Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1873-10-07

years had been in the front rank OF those who
practised before it. He would not undertake to
say all that one less afflicted than himself might
say as to the profound learning, the eloquence,
the high principled and honorable bearing, and
the cordial geniality oil the deceased as practi
toner in this Court, and in his intercourse with
the Court and the bar The personal sorrow of
those who knew him so long and so well, words
cannot adequately portray, and he would, there
fore, content himself with making the motion in
accordance with the resolutions submitted.
Remarks of Hon. j. Randolph
Tucker.
May 1T please yomr Honors:
In the presence of the solemn event. which
filed this community with gloom, and has hung
our hearts with the invisible drapery of genu-
inc grief, beg your permission to add few re-
marks to the eloquent resolutions just read, In
testimony of my deep appreciation of the char
acter of one, with whom it was my privilege to
| claim cordial friendship.
Truly it may be said, that a great man this
day has fallen in our Israeli To analyze the ele-
| ments of his mental and moral constitution, and
til us to indicate what it was that made Col. Bald
win so eminent in his day and generation, is
peasngy sad task for friendship to perform
His mind more than any l ever met with,
| combined quickness of apprehension with vigor
| and strength. He seized with great rapidity
upon the strong points of every subject presented
with persistent tenacity and extraordinary power.
The grasp and comprehension of his mind in the
| grapple of debate was wonderful; and no man
met him in argument, who did not feel he was
within Ito adopt phrase he would have used)
| the grip of giant.
| When first saw him, SO years ago, in the
| sports of college days, he struck me as master
| among his comrades. At that time, his powers
had only developed in respectable scholarship,
and had not been manifested in public discussion
with his fellows but these felt the force of his
will, and yielded to the influence of his native
commO sense.
We were separated for many years, laboring
in different fields, and divergent in political views
But when the late civil war broke out, our diff
ferences vanished, and we were in cordial COM
munion of sentimentupon the great issues, which
involved the safety and honor of the Common
wealth.
I have seen him in the counsels of State and
| in the contests of the forum-it was an honored
| privilege to me, that We were friends. have
| known no man in intellectual conflict whose re-
sources were more FERTILE or whose skill and
power in the array of facts, and the application
of general principles to the SUBJ ect of discussion,
were greater than those of Col. Baldwin. His
| intuitive apprehension of the right and justice
of his casehis acute dissection of its constituent
elements; his vigorous grasp of all its strong
| points; his feliciJous humOr and ridicule his
admirable capacity for illustration-his genial
wit; and his indignant invective against base or
mean actions-constituted an armory of weapons
| for debate, which were rarely if ever equalled
| by any of his contemporaries. He welded the
| battle-axe of CeNr de Leon, and the skillful
| sclmtar of Saladin. These varied gifts con-
| stituted genius. though, perhaps, he would not
| have claimed 1t; for his creative faculty, while
fertile in original suggestions, gathered from its
own inherent resources the materials for his use
| in the conduct Of public and forensic affairs was
| the work of the imagination, which is the high
est attribute of true genius, though 1T does not
clothe itself with the drapery of fancy or the
| flowers of Rhetoric.
| His consciousness of his power, gave him
proud self-reiance, which made him fear no foe,
and shrink from no contest. His faith in the in
herent force of his own mind, and its fertility of
resources for every emergency, made him dis
dain artifce in his contests and brave the issues
| of an open field. 1t doubtless operated to make
him attach less value than others to the weight
of authority and the results oflaborOus research
| but it made him, on all questions, involving fun
| damental principles, profound advocate, and
| gave to his arguments, enormous force.
And II his consciousness of power created in
| him. as it did, a large and manifest self-esteem,
it had noble effect upon his relations to Others
| It raised him above the meanness of envy and
| jealousy. and made him incapable of the base
ness of detraction and calumny. No man was
more proud of his own, or more nobly consider
ate of the ability of others. He was generous
| colleague, and magnanimous opponent, His
was a rivalry, which sought success in forensic
conflict by a fair and manly trial of relative
strength, without attem pting to lessen the esti-
|
tribunal for judgment
| The leading moral qualities of Col. Baldwin,
| were an unquestioned courage; an independence
of thought and sentiment which neither feared
| opposition, nor fawned upon power or the popu-
| lace candor which scOrned all duplicity
| manly generosity which ever ready for eve
| ry need; and magnanimity to friends and foes,
which was never abated by an instinct of envy
| or an impulse of revenge.
| AS his mind was large and LIBERAL and his
views large and comprehensive, so was his heart
| full of sentiments OF kindness and benefcence to
| the people among whom his lot cast. His
| public spirit had always been remarkable and
| the yearn1ng of his soul for the PROMOTION of the
prosperity and honor of his city, bis county, his
State, and his country was generous and unextn-
| guishable
No wonder his friends and his people mourn
| his loss. Take him for all in ali, when shall
| we look upon his like again? Who shall fill the
breach made in our ranks by his fall? Who will
| meet the demands of our sad times, which his
patriotism and his intellect supplied?
| May the Great Father of mercies bless this aw-
| full dispensation of His Providence to his pro-
| fessional brethren, upon the Bench and at the
Bar, and to his loving people; And may the
God of consolation assuage the fresh and flowing
grief of the tenderly loving and gentle heart,
which He has sadly widow ed.
At the conclusion of the address of Hon. j.
Randolph Tucker, the highly venerated Judge
r. G. l., Moncure, President of the Court of APP
peas, with voice tremulous with strong emo
ton, paid an eloquent and feeling tribute to the
eminent worth of Col Baldwin as a man, cti-
zen. patriot, and lawyer He spoke in terms
of the highest praise of his legal attainments,
high personal character, and the entire absence
of selfshness in his disposition. He spoke of his
distinguished services to the State before the war,
during the war, and since the war. Under all
circumstances he had been true and faithful
patriot loving his native State with all the ardor
Of his great soul. The Judges remarks were de-
livered in tones of deep feeling, and great emo
ton was exhibited by all persons present.
The Court made an order to have thepreamble
and resolutions entered of record, and for the
members of the court to attend the funeral in
body and to wear the usual badge of mourning
for thirty days, whereupon the court adjourned
70 the day.
THE FUNERAL.
The funeral of Jno B. Baldwin was one of the
most numerously attended which has ever occur
red in this city. The houses of business were
closed from II to l O. clock on Thursday. The
church was crowded before the procession left
the residence of the deceased. The procession
from the house to the church was composed of
the Judges of the Court of Appeals, members of
the bar in attendance upon that Court, as well
as the members of the Bar of this place, the rel
atives of the deceased, followed by number of
old family servants, and large number of citi-
zens After the reading of part of the beauti-
full burial service of the Episcopal Church by