"May it please your Honor, in the case of the People against Maria Holohan, charged with grand larceny, the bail in which was forfeited before your Honor about a week ago, I desire to apply for an order directing the property clerk at Police Headquarters to turn over the property, namely a silver teapot, to the complainant, who is here in court."
"But the case has never been tried, you say, Mr. Jones," objects his Honor.
"That is all very true," returns the assistant, "but the woman has run away, her bail has been forfeited, and judgment entered and satisfied."
"Supposing, however, she were captured and brought back and tried, how do I know but that the jury might acquit her? And they might acquit her on the specific ground that the teapot belonged to her, and not to the defendant. I should then be in a position of having directed its return to a person to whom it did not belong."
"Of course what your Honor says is entirely correct," answers Jones, "but it is unlikely that we shall ever hear of the case again."
"I don't know about that," answers the judge. "Your office might become suddenly extremely energetic and try to extradite her."
"Well, it seems rather hard on Mr. Appleboy," responds Jones.
"Of course it's hard; he has my entire sympathy," replies the judge; "but I cannot take the responsibility of deciding who owns property in a case which has not been tried. I am not here for that purpose. Let him take the proper legal steps to secure the return of his property in the civil courts."
Appleboy, who has understood very little of this colloquy, but who supposes that, for some entirely insufficient reason apparently, the judge is trying to block his efforts to secure the return of his property, suddenly jumps to his feet and shouts:—
"Look here, your Honor, I would like to have a word about this, if I may! That teapot of mine was stolen last June; I caught my cook in the very act of selling it to a pawnbroker; I had her arrested on the spot; she admitted her crime, and acknowledged her guilt in the police court. My teapot is tagged and locked up in a room at Police Headquarters, and they won't give it to me unless your Honor will grant an order directing them to do so. Kindly tell me what I am to do."