Whereupon Hopkins, with a smile of conscious superiority, replied—
Sir, I have an office in Richmond wherein I shall be delighted to enlighten you on any point of law for a consideration.
The youthful attorney, not in the least abashed, took from his pocket a half-dollar piece, which he offered Col. Hopkins with this remark—
No time like the present. Take this, sir, tell us what you know and give me the change.
Secretary Elihu Root was talking about the humanity of judges.
They are humane men, he said. I could tell you many moving stories of the pain that they have suffered in the infliction of severe sentences. It is not altogether pleasant to be a judge.
That is why I can not credit a story that was told me the other day about a judge in the West. A criminal on trial before this man had been found guilty. He was told to rise, and the judge said to him—
Have you ever been sentenced to imprisonment before?