FLOGGING THE LAWYER.

Temuka Leader, Issue 1121, 3 January 1884, Page 3

FLOGGING THE LAWYER.

The Petersburger Herald, a German paper published in the Russian capital, is responsible for this story : —“ A peasant in a village of Southern Russia was accused of theft. The accused kept out of the way, but sent an advocate to plead his cause before the local judicial magnate. The lawyer employed all his eloquence to convince the judge that his client was innocent; but bis clever appeal had no effect on the magistrate, who knew the accused, and had probably condemned him before be heard the details of the case. He gave bis sentence —five-and-twenty blows with a rod. The village Solomon was informed that the criminal could not be found. ‘ Never mind,’ he observed, ‘ justice must have its course. As the criminal is not in our bands, we decree that this advocate shall receive the flogging. The man who has the face to defend such a rascal deserves to be punished,’ The lawyer in vain protested against the illegality, absurdity, and utter injustice of the monstrous sentence. The loss of his time and bis fees, he contended, would be quite sufficient punishment. But the stiff old Russian Solomon was inexorable, and the lawyer was actually seized, bound, and received the twentyfive strokes, as the representative of the absent criminal. Such a story seems incredible, but a journal published in the capital would scarcely dare to invent it, and, as far as we know, it has net yet been contradicted.”