LORD ESHER.

Auckland Star, Volume XXX, Issue 160, 8 July 1899, Page 3 (Supplement)

LORD ESHER.

STORIES ABOUT THE LATE JUDGE.

Lord Esher, the Master of the-Rods, who died recently at an advanced age, was a remarkable man, and the Obituary notices are full of good stories about him:

Perhaps the most characteristic 'rait of Lord Esher's attitude In-the Court of Appeal, where he sat for 21 years, Was his reluctance to Interfere with the verdict of a jury. This was so welfkttb'wh cbrit 'applications for a new trial where a jury had already considered the facts became" almost nil.

AN ADMIRALTY STORY!

The owners of a ship which had been In collision on the Thames appealed against the Admiralty Court, which had held them In default because the- captain ,bert not slowed down upon hearing the other's foghorn; and .counsel .submitted..that, it had been sufficient to'do\ s6''upan-_e6ing her. "Why didn't he take the way off her immediately he heard the other vessel's whistle ahead of him?" asked his uords.lp. "He was waiting to see what it was, ' replied counsel. "He had no right to wait," said Lord Esher; "he must have' known that it was a ship that was approaching; it couldn't have been a cow." > THE JUDGE REBUKED. In one case, in which a lady, .vas concerned, there was some reference ;o a Callfornian mine which w-as styled "lljwiliig Gulch." "It sounds more like the mune of some place below,", said. Lord Esher.. "It 111 becomes a white-haired old ,, man like you, my lord, to be profane," replied the lady. ~.■-.■'. BREACH OF PROMISE .CASES. More than once Lord Esher gave itns'hls opinion that plaintiffs in breach of promise actions are awarded excessive damages owing to the weakness of jurymen, in. yielding to the blandishments of the f airplaintiff a, and remarked that a woman with V pretty face and wearing a-pretty ha^ or bonnet was all that was required to obtain heavy, damages from susceptible' jurors. .*' ,

'"A PERFECT DARL1N.1.",,;,! ... >

A well-known lady litigant once described the late Master of the Rolls as a "Perfect Darling." But probably his most tryiiig experience was when a lady, the wife.of a defendant in a certain case, went down on her knees in court and wept ami besought him to spare her husband.. : ~'. -T'.,.' .'

"U.8.D."

There were occasions when Lord Esher's humour took the form oi very homely wit. Only a short time before his resignation'a junior cited before him the Law. Reports as "2 Q.8.D." "That Is not-the way yoh should address us," said Lord Esher. The learned gentleman protested that,he merely meant to use the brief and ordinary, formula for the second volume of; the Queen's Bench Division reports. "I might as well," retorted his Lordship, "sa^., to yoil^U.8.D." ■-:..' '-' '. ', • j THE NEW WIG. '~;■:-',"'.,. ■ There were occasions when his torches of humour were carefully prepared. .At the approach of more than one Long Vacation it was rumoured that' Lord Esher would no more be seen in Court, and on the last day, of the sitting there was ?■■ crowded Court in the hope of hearing a-farewell speech. Once or. twice Lord Esher's recognition d_ the situation took the form of appearing in a brand new wig. On other occasions he rose at the end of-the day and. said very, solemnly, "And now, gentlemen, good-bye," and then added, after a pause-4-"."-!- after the ILong Vacation." •.' 'V A PRESENT TO O.HE NATION., Lord Esher continued to pit on the. Bench 15 years after he had earned; his pension. By so doing he saved the nation _49,000. ■ ~