The Unstoppable Snorer of Judge Humes' Court
A man’s remarkably musical snoring brings the wheels of justice to a screeching halt, leading to a physical showdown with a bailiff and deputy.
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Alexander Young, from Franklin, fell asleep in Judge Humes' court room yesterday morning and began to snore in so musical a fashion that he disturbed court, jury, and attorneys. Bailiff Brockway awoke the sleeper and invited him to leave the room. Mr. Young protested, and the bailiff proceeded to eject him, but without success, for the artistic snorer was a powerful man. Deputy Sheriff D. L. McCowan came to the rescue and, after a hard struggle, succeeded in depositing Mr. Young in the corridor.
“Alexander Young... began to snore in so musical a fashion that he disturbed court, jury and attorneys.”
While contemporary courtrooms are governed by strict protocols, the sheer human absurdity of a courtroom being derailed by a nap is a reminder that courts have always been public spaces—and occasionally, sites of low-stakes comedy. It highlights the often-overlooked reality of the 19th-century judicial system: it was as much a place for the community to gather as it was for the law to be administered.
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