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Show SHAMELESS AMERICAN COURTS. Englishman Bumped Up Against Backwoods Law. I (New York Press.) ; "American law courts are yet in an exceedingly crude ar.d embryonic condition. con-dition. Judges and juries, are alike shamelessly corrupt. Bribes are not only accepted in the most unblushing manner, but are openly solicited, and verdicts are as salable commodities in an American court as are camphor or quinine at a chemist's in London. . "The British people tan have no appreciation ap-preciation of the scandalous manner in which justice (?) is dispensed in America. We have actually seen an American jury send down to the defendant de-fendant In a lawsuit and demand bribes and a judge who was trying a case in our presence offered to ouash an in-; dictmont for $2, or S shillings of ourj money. i "Ignorant of American game. laws. we shot at some snipe out of seas-in.; The jury demanded that we buy it beer, and the judge entered a nonsuit when we gave him the pound wnien he j had asked us for in the presence of the j attorney for the crown, or state's at-i at-i torney, as he is called in the United States. The next day this same judge I went hunting with us and not only I showed U3 where snipe were to be found, but shot four or rive ('of thest i birds himself. j "The law courts of a nation are it: I foundations, and w hen they are so rot ten as they are in America, it is certaii I that the structure which they suppoit j is bound to fall." The foregoing are extracts iron notes made in this country by an English Eng-lish tourist, who ni;y soon print t book on "Impressions of an Knglislv man Among His American CouP.ins.' i The English tourist had his experi ence of American courts up at Whit-. Heron lake. He went there a monti ago to kill a. few buffaloes and see- som-wild som-wild Sioux Indians who had just re turned from the war trail with plent; of scalps. The Fnglishman was much disap pointed on arriving at White Heroi lake to be told that the buffalo- ha all gone away to their summer feeding grounds 'in Indiana and that the Siou: were lighting the Apaches over ii Michigan, so he decided to put in a few days hunting snipe. He sta--'ed out shooting one mornint and was followed by two ojf the natives-of natives-of the locality, who had carefully provided pro-vided themselves with tin stars as big as saucers and army rifles. T'ney waited wait-ed until "the Englishman had .shot a couple of birds and then pounced down upon him and arrested him for shooting shoot-ing game out of season. They took him j buck to White Heron lake, where a crowd of merry villagers were waiting j in the rear room of a. saloon. I The proprietor of the hotel was seat- ' i ed behind a table and was pointed out to the Englishman as the judge. The ' bartender was introduced as the state's j attorney, and the livery stable man, j who was represented to the Fngli.sh- ! man as a lawyer, was engaged hy him as his counsel. A "jury" of villagers was hastily impaneled and the trial began. The bogus game wardens were first put on the stand and swore that the Englishman had wantonly violated the game ordinances of the state. Then the Englishman was called. He solemnly took the oath on a copy of a "Guide to Bartenders and Favorite Recipes for Favorite Drinks," and then began his testimony. "Aw," he said, "please your ludship and gentlemen, I weally meant no harm. Quite ignorant of your laws, 1 you know qiute sorry it all occurred." - "Is it true." asked the state's attor-ney,.ivith attor-ney,.ivith great solemnity, "that your ancestors . fought the American patriots pa-triots in the war of the lie volution?" ; "It- Is -possible, me lud." said the l.nglishrna.n.. .hesitatingly, "but really I c.iwn't see. you know, what that has to do w ith this case-.', 'At ' this' juncture one of the "jury-Menl' "jury-Menl' came. ,uver. jto the Englishman i.nd whispered to him that the best ihing he could do- would be to order a i ase of beer for the jury. The Englishman Eng-lishman hastily did so and the beer w as j brought, in opened and passed 'around to the members of the jury, who drank the Englishman's health. Then the defendant resumed his testimony tes-timony and told horn his ancestors had been with William the Conqueror and gave an exquisite dissertation in response re-sponse to questions by the state's attorney at-torney as to his.Views on the Boer war, the Irish question, the situation in the j Balkans, lynch law in America and i other subjects, having no hearing on I the case "at trial." Meantime the jury i drank up its beer and the defendant's counsel suggested that the Englishman English-man buy them another case, which he did - Then the "judge" suddenly called the prisoner up to. the bench and said: - "Say., young fellow, that's all right buying, beer. for. the ; jury., but you've ! got to see me. Un lerstand?" "Aw, quite right, "- replied the prisoner: pris-oner: ""but 'I am looking right at you. doncherknow." , . "That .ain't it," growled the 'judge." "You'd better tumble and save yourself your-self trouble. "Tumble! Tumble!" The prisoner's face wore a puzzled look. "Why should I tumble, me lud? I am not a circus performer." "Well, then, just dig up a couple of dollars, or I'll send you to the pen, see?" "Oh, I understand, my iud. Quite so." The Englishman produced a couple of -silver dollars from his pocket and handed them over to the "judge." The eminent jurist took them, rang them on the bench, hit them on his teeth and then inspected them carefully. Then, with a satisfied look. He put them into his pocket' ami. banging with a beer glass on the table, roared: "Case dismissed. The prisoner can get tIl out ' here. The Englishman stood not on the or-d"r or-d"r of his-going. He went and the "judge" tok the jury and spectators into the saloon and stood treat with the The next day he took the Englishman English-man out -shooting. The next day the Englishman came back to Chicago and prepared some of his manuscript, which he said he might publish some day. He submitted it to an American friend for examination and the friend kindly copied the extract ex-tract herewith given. |