Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-12-29
For the Sunday Appeal
LAWYER LIFE IN THE OLDEll
TIME.

Now nearly forty years ago, when tn
writer of this first came to Memphis
there were only four or five lawyer
here. These, as well az can be remem
bered, were Robertson Topp, Sell
| Wheatley, r. G. McAlpen and p. q
Gaines. Soon afterward, however, 9th
er hOnored names were added. Som,
seven years subsequently my humbL
name became one of the number. Sine
| that time have seen around me fall a
| bright luminaries of the law as eve
graced that honorable profession-mel
OF profound learning, rare talents ant
captivating OratOry, whose social quail
| ties, too, were of the most winning an(
attractive character. Able as is tn,
Memphis bar of to-day, / deem it NJ
displacement to it to say that those o
/ ii Of the past were at least the equals o
| those of the present. 1t has often oc
CURED to me that there was wanting
that social intercourse, that fraternity
OF feeling, that brotherhood of the bal
| IF may so call it,, which character
lied the profession in its earlier days
True, there may be some apology fol
this ia the fact that We art
now a city, and must needs pu'
on city ways. There ought, however, Il
be more of this sOciability than there Is
The daily routine of lawyers duties
nowadays is, so soon as he dispatches 6
hurried breakfast and hastily looks Ovel
the morning papers, to betake himself tC
the courts, there to be laboriously en-.
gagged al day; and perhaps at nightfall
fortified with a file of papers and ar
armful of laW-bOOks, proceeds, with
these forbidding equipments, to invade
even the sacred sanctuary of hearth anC
home. How different in the Olden time.
when Raleigh was cur county town anc
half a dozen counties our circuit; wher
that most excellent man and upright
Judge whom we but the other day buried
VIM. c. DunlaS-was on the bench o.
half the counties in West Tennessee.
Why, it would have been actually re-
freshing to the lawyer of to-day, who
daily tramps the tOilsOme treadmill o.
professional life, to have seen the way
we worked it some twenty-five or thirty
years ago; to have seen such grand law
yers and glorious companions as w
T. Brown, Granville d. Searcy, Edwin
NJ. Yerger. Thomas J. Turley, Levin
II. Coe, D. NJ. Curtin, and others
God bless their memories, together
with John P. CarutheTs, T. S. Ayres,
II nry G. Smith, and more that might
mention land may not modestly add
q Bld0nuH pdrsfui?u which rendered
into the English of that time meaps 6
~ great part of whom L was which ny
I say It would have been actually re.
freshing to have seen us all starting
off some Sunday morning on horseback
70 the courts, and in the language of the
4 Ia 10 rs Cd
as the law directs" And what do you
suppose this equipment consisted of
Why, pair of saddlebags, with bottle
OF whisky in one end and clean shirt
or two in the other. Not those common
black bottles, either, but those Old-fash-
Toned TASKS, with the Father Of oul'
Country stamped upon one side and the
eagle bird of liberty on the Other-fl-
emblems of our patriotism. And wherti
do YOU suppose we were bound for the
first night? AT that good old time there
CHANGED to live about halfway
between Memphis and Somervillsi
most excellent type of ar.
old Virginia gentleman named Sam
Leak (the father, by the by, of one o.
our worthy Senators elect. Now Col
onel Leak, besides setting a frst-rate
table, always had on hand an icehoust.
Of his own, together with good whisky.
fresh meat, and a most faithful and ae..
complished servant named Peter whose.
duty it was to spread these refreshing
evidences of Old Virginia hospitality SC
soon as he saw crowd of hungry and
thirsty lawyers riding up. Was it any
wonder, then, that we should always seek
shelter at this most popular place of en-.
tertainment2 It was a perfect frolic
then. That was before the innovation
of railroads and telegraphs.
Once we thought we would vary our
usual mode of travelling and try a steam
boat. We had to go to the Supreme
Court at Jackson. Hatchie river was
then Eavigated by pretty good-sized
steamboats, as high up as Bolivar. ]
have indeed seen boats bring out as
high as twelve or fifteen hundred bales
of cotton at a trip. So we made up
party of some four or five to go that
way. The patty consisted of Ed. Yerger,
Dave, Cuyrin, Lon Daniel and the
writer, besides Dick Baugh, afterward
for many years Mayor of the city. This
was to US a memorable trip, with some
incidents worth mentioning. We took
passage on the good steamboat, PitseI
Miller. | shall never forget that just as
we were starting down to the boat, we
we're approached by Judge Barry, an
old lawyer of that day, of rare accom-
plishments and excellent wit. "Gen.
ilemen," said Judge Barry, 81 see you
are going to Jackson by the river. Now,
| do not know how it will be with YOUR
selves, but ] can tell you how it has al
ways been with me. Whether to at
tribute il to the tortuOus windings ofthe
stream, or the villainOus liquor they
always had on board, I never landed at
Estinaula sober in all my life.n Esti-
nauIa was the landing where we debark-
ed for Jackson. So we all got regularly
booked en- board for Etinaula, with a
crowd Of passengers for all points be-
tween Memphis and Bolivar. Before
Randolph, however, the cholera
broke out on board, and at that place
we had perfect stampede of
passengers, all leaving the boat
10 pursue their journey as best they
could across the country. So great was
he panic, that / do not think a single
remained but OR little party,
and the innocent cause of the sudden
ilarm-an old gentleman by the name
If Parker, who lay in his stateroom
stricken down with that dread disease.
We ministered to him as best we could
and l never shall forget poor Yerger's
going to the barkeeper and asking him
( ne had any good brandy. (He wanted
t for the sick man az should say
lad!" said the barkeeper. "for it cost
ne six-bits a gallon at Memphis" Not
ong after leaving Randolph, however,
,ur patient died. We dressed and laid
i'm out, the carpenter constructed q
IeceHt coffin. the captain landed the
,oat at the first high bank above over
low, and with our own hands we buried
his old man, to US stranger.
Silently and sOiemnly We returned to
he boat, and to dissipate the serious
less of so sad a ceremony, we got up a
title game of "draw," which was pro-
eeded with becoming diligence during
he remainder of our passage. Aside
rom the cholera, the crooked river and
he ''six-bits" brandy, we had quite an
Enjoyable trip, and landed at our place
4 destination in pretty good order and
condition. OF all this party, the writer
md Mr.. Baugh alone remain, and Of those
Who left the boat at Randolph, the only
living one now remembered, is Judge |
". Z. Bond, of Brownsville.
1t is pleasing, aud may not be un-
profitable to reeur occasionally to these
,arlier incidents of lawyer life. Surely, |
would not be Improbable did it tend |
n any degree to beget in the profession
If to-day a more social feeling. 1 would 4
lot have the cultivation of this more So
,ial intercourse confined alone to my
,wn profession, but would gladly see it |
more than it does, all profess
ions and avocatiOns II there be to us
/ fault, either az individuals or as a COM
nunity, must say that fault is lack |
If social Intercourse. Let me bespeak,
hen, for it, at least among the menu