Author Description

When I was first seated on the District Court bench many years ago, a man telephoned one day to ask a question. "Would you please tell me?" he asked, "what's the difference between fornication and adultery?" "What! You want to know the difference between fornication and adultery?" I asked somewhat surprised. "That's right, Judge. You see," he continued after pausing for several seconds, "I've tried 'em both, and I don't see the difference!" Well, when I hung up the phone and quit laughing, I decided to write down the conversation. That turned out to be the first of many anecdotes I collected while presiding as Chief Judge for the Fifth Judicial Court of North Carolina. By the time I retired, after 23 years on the bench, I had a drawer stuffed full or recollections. The result turned out to be an informal collection of tales inside and outside the courtroom. Some of the more interesting and humorous are included in this book. Incidentally, the names of most of the individuals involved have either been omitted or changed to protect, mainly, the guilty!