Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1873-10-03
NETTING or Thu Bar

At o'clock Wednesday evening the
members Of the legal profession held .
meeting in the Court-house. which was
called to order by Hon. J. M. Hanger, on
whose motion Hon. N. <. Trout. Mayor Of
the city, was chosen Chairman. On mo.
ton Of Mr.. H. B. Niche. Maj. T. G. Ed.
Or was chosen Secretary.
Judge Hugh W. Shelley, who had been
chosen by general consent Of the bar to
draft the resolutions expressing their feel
logs ON the occasion, in introducing them
said, that it was strange that % this beau.
titul day, under this bright sun. with sll
pature smiling, they stood there under the
cloud of one Of the darkest sorrows that ev-
er bad fallen upon the profession. He felt
wholly unable to give expression to bis
feelings and would only read the following
resolutions:
Again are We called together to mourn over
. departed brother. In June last, We met TO
pay the last tribute Of respect and borrowing
Affection to Thomas J. Miohie; and now We
stand appalled, at the announcement tina
John Brown Baldwin is no mere Last night
At half-past nine o'clock. bis spirit tosk its
fight and now his manly form, lying in the
solemn repose Of death, and the memories
which gather At the grave Of the honorable
and beloved dead, are all that remain OF him.
He was born in our midst; he spent here
The happy days Of his boy Wood, and grew up
to vigorous manhood; here he found the
~ife who was the light and joy Of his life;
with young confidence and noble aspirations,
he here FIRST stepped upon the professional
arena where he afterwards gathered so many
honorable distinctions and won SO many TIL
amphs hers he toiled on,rising higher and
higher in the exalted esteem and admiration
of all who watched his career; aad here, As
he would have had it, surrounded by loving
hearts, watched BY fearful eyes, minstsred to
by match less skill, and calmly selfposssssed
he has been gathered to his fathers aud
here will we bury him and in the ceatre
Of this, his native county, shall his memory
be kept green and his name be handed down
from father to son, SO long as tradition shall
pass on tho names of the great and honored
sons of the country.
Col. Baldwin was in the 6fty-fourth year
of his age. He had, as member Of the gen
eral assembly of Virginia, representative IN
the Confederate congress, Inspector General
of Virginia forces 10 1861, Colonel of the
SD Virginia regiment, during the early Pc
riod of the war. and otherwise, occupied hon
orable places of public trust; and all the posts
he ever filled, he left the brighter for his
influence and his presence. He was public
spirited .and specially Virginiau in his feel
ings; and of all Virginia he loved his native
county best and for her wealth and agricul.
tural development and prosperity, he exerted
hi. talents. devoted his time and expended
his means for years past; and At the approach
ing annual meeting Of the County Fair to
be held near this city, many manly GROW
will be saddened by the Thoughts that, he who
was the life and strengsa Of tbs benehcent
enterprise moves no more among the assem-
bed people, to ms ,ire them With good cheer
| and buoyant hopefuluess.
But, it was as the larger, that our brother
shone pre-eminent. We recognized him az
our leader, and with pride we watched his
professional career, widening as he grew old
| er, until his tame had spread over the land
and his reputation had become national; ADD
| so the ancient honor Of the bar IN Virginia
was upheld.
| Endowed by nature with rare attributes
with memory SO tenacious that the most
complicated facts developed by weeks trial
| were retained 10 exact order without memoir
andum or note, with argumentatiye eloquence
| of upeaualled force, blended with playful
humor which made dull things pleasant un-
der its light, wi 4 courage that never tai
tered sense of honor and professional OBJ
legation that never wavered with rectitude
4 of purpose and love of the right and true
never surpassed; with will upconquernblc
| in the discharge of duty, with full devel-
opea manhood, resting upon the solid foua-
dstion of broad common sense: with strength
for every labor, gesius for every emergency.
learning for every case, and persuasive con-
viucing oratory for every tribunal from the
lowest to the highest ia the land-wel may
we have taken pride in his successes and felt
that our bar was uplifted as he rose IN dis
tinctiel, and won for himself tho rank Of the
Chevalier Bayard of his profession.
/ And now the eloquent tongue is silent.
the brave heart is stilled, the merry smile
is gone, the cordial, kindly greeting, is but
rs memory of pleasure that is past the
stay and strength Of many who depended on
him, laid low 1.-THE silver cord is loosed
the Colleen bowl is broken )" and the spirit
of our brother has gone to God Who gave
it; and we are left, in lowiy humility. and
faith and prayer, to bow down before our
Almighsy Father, and say, ozark though
this hour be, We do know that Thou doest
all things we'll"
And, now, With sorrow which ne words
can express, and, with the teuderest sympa-
thy with those who sit weeping within the
darkened circle Of home, where once the
genial nature of our brother shone so bright.
II and joyously, we, the members Of the
Staunton Bar, and other members of the
profession, in attendance upon the Supreme
Court Of Appeals, unite in the following
resolutions:
1. That we have heard of the death Of John
Brown Baldwin with the crushed feelings Of those
who have lost brother, and who realize in his
death. personal afnlction
q That we will not undertake the vain task Of
speaking as it deserves of the loss of such man
to the country at large, to Virginia, whose well
fare and honor were SO dear to him. to his native
county, and this large community, with whom he
was an object of rare confidence, admiration and
love; to our noble profession in which he shone
IS star of the first magnitude; to the home
where his heart was with al its strong affections,
and which always grew brighter as he came to
her. who is now Goods widowed one - words