THE DIGNITY OF THE BAR.
IN a trial at Maidstone of a servant for robbing her master (a clergyman) of some articles apparently of no great value, the coun- sel for the prisoner, according to the prevalent fashion, instead of attempting to rebut the evidence against the prisoner, commenced a tirade against motives which he was pleased to impute to the prosecutor. Mr. Baron PARKE properly interfered, and expressed his opinion of the unwarrantable nature of such a line of defence. Upon this the prisoner's counsel sat down, and, in the dignity of his indignation, refused either to proceed with his address or to examine witnesses to the previous good character of the pri- soner, who were in attendance ; and the Court was obliged to dis- charge that duty for him. Even supposing that the counsel had been justified in his attack upon the prosecutor, was he entitled to leave his client undefended because the Court had snubbed him ? Did he receive a retaining fee before the trial ? has he refunded it since ? Now that the Bench has been awakened to the necessity of protecting clerical prosecutors from the unwarrantable imputa- tions of counsel, it is to be hoped it may see the necessity of ex- tending the same protection to witnesses in humble life.
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