REGINA V. SHOWFULL.

Press, Volume XLVIII, Issue 7949, 25 August 1891, Page 2

REGINA V. SHOWFULL.

It must have been nearly fifteen years since I had done anything on the criminal side. I had drifted into something better —big city cases, heavy commercial litogagation. Why, Papadaggi v. The Bank or England lasted two years, and was as good as two thousand a year to mc: we took it to the Court of Appeal at last, and then vre won. After Papadaggi v. lhe Bank of England I took eilk; aud I waa perfectly justified, for I had a large connection. Jealous people declared that it was because I married old Latitat the solicitor's daughter. Well, thac may have had something to do with it; but I prefer to look upon the large aud lucrative practice I enjoyed as the reward of honest industry aud shining talent. I began at the very bottom of the tree, you know. .Between you and mc, I did all sorts of things: I wrote tive-ehilliug paragraphs, and I do not blush to say chat 1 was all things to all men in politics, being in that matter a very chameleon. In those days thero was nothing I was not ready to turn my hand to. Why, i used to spout at the "Forum" to improve mv oratory; I wrote magazine articles, and sold them too, though I did not always get credit for them. I became private secretary to a member of Parliament! ana I did not disdain to appear at the police 'courts, the Surrey Sessions, and the Old Bailey. I was ratber proud of my successes with juries at the Central Criminal Court; and I think if I had not married old Latltatfa daughter-I mean, if a large commercial business had not come my way—that I should have done well at the Criminal Bar. I had just breakfasted. Clooper, mv butler, entered the room looking exceedingly uncomfortable, and informed mc that a person named Cutfish wanted to eeo mc immediately. *'He says that he's a solicitor, sir; he may be," adaed Mr Clooper, " but his boots is that patched, sir, that I couldn't believe him. I hope you won't be angTy, sir, but I asked him to take a seat in the hall.' " Good heavens!" I thought, " I am the very last man in the world to allow a member of the inferior branch to be snubbed by one of ray servants. But what can a solicitor want with mc at my private residence ? It is a liberty, a distinct liberty. Who the deuce is Cutfish? I don't remember any Arm of the name of Catfish." Still the idea of a solicitor being kept waiting in my hall, even a solicitor who wore patched boots, was repugnant to my feelings. 1 walked into my study, and as I entered It Clooper announced Mr Cutflsh. Hβ was not a gentleman, I could see that at a glance. There was an abject cringing way about the roan that I did not like. He waa the most disreputable solicitor I had ever seen; and in my early days, you know, the disreputable solicitor waa very familiar to me— often unpleasantly familiar. In those days I had to submit at times to the degradation of shaking hande with such people—as a matter; of business, of course ; now I merely nod to them in a patronising manner. "Mr Cutflsh," I said very severely. " you must know perfectly well that you ate guilty of roost unprofessional conduct in coming to mc at my private residence in this way."

" I am the bearer of a brief, Mr Btags," he said. As he said the words he produced it from his most unprofeeaional-looklng blue baj».

. "Well, sir." I cried, "and why- the deuce couldn t you deliver it to Horniblowy my clerk, in the usual manner? What do you mean, sir, by coming hero and intruding on my privacy I"

" I had to do it, Mir Biggs," replied the man called Cutfisn. " My client, Mr Showfull—and he's been a very good client to mc, sir— insisted upon my securing your services. The brief is marked fifty guineas, Mr Biggs ; the caae will not last twenty minutes. I have telegraphed to the Attorney-General, in your name, for permission to appear, and you will find the answer awaiting you on our arrival at tbe Central Criminal Court, as a matter of course. 'Cutfish' my client said to mc, * there's only one man at the whole British Bar that will serve my turn, and that is Counsellor Biggs,' Those are his very words, sir, I assure you," said Mr Cutfish. " Pray consider, sir, that this matter is an affair of life and death for the poor persecuted fellow. He has suffered much," said Mr Cutfish, with a look of agony ; •' there are I regret to say, seventeen previous convictions. I have already briefed your learned junior."

Mr Cutfish had evidently provided for every contingency. As you know, a Queen's counsel cannot appear in a criminal court without the permission of the Attorney-General, and he has to be provided with a learned junior.

" Well,' I said, " you can take the brief to my chamber* and deliver it in the usual manner."

" There isn't time for that, sir," replied Mr Cutfiah. "Regina versus SoowfuU will be on at) ten thirty; and tny client, who is, I regret to say. of a suspicious nature, made mc promise to deliver the honorarium in person. The liberty of an innocent tradesman ie at stake, Mr IjjggV said Mr Cutfish with the greatest. solemnity, as he produced five new ten' pound notes and two pounds ten in 'gold. "I'll lea\e your clerk's fee in the afternoon, sir," he said, as bo laid tbe monsy upon the table: " I will, upon my honour I Will."

One ought not to bo censorious. What could this miserable pettifogger with the dreadful boots and the still more dreadful nose have to do with honour T

1 hesitated. Then I pat the money in my pocket, aod I began toying wich tfce brief. As I did so I felt that I too was a miserable pettifogger, .and that—figuratively speaking, of course—l too wore a red nose and dreadful boots. But even a Queen's counsel does not often pet a chance of earning fifty guineas in twenty minutes.

