The New York herald., 1870-04-26
UNITED STATES SUPREME JUDGES
The Court, Robing and Conference Rooms
Judicial Toga and Helps The Labori.
GUS C0lOred Attendants-Pen and
Ink Sketches OF the Chief JUS
tice and His Associates.

tice and His Associates.
WARRINGTON. d. c., April %, 1870.
visit to the court room OF the highest judiciary
IL one OF the prime items the tablet of Washing
ton sight seeing. At eleven the daily session OF the
court opens and often continues until three in the
afternoon. The entrance is IN quite an obscure par
Of the old Capitol, owing to defective illumination
The oce Of the United States Supreme Court Marshal
Is well advertised. which furnishes clue to the
trance Of tie court room. dusky porter sits In
The gloom by the door and facilitates In feeble
ner your entrance. This dusky porter Ii decidedly
character In his way. he has very high apprecIa.
tion OF personal ease. From nine O'Clock IN the
morning until three four In the afternoon he sits
on the self same stool leaning up against the wall,
aud holding In his right hand string which is az
tached TO the knob OF the court room door,
HIS duty ls to pull this string whenever
any desires TO enter and to let the door slide
back easily. This heavy duty he performs with the
most heroic energy during court hours, and rarely Is
his hand found detached from che string save wnen
some sable beauty comes along and engages him In
Irritation. An inner door OF glowing vermiIlion a,
with oval windows allows one glimpse OF the lnte-
rl0r before another porter or d00rkeeper inside
white mani pulls 1t aiar, also by means OF string,
and motions you, II well dressed. to seat on the
right OF the room.
'Peece and quiet and iegai words" and char
mony,n as the Splritualsts say, characterize the
atmosphere. Visitors are very TRANSIENT entering
and departing quietly and rarely stopping longer
than i've or ten minutes The judges are looked
over, the general appearance of the room noted, and
there is not much to interest unless you happen 70
be interested in the case the lawyer Is arguing or IN
terested IN the attorney himself
THE COURT ROOM
u In the form OF semi-circle ana lighted mostly
from the top ny means OF large seml-circular
window, followed around by row Of small round
windows The rest OF the roof is finished in square
sections. ornamented with quatrefoil designs in
stucco. The m0nOtOny OF the side walls IL relic 7ed
by pilasters Of Maryland conglomerate, with orna-
mental entablatures. On brackets OF marble are
busts Of John Jay, the first Cnlef Justice; or the
noble head CT John Rulledge the second; the strong
face OF Oliver Ellsworth. and the Keen. intense
strongly marked one OF John Marshall the Iourtn
Ohlef Justice ianey pronounced IaWney) has not
yet been added
carpctlng OF CRIMSON orange and wood col0rs, pro-
ducn9 a aecidedly cheerful appearance. The seats
are upholstered with crimson, ana the iron palng
dividing the judges from the lawyers Is hung win
CRIMSON curtains. On the slightly elevated roStru,
all III row, with the Cnief justice III the centre slt
Jhe Judges In comfortably stuffed cnairS. Back OF
them Is row OF naroie pillars supporting small
gallery. la front OF them II range OF desks. Back
Of the Cbier Justice ID crimson canopied door,
above which sw0ops the American eagle, done up IN
gold bronze.
THE CONFERENCE ROOM
Is considerably removed and mas a pleasant, arched
interior, with the walls hung wlth gray paper,
dotted over with gold and rose. A handsome carpet
covers the door, and CRIMSON lambrequlns snaue the
windows. Here are quantities OF StaJe reports, III
eXceIlenI binding, for reference. The judges con-
ve0e In this room on Saturdays for conference. 1t
Is kept In order by colOfet man, Henry Grown.
better known as "Uncle Henry" who has been there
since Marshalls time, ana mas distinct recollection
faces s very well. Dar was General smith ana Ad.
miral Cochran, who pedded PIES tryln' TO spy, you
see lie comes TO our house, out we had plenty OF
pies. Dat was at Mrs. Dxs, down near Marlborough.
