only no legal education but little learning of any kind but lie had a mind a retentive memory a patience which no labor could tire an integrity proof alike against threats and hattery flattery and a free elocution rude indeed and often uncouth but bol I 1 clear and expressive a warmth of honest feeling which it was not easy to resist his ideas of law may be inferred from theaon the conclusion of one his charges to rhe the jury which I 1 once heard my father repeat it was somewhat li ill this style you have heard gentlemen of the he jury what hes has been beep said in lit case cese by the he lawyers the rascals but no I 1 will not abuse them it is their business to make a good case for their clients they are paid for it and they have done in 11 this case vell veli well veil enough but butyok you and I 1 gentlemen have something else to consider they talk of law why gentle gentie gentlemen tn it is is not law jaw that we want but justice they ey would govern us by tile the common commo ii law of england trust me gentlemen common sene sense is a much safer I 1 gude ude for us tile the common sense of raymond raymoond ray Raj roond epping exeter and the other towns which have sent us lis here to try this case cass between two of our 1 neighbors elgh beigh A clear head and an honest heart lre are are worth more than all he file lawyers thele thel e was one good thing said at the bar it was from shakespeare Shak speare an english player I 1 believe no mattei matter it is good enough almost to be in the hie bible it is thir thin thi I 1 be j sl st and fear not nov that gentlemen is is llie tile law in this cae tae 3 and law enough in in any case be just and fear not it is our business to do justice between the parties not by any quirks of the law jaw out of coke or blackstone books that I 1 never read and never will but by common sense and common honest honesty y as between b man and man that is is our business and the curse of god is is upon us if we neglect or evade or turn aside eside from it arid and now mr bir sheriff take out the tiie jury and sou you j ou mr hir foreman do abt keep us waiting walting waltin with idle talk of which there has been too mu much ch already about matters which have bave nothing to do winni wilh the merits of the case give us all an honest verdict of which as plain common sense men vou ou need not be ashamed I 1 have made the judge speak good english which he did not often do I this yere lere ele eie plaintiff and arid anat are defendant 5 them lawyers 12 and these here ere witnesses were expressions that fell often from his lips yet it was observed that when warmed by his subject his language always tor for forcible cible cibie became suddenly accurate and even elegant so naturally is correctness as well as elegance the tiie result of clear thought and earnest feeling it will not excite surprise that such a judge rudge jude iud I 1 e carried the jury with willi him indeed when fail fall fauly liy under way thele was no stopping him he e trampled tiam pled pied down and ran over everything that stood before him nim and came out always first a at t the goal ile he had been from 1776 to 1784 during the while period of the revolution one of the committee of safety the most efficient of govel bovein n ments quick to feel and prompt to act lie he was a resolute strong minded man intent on doin doln doing substantial justice in every case though often indifferent to the forms and requirements of law you may laugh am 11 said aid ald th eo philus parsons who practised practiced for many any years in our courts at his law arid and ridicule rid icele lis ins language but dudley is is after all the best judo judge ge I 1 ever knew in new hampshire Hamp 5 to have I 1 received this praise from judge parson dudley must have been on the whole not ignorant of law nor inattentive to its substantial FI ia requirements justice said arthur livermore speaking to me of dudley before whom he had himself practiced pra c was never liever better administered in in new hampshire than when the judges knew very little of what we lawyers call law taw 13 |