Bim»." eontlnaed tbte solicitor-. " H<= -»w»j» osSsbC red luuidod. «"■ j bad ualfcro*vrns, done ap Ezx eilver paper, Tipoxz U. HIHMH I TJIIIW ««•*>« ] j J J 3 person ; Sixty pounds in gold was found in the chisxaey of hi* room, by the police. Upon my affidavit as to the nature of the case " (here thered nosed man sniggered diabollciLlly) "X obtaine<T the sixty pounds for the pnrposes Of bis d«-

I felt I was the accomplice, tbe> »o to jay, pal—yes, that's the -word—of the man Cutflsh.

" See yon in court," cried the* wretch. airily; and before I could etop him be had fled. There was no way oat of it. I had nocepted the brief q{ Mγ CatflsU'* client, end I drove straight to the C.C.C. in a hansom. I read the brief Iα the cab. The defence was a farce. I took my place on the front bench "reserved for Qoeen'e counsel ; the m&a Cocflih wee Iα (be well, and be handed mc the formal permission from the Attorney-General with a grin. The Assis-tant-Judc© (• brother Q.C., my junior) nodded to mc in astonishment. Then somebody touched mc on tba shoulder. It was youug HoMeJaugh, the farce-writer, my learned junior. He banded mc a strip of paper. " None of oar wltnesseswe here. Showfall Insists on pleading guilty. ,. What a situation! At that moment the prisoner entered the 4wfc

"Guilty, my lord," he cried with great alacrity when called upon to plead. Ihld had his fifty gojijw I git that I ought to do something fOfc the Soney. MTud and *»?•""» I «*aid. Then I ignored the jury and admv observations to mf learned junto?, who wan sittingon tbe Judgment merSul coneiaeration, m'lr.d, feeling certaiu that you will, on account of tbe severe sentenoea which have already been inflicted upon him, feel it your duty to temper justice with mercy on this occasion and so make the punishment of his present offence proportionately light.,, When I had concluded my harangue th prisoner smiled beuiguantly ami remarked approvingly, " Bray vo, Btags ! Then the seventeen previous convictions were proved, and the learned CommSoner on the bench gave my client, Mr Show!all. the maximum of puntsh-""Good-bye, guvnor." said Mr Showfull to roe as he left the dock; "it wur a prime lark, wurn't it ?" , When I looked at the Times next morning I was delighted to see that the only notica of Regina versus Sbowfull and tho other Mint cases was the URUaI one :— "Mr Glumper, Q.C, whp eac aa Commissioner, was occupied in the becpna Court m tryiug a series of offenders i against the Coinaeo Acta. Tbo cases were of the usual character and devoid of pub"Why on earth had Mr Cutflsh briefed mc ? That puzzled mc a good deal; but after a day or two I forgot all about Mr Cutfish and tbe unhappy Mr Showfull. Two years after that Mr Showfull came out of prison. His very first visit was to mc. He waited outside the door of my chambers In King's Beach Walk and waylaid mc upon the staircase. I should not have known the man a bit, he looked so smug and plump and clean and reepect- " Good mornin', Counsellor Biggs," he eaid; "I thorfcTd like to see yer, cause why, I didn't thiuk yer knowed mc when I was up there at the Bailey; for yer didn't give mc so much as a wink nor a nod. 'He don't recollect mc, , I says to myself: but I said I'd make it up to yer, aiia I have. I hope Cutflsh was on the square," asked the man anxiously, "and that you got tho fifty-two ten without him taking his perfce orf it V' Thank you, my good man. I said ; " your solicitor behaved moat honourably, and lam glad to see that your worldly position has evidently improved; anil 1 hope that the promises 1 made iv your name to the court and jury will be carried out by you. There is one thing I should like to know, my man," I said. * Why ou earth did you retain my services T "Well, you see, guvW, it were tbw way," replied the man. " Wnen I fust went into business, on my very fust committal there was what they call a pint o' law as arose. Sez the judge, sez he, ' this yere cove am tgpt no counsellor for to argufy his pint. Will any learned Julia obli«ef sez the judge. You was a Julia then, sir, you was ; and you upa and you argufya till they was all that tired;, sir, as they fcuv in at last. And the judge he discharged mc, he did; and 1 asked the warder your name, sir, and ho told mc as how you was Counsellor 13lgo;s, and I writ It down. And when they coped mo this ere time, sir, ihe slops they nailed my sixty suilerings as was up the chimley; and sez 1 to Cutflsh, when he comes purfesslonal to see mc in the steel, • that there sixty quid is goue for good j Bez Cutflsh, * So itls, unlesa we could got hold of it for defending of yer. And then I told him, as how 1 owed yer one, and how you were tho learned Julia as gob mc offi And Cutflsh, be goes auU takes his awful David and nobbles the brass ; and that's the story, jsuv'nor. And these ere togs is giv mo by the Prisoners Aid Society. And I shjtll spout *ena to-night and buy a little stock-in-trade, and go back to the old game." , " You don't mean to say, my good man, I cried, " that you are going to return to the miserable occupation of passing false money?" " I w&S'bojrn in the business," eaid Mr Showful with • grin, " and I knows no other." • I was touched. "My man," I said, "I have fifty guineas of yours; if you will leave mc an address I will take cave that the money reaches you." " Guv'uor," eaid Mr Sh.owfull with somethihpc like a bow, "I'll see you blowed Hβ went down the stairs two at a time; and I have never seen him since.