was seventeen yahr old when the British came to
WasblngtOn.n
or reception room is seryiceabiy furnished with an
open re and row OF tables, on which are wax can
des standing In sticks, reminding one ol more pous
devOtionS tnan probably there occur. In anterOOm
prefxed to this are row Of pegs. on winch hang
the robes, when not yielding added dimensions TO
the already generous proportions or their wearers
Is may be considered sacrlleglous to make fun Of
these gowns, but they look wonderfully like the
shreds OF antique orders In our exceedingly modern
and American way OF doing things. have yet to
see the man who ADDS 10 himself any dignity, or
beauty, manlness, or aweness, or gravity by the
assumption OF tOggery thSL smacks OF feminlnlty.
have most lmplOus desire to make window cur
tans OF the lace rODes OF priests ana refine last
winters cloak with their great sprawllng black
ones. Then 1t ts q most runny sight TO see
priest or a Judge walk across the .rostrum
with his knees ana nees seducing his limp skirt
our Presadent requires no such relic OF ancient days
10 endOw hlm WIN magsterial dignity II Is ludlc-
rous, 10 say the least to dress up the judges ke SO
many old grandmother. These gowns are OF
good quality OF black silk, cut with small pointed
yoke, into which " gathered with mucn depth Of
very large and loose caught together at the top
with plating OF cord. But II these robes we're Tor
s
who mas watched over them for thirty years and ls
still 'going."
\ or THE JUDGES
as . whole, possess great gravity Of demeanor.
Ihey look solemn and responsible learned ana wlse'
which mas such an oppressive effect on che benolder.
Chlef Justice Chase Is the central attraction, both
from his present 0nicia position and the numerous
prominent ones ne held prior to this. Vita ms
and sitting IN the Dadly falling hgnt Of the court
room, he realizes IN no sense lhe idea Q stranger
has formed OF him from pictorial and newspaper
strigIngly handsome man. HIS features are too
small and regular for tnat But he has noble
bright o pair Of blue eyes LOOK out as You could
hope TO ind IN Q schO0lboy. He is quite Dad.
but looks hale and vigorous In his library
where he Is seen ut his best. He 10 social
very KIND In ms manners, natural and
wholly unaffected. II you are young you think 1t
must be nice to have such father. lie keeps house
with his unmarried daughter, Nettie, In q plain
brick house, nelghpOr to Secretary Creswell's, on
street. senator ana Mrs. Kate Chase Sprague for
some time resided there and not until recently has
Miss Chase assumed the entlre charge her fathers
house. Ii need hardly be added that she acqults
self 10 the gratiicatOn OF her trends, the Chief
Justices mansion is well and tasteiuly furnished,
wltnOut any show Of extravaganza. 1t quite pos
sble tnat the Chief Justice reaped no large financial
profits from the emoluments OF various POSITIONS
OF trust. HIS library ls quite extensive, lining two
sides Of the room, xcept space over the mantel
devoted TO engravings OF men, one OF which is fine
one OF Lincoln, and one OF his uncle Right Reverend
Pnllander Chase. At one end OF the room Is 1ue
marble bust Of himself. made by Jones, Cincin-
natl SCULPTOR during MS gubernatoral term In Onlo
The library opens from the lett side Of nall Is
lighted from both ends, and is his working room.
On sunday he occupies pew in the Metropolitan
Methodist church, while his daughter worsn1ps gC
81. Johns Episcopal. He spends the summer with
his children upon the mountains Of South Carolina,
where Senator Sprague has charming place. He
was born IN New Hampshire In 1908, and removed
to OHIO when twelve years OF age where his educa.
ton was superintendec by his uncle, Bishop Chase.
People are familiar with the history Of salmon
Portland Chase, man whose record as teacher,
author lawyer, Senator Governor, Secretary Of the
Treasury, and finally Chief Justice Is something for
the nation as well as the man, to be proud Of.
.n .st.a SAMUEL NELSON.
AZ the right OF the Chief Justice sits Justice Nelson
the oldest Of the judges He was born IN 1892 IL
native OF New YORK, and has been Judge OF the
supreme Court since 1916, having been appointed Dy
L