Daily Story
Delay
“Admiral, that reminds me of a chap out West who had studied law, but had never tried a case. Being sued, and not having confidence in his ability to manage his own case, he employed a fellow-lawyer to manage it for him. He had only a confused idea of the meaning of law terms, but was anxious to make a display of learning, and on the trial constantly made suggestions to his lawyer, who paid no attention to him. At last, fearing that his lawyer was not handling the opposing counsel very well, he lost all patience, and spring to his feel cried out, ‘Who don’t you got at his with a capias, or a surre-butter, or something, and not stand there like a confounded old nudum-pactum?'”
Francis Carpenter, Six Months at the White House, p. 241.