The aegis & intelligencer. [volume] (Bel Air, Md.) 1864-1923, 1872-03-01
WILLIAM WRIT.
BY JAMES PARTON.

Bladensburg, in Maryland, near the Po-
tomac river, was thriving village before
the Revolutionary war, having great trade
in exporting tobacco, and in importing for
eign merchandise. In this village there
was one tavern, kept by Jacob Writ, a ma
tive of Switzerland, assisted by Henrietta,
his wife, who was a German. William
Writ was the youngest of their six chill
dren, and he was born in 1772. Besides
this tavern Jacob Writ possessed some 9TH
er property in the place, and he was thus
enabled to maintain his family in plenty,
and with some homely comfort. He died
when his son William was two years ofage,
| leaving the estate of three or four thousand
dollars to his young family.
Among the frequenters of the Bladens-
burg tavern was lawyer by the name of
Carnes. During the lifetime of the father,
he had become warmly attached to the fam
lily, and particularly to two members of it
tho eldest daughter, twelve years of age,
and this pretty, amusing little William,
aged two. When the landlord died, and
the whole care of the house fell to the land
LADY, he lent her a helping hand in many
way, advising her about property and the
education of her children. When at last
the mother died also, he re-doubled his at
tentions. That eldest daughter was then
a beautiful and blooming girl of eighteen,
and it is evident that he already looked
upon her as his future wife, He sent the
boy to Latin school, and then after see
ing his education well begun, he removed
to Georgia, where he had great success at
the bar. Soon we find him inviting Eliz-
abeth Writ and her brother to come to
Georgia, and live with him. The young
lady accepted the invitation, and became
his wife; but the boy had found other
friends, and saw an opening to an educa-
ton near home.
And it was all owing to his engaging
qualities. He describes himself as a pert,
lively, saucy and pretty schoolboy, who
sang comic songs very well, danced with
great agility, and made smart answers,
which, he says, caused him to be thought
"a genius" He does not appear to have
| been very diligent student, but he was
extravagantly fond of romantic and humor-
Gus literature.
He well remembered the incident which
first suggested to his mind to try for the
legal profession. His excellent school-mas-
ter was in the habit of taking his pupils
to attend the sessions of the County Court
four miles distant from the school. Among
the advocates was popular and brilliant
young man of the neighborhood, well
known to the boys, and great favorite
with them, who seemed to them to surpass
his elders in wit and eloluenee. Young
Writ admired him extremely, and to the
whole school he appeared the hero of the
county.
"Why should we not have court of
our own ~ was the cry, as they trudgcd
homeward.
1t was agreed to, Writ was appointed to
draw up the rules He was the hero of
this juvenile forum, and it was there that
he acquired the taste for legal pursuits.
The part he took in that school-boy court
led him directly to real courts and real ca
ses. One Of his school-fellows, the son of
noted lawyer and politician, named Ben
jamin Edwards, happened to take home q
copy of the rules which Writ had drawn
up for the guidance of the mock court, to
which the author had appended an elegant
epistle apologizing for their imperiections.
This production young Edwards display
ed to the family; and he extolled in UNI
measured terms the eloquence and gayety
OF the author. His father read the rules,
and was much struck with their humor and
spirit. He wrote to Writ, then fifteen years
OF age, telling him that he had two neph-
ews and son preparing for college, and