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34
On this 21st of February, 1860, personally appeared T. Joseph Rogers, Esq., who, having been first duly sworn, deposed as follow:
I reside in Baltimore city ; and I am an attorney-at-law. I know Judge Stump, and have been a practitioner in hii Court for nearly two years last past. I have been in Court nearly every day, during its sessions, for the last two years. During that time I never saw Judge Stump drunk upon the bench; nor have I ever heard him use on the bench any vulgar, unchaste or indecorous language ; nor have I ever heard him use such language even off the bench. It appears to me that his bearing on the bench was courteous and humane, so far a* consistent with the legal discharge of his duties as Judge ; and off the bench, and in private life, the Judge was always extremely courteous and gentlemanly. I had an opportunity of knowing the frequency of ex-Sheriff Thomas Creamer's visits to the Court room of Judge Stump. During the whole two years of Mr. Creamer's term, ending about December 1st, 1859, I never saw said Creamer in Judge Stump's Court room more than three or four times, and on the three first occasion! for not more than five minutes at a time. On the last occasion when he was there, he was there longer than five minutes, and then Judge Stump was not only sober, but becomingly judicial in all his conduct. I will also say that John P. Poe, Esq., who testified against Judge Stump, never, for the last two years, or even for his whole life, to niy knowledge, tried a case in Judge Stump's court; and, to the best of my knowledge, said Poe never was during that time in said Court more than three or four times, and then only for a few minutei at a time, and on each of these times the Judge was certainly sober. As to Mr. Eitchie, who testified against Judge Stump, to the best of my knowledge, said Eitchie never tried a case in Judge Stump's Court; but he has a robbery case there now, in which he was appointed counsel by the Judge, in conjunction with Mr. Eenshaw. On all the occasions on which I have seen Eitchie in Court, the Judge was not only sober, but becomingly judicial.
I have never seen Judge Stump, from any cause whatever, incapacitated for the proper discharge of his official duties. The business of his Court is excessively onerous, and whatever check it meets in its progress, or whatever of delay there is in its despatch, is mainly attributable to others, and not to the Judge. I have repeatedly heard the Judge ask the State's Attorney if there wağ any more business before the Court, and the Judge seemed anxious to go on with the business ; but owing to the State's Attorney, or the defendant's counsel, not being ready for trial, the cases could not be tried.
Whatever of evil report this Court may be in, I consider it chiefly the fault of others than of the Judge.
T. JOSEPH BOGERS.
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