A COUNTY COURT STORY.

Otago Daily Times, Issue 3256, 13 July 1872, Page 1 (Supplement)

A COUNTY COURT STORY.

(Birmingham Mail.) ' An immensely. good story is told of a county court judge not a hundred miles from the city of Hereford—a gentleman who is said to be notorious for his introduction of religious teaching into the settlement of litigious cases. In a case ; which came before liim last week, relating to an alleged breach of warranty, the I plaintiff produced a warranty in writing which ho swore was signed in his presence by the defendant; and the latter : asserted upon his oath that the document , was not signed by him, and that his alleged signature was a forgery. There being no evidence but that of the principals, the judge was called upon to decide where lay the truth and where the falsehood. His Honour lamented the difficulty of his poaition, and mourned over tho depravity'of human nature, inasmuch as the case clearly contained perjury within it and possibly forgery. After enlarging upon these topics tho following colloquy took place between him and the defendant: —Judge : In order that I may have some means of judging of your handwriting, you will be good enough to take a pen and ink and some paper, and write down what I shall dictate to you. Defendant: lam quite ready to do that, sir. Judge : Very well then ; now begin —"AlHmrs" Defendant: Yes, sir. Judge: "Shall be cast" Defendant: Ye«, sir. Judge: "Into the burning lake." Defendant: I have written all that, sir. Judge : Then sign your name to it, and hand it up to me. Tho paper having been signed, was handed up, when it appeared in tho following shape:—"All lawyers shall be cast into the burning J lake.—John Romn*3ox," We need scarcely add that the judge, without tho least hesitation, delivered judgment in favour of tho plaintiff,