Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1872-01-04
William Writ.

william Writ.
NY JAMES PARTON.
From the New York Ledger
Bladensburg, in Maryland, near the
Potomac river. was a thriving village
before the Revolutionary %as, having
great trade in exporting tobacco and
importing foreign merchandise, In
this village there was ono tavern kept
by Jacob Writ, = native of Switzerland,
assisted by Henrietta his wife, who
was German: William Writ was the
youngest OF their six childtep, and he
was born in 1772. Besides this tavern,
Jacob Writ possessed some other
property in the place, and he was thus
enabled to maintain his family in plen-
ty, and with some homely comfort. He
died when his son William was two
years of age, leaving IN estate of three
or four Thousand dollars to his Young
family:
Among the frequenters of tho
Bladensburg tavern was lawyer by the
name Of Carnes. During the lifetime
Of the father he had become warmly
attached to the family, and particn-
larly 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 lett her helping hand in
! many ways, advising her about her
property and the education of her chill
dren. When at last the mother died
also, he redoubled his attentions. That
eldest girl was then 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 ahd after seeing his
education well begun, he removed to
Georgia, where he had great success ut
the bar, Soon we find him inviting
Elizabeth 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 education nearer home
And it was all owing to his engaging
qualities. He describes himself as a
pert. lively, saucy and pretty school,
boy, who sang comic songs very we'll,
danced with great agility, and made
smart answers, which, he says, caused
him to be thought "genius." He
does not appear to have been a very
diligent student, but he was extrava-
gantly fond of romantic and humorous
literature.
He we'll remembered the incident
which first suggested to him to try for
the legal profession. His excellent
schoolmaster 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 neighborhooa, we'll known to the
boys, and great favorite with them,
who seemed to them to surpass his
elders in wit and eloquence. Young
Writ admired him extremely, and to
the whole school he appeared to be the
hero of the county.
"Why should we not have court Of
our owna' was the cry, as they trudged
homeward.
It was agreed to: Writ was ap-
pointed 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 cases. One OF
his school.fellows, the son of noted
lawyer and politician, named Benja-
min Edwards, happened to take home
a copy of the rules which Writ had
drawn up for the guidance of the mock
court, to which the author had APP
pended an elegant epistle apologizing
for their imperfections. This produc-
ton young Edwards displayed to the
family; and he extolled in unmeasured
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
son and two nephews preparing for COL
lege, and inviting him to become an
inmate of the family, and direct the
studies of those three young men while
prosecuting his own.
He could not but accept so opportune
IN invitation. He resided in this fam
lily twenty months, winning the cordial
esteem of every member of it, and receiv-
ing from the experienced lawyer the
most useful, paternal, assiduous
guidance in his studies. Forty wears
after, we find him writing to this bene-
factor of his youth in terms of the most
affectionate gratitude. Indeed every
body loved him, and took pleasure in
helping him for he must have been as
handsome, as pleasing, as joyous, as
brilliant young fellow Us ever capti-
waited human affections.
He was twenty years of age. A
friend informed him of an excellent
opening in Culpepper county, Virginia.
and he fastened to seize it, carrying
with him, as he used to say, his whole
library, which consisted of Blackstone's
Commentaries, two volumes of Don
Quixote, and a volume of Tristan
Shandy. Having no case himself,
young Writ went shares in a small
|acause that belonged to friend of his,
who was also to make his first essay.
His friend began by making motion
which, though legal and proper, was
not usual in the courts of that county.
The old lawyers objected, and put their
objections in by no means the most
friendly form. Writ rose indignant at
what he conceived unworthy treatment
"a OCS5AAACAs 1110 4eHIS 1OI8OOK him.
and he defended both the motion and
the mover of it with warmth and firm
ness. He made an excellent speech,
and sustained his point so we'll that one
of the old lawyers of the county came
to the assistance of the young gentle
men, and their motion was granted.
he soon had considerable practice,
married into respectable family, and
made his way in due time to wealth
and renown. The young lawyers in
those days used to ride about on horse
back from court to court, amusing
themselves as they rode with pleading
imaginary causes and other games,
keeping it mp too late at night at the
taverns, over their wine.
Wirt's magnificent display of oratory
at the trial OF Aaron Burr gave him ma
tional celebrity, which led to his ap-
pointment to the Attorney eneralship
OF the United States, which he held
during two administrations, and in
which he acquired solid distinction.
he would have entered the public sep
vice long before, if he could have done
so without sacrificing the interests of
his family, whom he loved with pecu-
liar tenderness and devotion. He died
in 1884, having preserved his buoyancy
OF spirits and all the winning traits Of
his character to his last days. Like so
many others of his countrymen, he was
lured, in his old age, into standing for