Clearfield Republican. [volume] (Clearfield, Pa.) 1851-1937, 1858-09-08
3f(istGllantOus.
Character of Chief Justice Gibson.
BY hon. wM. A. PORTER.
[ Extract from his c,alogy on Judge Glib
son, p. l07.

His manner of reaching his conclusions,
and writing his opinions was we'll known.
1t is believed he took little part in the
consultations of the bench, communica-
ting his views usually in short, detached
sentences, sometimes not at all, but when
he did, hitting the exact point, and diff.
in question. When appointed to deliver
Il opinion, he generally made an exam
ination of the authorities, and sometimes,
it must be admitted, too briefan examina-
ton. His habit was then to think chiefly
without the aid of his pen, and out of the
reach of books He did this in his cham
Der, on the street, at the table, sometimes
on the bench during the progress of other
causes, and not unfrequently in the pub
lie room Of his hotel. Persons who ap-
preached him on these occasions. were
struck with, and sometimes offended at
his abstract and careless air. To those
who knew what he was doing, he frequent
w complained of his difficulty in deter
mining on what principles to pitch the
without mentioning it particularly.
He did all the labor of thought before he
commenced to write, and he never wrote
until he got ready. Before he began the
very sentences were formed in his mind,
and when he assumed the pen, he rarely
laid it aside until the opinion had been
completed. The bold, beautiful, and legi-
BILE character of his handwriting, and its
freedom from erasure, induced those who
read his opinions in manucript, to suppose
that he transcribed them, but this was
rarely, if ever done--he had too little
time, and too much horror of the pen to
attempt it. Such q method of writing
undoubtedly possessed great advantages.
1t gave his fine logical powers full play
1t contributed to that condensation which
forms one of the distinctive features ofhis
writings. 1t enabled him to proceed with
directness right to his conclusion, and to
make every thing point to it from the first
sentence TO the last. No repetition oc-
ours. We see each idea but once, and
need not count on even seeing a shadow
of it, more than once. Having always
something to do ahead, the pen spent no
more time on the thought in hand than
was necessary to complete it. He knew
precisely where he had to end before be-
ginning, and he avoided all difficulties of
those writer's who began to write when
they begin to think and sometimes before
il, and who produce works resembling,
for the most part, the patchwork embla-
zoned on the best beds of German house.
keepers, and giving evidence not to be
mistaken, Of the exact places at which they
have been joined, and Of the diverse and
heterogeneous materials out Of which they
have been composed. The most casual
reader of Judge Gibson's opinions must
have observed how seldom he processes to
give any history of the decided cases, and
how invariable he puts the decision upon
some leading principle Of the law, refer,
ing but to few cases Cor the purpose of
Illustration, or to show their exception to
the general rule, and how all this is done
with the ease and skill which betoken the
hand OF a master.
As jurist, Judge Gibson was ardently
attached to the principles of the common
law. His love of them beams in his wri-
tings as affection will beam in the human
countenance. He not only looked on
them with the admiration OF an artist, as
symmetrical and beautiful parts Of great
fabric, but he regarded them as the best
rampant which the common sense of man
kind has yet thrown up against the dos-