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

Illustrated in his conduct and character.
As man Of intellect, he was almost unrivall-
ed. His talents were of the most varied char
acter. AS logical reason, he had no superior
in the State, and when he had occasion, in the
course Of his practice, to vindicate injured iu-
nocence, he often rose to the highest fights of
lmpassioned eloquence. While the battle axe of
the lion-hearted Richard. seemed to be his ap-
propriate weapon, yet he welded with singular
grace and effectiveness, the polished cimeter of
Saladin. His Intellectual armory seemed stored
with every weapon that could be useful in the
encounters OF the hastings or the forum Wit,
humor, anecdote, ridicule, sarcasm, denuncia-
ton and pathos, seemed to be stored away in his
capacious mind, ready to come at his call.
AS lawyer, Col. Baldwin was profoundly
versedin all its broad philosophy, and thorough
y familiar with its precedents Few men loved
so much to discuss their cases on the great princ
pies OF equity and justice which were involved
In them, but, when it become necessary. there
was no one who displayed keener PERCEPTION
of nice distinctions or reader capacity 10 avail
himself Of minute technical points. In his con-
duct at the bar, while he was always firm, de-
cided, and tenacious of the rights of his client,
he was uniformly courteous to his opponents, and
never INDUCED in wanton assaults on the feel
ings of parties or witnesses. He went as far as
duty required him to go, but not one step far
Their.
In private life, Col. Baldwin was ahectionate,
tender and true. His nature was generous al
largely than he, in proportion to his means, to
every benevolent object. He was especially
the friend of deserving young men, and was al
ways willing and ready to lend them helping
| hand. His house was the seat of elegant hos
pitality, and even when sorely afflicted, as be
has been for some years part, by local disease,
he seemed never to forget any duty, public,
professional, social, or personal, which devolved
upon him.
He has gone from us forever This great
intellectual light has been extinguished This
great fountain of charity has been dried up i
His manly form will no longer be seen among
us! His bright example is Withdrawn from
US! We shall no longer be instructed by bis
wisdom, or inspired by his eloquepce! But the
fragrance Of his virtues and the memory of his
talents, his learning and character, still survive
to stimulate the rising generation to follow in
his footsteps, and endeavor to win for them
selves such spotless name as John Brown
Baldwin has left as heritage to his family.
MEETING OF sTAUNToN BAR.
at a meeting of the members of the Staunton
bar, in which other members of the profession,
including the Judges of the Supreme Court OF
Virginia and the circuit court of Augusta partci-
pated, held in the court house at clock, p. M,
on Wednesday, on motion of Marshall Hanger,
Esq, Mich. K. Trout, ESQ.,, was called to the
chair. and Maj. Thos. G. Elder appointed secre-
tary.
Judge Hugh W. Sheffey presented the follow
inn preamble and resolutions, prefacing them
with some appropriate and eloquent remarks:
Again are we called together to mourn over q
departed brother. In June last, we met to pay
the last tribute of respect and sorroWing affection
| to Thomas j. Niche; and now we stand appall-
| ed at the announcement that John Brown Bald
win is no more. Last night at half past nine
o'clock, his spirit took 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 ali that re-
| main of him He was born in our midst; he
| spent here the happy days of his boyhood, and
| grew up to vigorous manhood; here he found the
wife 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 dis.
| tinctions and won so many triumphs here he
| toied on rising higher and higher in the exalt-
ed esteem and admiration of all who watched his
career; and here, as he would have had it, sur
rounded by loving hearts watched by fearful
eyes, mnistered to by matchless skill, and calm
| ly selfpossessed he has been gathered to his
| fathers; and here will we bury him; and in the
centre of this, his native county, shall his me;
| mory be kept green and his name be handed
down from father to son, so long tradition shall
| pass on the names Ofthe great and honored sons
of the country.
Col Baldwin was in the fifty fourth year of his
age. He had, as member of the general assembly
| OF Virginia, representative in the Confederate
congress, Inspector General Of Virginia forces in
1861, Colonel Of the SD Virginia regiment, dur
| ing the early period of the war, and otherwise
| occupied honorable places of public trust; and
oil the posts he ever filed, he left the brighter
| lie spirited and specially Virginian in his feel.
| ings; and of all Virginia he loved his native
county best; and for her wealth and agricultural
development and prosperity, he exerted bis tai
| ents, devoted his time and expended his means
! for years past and at the approaching annual
meeting of the County Fair to be held near this
| city, many manly brow will be saddened by
| the thoughtthat he who was thelfe and strength
| of the benefcent enterprise, moves no more a
| mong the assembled people, to inspire them with
| good cheer and buoyant hopefalness.
But it was as the larger, that our brother
shone pre-eminent. We recognized him as our
| leader, and with pride we watched his profess
| sional career, widening she grew older, until
| his fame had spread oyer the land and his repu-
| tation had become national; andsso the ancient
honor of the bar in Virginia was upheld.
Endowed by nature with rare attributes, with
| memory so tenacious, that the mostcompiicated
| facts developed by weeks trial were retained
in exact order without memorandum or note,
with argumentative eloquence of unequalled
force, blended with play ful humor which made
dull things pleasant under its light, with a cour-
age that never faltered, sense of honor and
professional obligation that meyer wavered, with
a rectitude of purpose and love Of the right and
true never surpassed with will uncomfortable
in the discharge of duty, with full developed
manhood, resting upon the solid foundation of
broad common sense; with strength for every
labor genius for every emergency, learning for
every case, and persuasive, convincing Oratory
for every tribunal, from the lowest to the high
est in the land-Well may we have taken pride
in his successes and felt that bar was uplift-
ed as he rose in distinction. and won for himself
the rank of the Chevaer Bayard of his profess
sOn
Andnow the eloquent tongu is silent the brave
heart is stilled, the merry smile is gone, the
dial, kindly greeting, is butas memory of plea
sure that is past; the stay and strength Of many
who depended On him, laid low; the silver cord
is loosed the golden bowl is broken," and the
spirit of our brother has gone to God Who gave
and prayer, to bow down before our Almighty
Father, and say dark though this hour be, we
do know that Thou doest all things we'll"
And now. with sorrow which no words can