Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1872-11-07
Personal Recollections of Mr.. Seward.

A gentleman OF this City, VINO has
been an intimate friend of Mr.. Seward
since 1888, whose acquaintance with
Mr.. Stewards public life dates beyond
Senatorial District represented by Mr..
Seward in the New York Legislature
for some years prior to that-has de-
tailed to us in conversation some inter
esting personal recollections outside the
personal biographies of Mr.. Seward,
which are presented without any effort
to make connected narrative.
Mr.. Stewards father, Mr.. S. S. Seward,
of Florida, Orange county, N. Y, was
very wealthy man. He made at one
time will which left the whole of his
large property to William 81. On learn
ing this fact, Mr.. Seward persuaded his
father to make new viii, by which the
other children were sharers equally in
the distribution of his property. Among
other public bequests made under the
new will, he gave $4,000 for the estab-
lishment of a seminary at Florida,
adapting the old homestead to the pur-
pose, with additions of suitable char
acter. William III. executed the trust
with great liberality. Some of his
friends demonstrated with him for ap-
pointing principal who was Presby-
terian, he being a strict Episcopalian
Mr.. Seward replied that his object was
to obtain the best teacher he could pro-
cure, and he refused to consider the OBJ
lection. The trustees of the fathers
es ate distributed 81, 100000 before the
entire business was closed up.
Mr.. Seward held that, as an advocate,
he had no right to refuse TO defend any
case brought to him. He was conse-
quently employed frequently in cases of
speech he made in court was in the
Hudson river bridge case, in 1858. For
some years previous he had been en-
ployed as counsel of the New York
Central road. Erastus Corning had
opposed Mr.. Seward until he found that
his transcendent ability made it almost
necessary to employ him. They were
always personal friends.
One of the celebrated cases with which
Mr.. Seward was connected was the
Freeman case" Freeman had been a
convict in the Auburn Peniten tiary.
Soon after his discharge he killed three
persons at one house, as fast as they
came to him at the door. The people
were exceedingly outraged by the muir
der, and in almost any other commu-
nifty in this country he would have been
lynched. A Universalist minister and
Mr.. Seward to defend the wretch. He
was overrun with business and at first
declined, but gave way finally. The
trial occupied a month. The Prosecu-
ting Attorney was assisted by John Van
Buren,, then Attorney General. The
Judge and jury were opposed to the
prisoner from the beginning, and he was
refused change of venue. A CONVICTION
followed. Mr.. Seward held that the
man was Insane, made so by i'll treat
ment while in prison. He then appeal
ed to the Governor (Silas Wright) to sus-
pend sentence until points could be car
ried to the Supreme Court. This was
refused. Mr.. Seward then sought out
one of the Judges of the Supreme Court
and argued the case in chambers. A
writ of supersedeas was granted and a
new trial ordered.
All this time there was a great clamor
kept up against Seward, but so sure was
he that justice had not been done that
he kept on his way steadily. After his
return, ,Ihe prevailed upon the Judge who
had tried the case to visit Freeman in
prison. The Judge was astounded to
find that the prisoner was unmistakably
insane and in a dying condition. He
was much affected, and, turning to Mr..
Seward, said: "Mr. Seward, you were
right, and we were all wrong; the man
shall never be tried again." Soon after
ward Freeman died, and post mortem
developed the fact that his brain was
almost destroyed by disease. This case
added much to Stewards fame, both as
lawyer and just man in the end,
though it had made him excessively
unpopular for a time. His defense of
Freeman was pronounced by Gladstone
the ablest defense in the English Ian
guage. An English gentleman said,
You forget Huskisson." Gladstone
replied, 81 do not forget-there is moth
ing in the English language equal to
the defense" The defense was without
fee-Coh1m61ls Journal.