(1902) the old bar

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    THE OLD BAR.Address Delivered at the Doy-

    lestown Bar BanquetIN HONOR OF JUDGE HARMAN YERKESUpon the Occasion of His Safe Return from

    Europe, on Tliursday Evening, Sep-tember 35, 1903, by General

    W. W. H. Davis.On the removal of the seat of justice,

    from Newtown to Doylestown, 1813,eight members of the bar came with it,all young men but one. These we callthe pioneer bar, and consisted of thefollowing: Abraham Chapman, admit-ted 1790; Francis B. Shaw, 1800; EnosMorris and William Mcllheny, 1801;llOLlJ-l i' VJA, xoui,' ^iJ-cll/Xijiic j.,j.

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    town, 18i;i-iy2."), there were fifteen a

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    delphia, and diaring the evening, shewas annoyed by a strange, middle agedgentleman constantly looking at her.She complained to her husband, whodemanded an explanation. This hewillingly gave, saying he believed thelady he had been looking at to be hislong lost daughter; that himself andwife were living in the citj'of Mexico,and the mother took the daughter toNew York for medical treatment, thephysician advised . that the young girlbe put to school in the country, andthey came to Doylestown by accident.The daughter found her father, but themother was never heard of. Thesefacts were told me by an intimatefriend of Mr. McDowell. In one ofour county papers, I found the follow-ing marriage notice relating to thiscouple" At the residence of General Graciot, in Washington City, March lo, Ig3 , K. T. McDowell, Esq.,to Miss Caroline Augusta Galvin, both of Doylts-town, Pa."General Graciot was commandant of

    the engineer corps, United StatesArmy, at that time.JUDGE HENRY CHAPMAN.Henry Chapman, the third and last

    of our group of attorneys of 1813-35from his compeers in mental fibre andother qualities. He was not only anable advocate and sound lawyer andschooled in all the intricacies of the pro-fession, but a scholarly man in generalliterature. As a speaker he was calmand deliberate, but forcible, and whenfully aroused was eloquent withoutmaking any pretence to eloquence. Onone occasior I heard him close a case tothe jury for the plaintiff at twilight.The candles and lamps had beenbrought into the old court room tothrow a little light on the .scene, butthe Court and jury were half obscuredby their uncertain flickering. Mr.Chapman was in his best mood, for thecase had won its way to his heart. Theplaintiff was a woman living in theborough, and her character at stake.The jury retired, b' t shortly returned.The room was almost as still as deathwhile the clerk was taking the verdict,for the case had excited deep interest;and, when the foreman announced," We find for the plaintiff |1,000 dam-ages and costs," the sympathizingaudience had their inning despite theCourt's command for '"Silence."Mr. Chapman was fond of politicsand a power in the county; and his

    ate, followed by one in the House ofRepresentatives of the United States,and President Judge of the judicialdistricts of Chester-Delaware andBucks- Montgomery. When Samuel D.Ingham returned home after resigningfrom Jackson cabinet, Mr. Chapmanwas selected to deliver the welcome ad-dress.ANECDOTE ABOUT CHAPMAN.When Chapman was in politics, the

    calling was more picturesque than inthe twentieth century, and some amus-ing scenes were witnessed. One of hismost ardent, personal and politicalfriends was Thomas Hayes, known tosome of you, and also something of awag. One evening Hayes, Oliver P.Lunn, his business partner, and a fewother friends of Mr. Chapman, of thesame coterie, met at what is the pres-ent Fountain House, and, warming upin admiration of their political idol,resolved to pay him a visit and bringhim out for Governor. The Judgethen lived in the house on North Mainstreet, now owned by Mrs. O. P.James. Hayes led the delegation, and,knocking at the door, they were usher-ed into the parlor with due ceremony.The Judge now made his appeal auce511 !J- gS. ^? ^,^roy gj'. -TY eJcome to his visi-tors. After passing the complimentsof the season, Hayes proceeded to busi-ness by making the nominating speech.This abounded in flattering allusionsto the Ju Ige's public and privatecareer, and concluded by pledging thesupport of himself and friends. Hayesrea.sserted his personal loyalty to theJudge, emphasizing it by saying: "Foryou [ can jump up higher, dive downdeeper and come up dryer than anyother man. You are my gallantHarry," and, suiting the action to thewords, Hayes slapped the Judge on theback. The delegation was now bowedout. They who knew the dignifiedcharacter of Judge Chapman, willrealize the ridiculousness of this per-formance without drawing on theimagination. In the evening of hisdays, Judge Chapman indulged in lit-erature and became the author of somevery readable volumes.A BARRISTER'S TRAGIC DEATH.Among the young attorneys of thisperiod was Joseph Hough, admitted1822, who met a sad and violent deathwhile hunting on the mountains nearMauch Chunk, December 9, 1826. Incompany with some friends he was in

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    LIBRfiRY OF CONGRESS

    014 209 825 8near him, nt which hi' cried

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    \ LIBRARY OF CONGRESS014 209 825 8

    Hollinger Corp.pH8.5