HUMOUR IN JUDGE’S NOTES.

Star (Christchurch), Issue 17832, 28 April 1926, Page 11

HUMOUR IN JUDGE’S NOTES.

HOW JUSTICE WAS JOTTED DOWN. Sir Ernest Wild, the Recorder of London, stated recently that in the, four years he had sat on the Bench he had filled one hundred notebooks. As j each contains severity pages, he has covered in all 7000 pages and the total number of words he has written is i about 1,400.000! Judges differ in note-taking. When the notes of a certain smoke abatement ■ case reached the Appeal Court, they were found to consist of nothing but a sketch of a tall chimney belching forth enormous volumes of black smoke. Still more amusing were the “ notes ’ ‘of another case. They were merely pen-and-ink sketches of the counsel engaged in it, with transferred noses. A man with a snub nose was given one of the bulbous variety, and so on. One of the most sparing of notetakers was Lord Mansfield, who jotted down the gist of a case, and then amused himself by reading a book or newspaper while counsel was address--1 ing the Court. He did this when a | barrister named Dunning was speaking. | whereupon that pleader suddenly stopped. ■’Pray go on. Mr Dunning.” said the Judge. " I beg your pardon my lord,” : replied counsel, ” but I fear I shall in- | terrupt your lqrdship’s more important j occupation. I will wait until your j lordship has leisure to attend to my

client and his humble advocate.” Some judges, on the other hand, take voluminous notes. Lord Brampton was an exceptionally industrious scribe during the hearing of a case, though he rarely referred to his notes when he was summing up.

Another conscientious note-taker was Lord Darling. He wrote with a lead pencil or in ink, and paused every now and then to underline a passage with one of six pencils of assorted colours that he kept ranged by his side. The colour of the pencil he used depended on the significance of the point. To this practice was due the precision with which he was able to sum up in a criminal trial.

An equally exact judge, when his hearing became impaired, acquired a habit of repeating anything that, he had heard quite distinctly and adding an expression of satisfaction. The effect was often ludicrous. One day a woman witness had to tell him again, dnd in a louder tone, what a prisoner had called her.

“He called her.” said his Lordship, writing the words as he spoke, *'a so and-so excommunicated gasometer. Good! ”

No less fond of details was Chief Baron-Kelly. In his old age he was particularly anxious to get down as many figures as possible, and a common request of his was, “ Will vou be good enough to give me the dates?” One dav he made it after a case had been in progress for some time. “ J have already green your lordship the material dates,” replied, counsel. “ Then be good enough now to give me the immaterial ones, ’ said the Chief Baron. Bo the case was held up till counsel had supplied all the dates he could find—or invent !

Lord Ellenborough was. at times, nearly as exacting, though he met his match in a figure-loving barrister, who pelted him with dates and statistics. Ultimately, however, the judge appreciated the humour of the situation.

Counsel stated that something was “ written in the book of nature.” “ Name the page,” said his Lordship, with mock severity, and with pen uplifted as it ready to make a note of the intormtion.