it1 th~ Uuitcu Stutes and in Australia it; too well-known to require inclusion here. All that is aimed at in this brief notice is to convey something of the man as seen by those professional cynics, the newspaper reporters. It Zvm not be disputed that the pressmen hiave every advantage when, after long experience, they asse~s the worth of · any public figure. Their opinion in such a mat.ter is more likely to be right than wrong and, recallin.g some specific instances, it is only fair to say that they are seldom in error. JUSTICE Walsh presided in No. 1 Area, a bailiewick that stretched from Malin Head to Magheroarty and which 1cont1ained as diverse .an assortment of minor malefactors as a hardworking Judge who was also a humcrist . might wish for. Throughout almost twenty years the monthly and bi - monthly Court sittings in this area were as keenly looked forward to as any of the more orthodoxly social events, which however they far outclassed in point of real interest. WHAT impressed the regular · frequen:<!r of any of Justice Walsh's Court si:ttings was his great h1:1manity and wide char.ity-virtues which are difficult to reconcile with the invariably stern· !)rocesses of the law. But where the unimaginative Gardai saw in the dock the fig1.fre of an in•corrigible rogue whose numerous !)etty •Vagrancies had ·cost them weeks of labour. the kind-hearted Justice peering forward myopically to view the ~hrinking offender saw only a Lineal de~ecudant o.f the .Penitent Thief The man 011 the Bench did not believe in tempering justice with a little mercy; those who watched him ait work day aft2r day for many years came to know that with hfm justice was the same as mercy. On one occasion a defendant •came before him who 'had long done v:olence to his last chance. The Gardai were fa1r but firm. The unhappy 1rr:an could offer no explanations, and it became clear th1at a gaol sentence would have Ito be imposed. Justice \Valsh reminded hi,s hearers that we an must some day a9pear before the 'Great Judge and that we ourselves would expect mercy in circumstaillces much less promising than those in which the unfortunate defendant in the presert case found him~elf. "Therefore" he •continued, "as we hope to receive mercy ourselves, we :rr::ust try to grant it to others". In the eve!lt, he sentenced the wrong-doer to six months imprisonment but suspended the sentence "as Christmas is now but a few days away". }T is only right to say that the Gardai sometimes took a poor view of the Justice's kindness towards the offending class. They believed, and with much force, that laws should be · enforced especially where penalties such as imprisonment were con-- cerned, and that the cause of order, •and authority was illserved by homely · admonitions to constant offenders. Yet even the enthus'.asts for chasing th<! owners of unlicensed dogs ·and the venturesome legion who breezily undertook to <lectde at
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