Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1874-02-19

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der vese hssgine over hin kesd; sad h
had besn for nonths . fugitive from jus.
tice. But be bore himself on this oecas.
ion uiih . eoolness and dignity that ex.
eited nnivesssi sdsirssinu. He esndus.
ted the trial. ~ ss editor of the day 70.
marked. with the dignity and impsrti.
al'ty Of ~ sngsl, bat with the ,risOs Of {
devil" e1 : m44a If .ita -zsr-s Sssa
The working mss osthis trisl, !, he vhcs<
exertions decided the issue. VISA LntheI
Msrsin. He vas not only friend .sssd
fellow-ei,isen Of Judge Chase. bat he
sympaihised with him in politics 10 the
uttermost. Martin wss m infusi.ts Fed.
crslist, or, rs jefferson once called him,
ga Federal bull-dog;" and he threw him
self into the defence with . .mixturs nj
lic0olpess and impsiussity.s Of .paasiaaaAs
I.na1t 50 qsiss dsssssis5 sansls.isss .
Isslier 70 bimselt. Esgy sIeci6eation hs
sifted to the bottom, and exhausted eve
~ argument tending to refute il. For
four weeks. during which the trial lasted,
he wss always in his placc-prompt. in
defaiigable, vigilant. 1t was unques,ion-
ably he who secured the Judges ncqnittal.
Many OF the charges were, distinctly
proved. but on no one of them vas he
condemned by two-thirds9 vote. which
the laws require. He was at once con.
vicied and acquitted.
Two years after. Aaron Burr himself
was on trial at Richmond. He remem-
bered the great services Of Luther Mar
tin. and secured his assistance for his own
defence. Into this service also Martin
entered with zeal due more 20 his hatred
Of Jefferson than to his love of Burr; and
for six months he abandoned all his other
cases. and devoted himself heart, soil,
aud purse to the deliverance of bis client.
lie became one Of Burr's sureties, and
took the opportunity to declare in open
court that he was glad to have this oppor-
tunity to give public proof of his conf
denc in Col. Burrs honor, and Of his con-
victiOB that he was an honest man. The
vehcmcnce Of some Of his harangues at
tha. trial. as we'll rs their indecency was
most remarkable. On one occasion he
said that the President and his Catine:
were ''bloodhounds hunting Burr with
keen and savage thirst for blood" His
fury against j, ff.rson was such ~ to ex-
cite the suspicion in the Presidents mind
that he was cot Burr's sccomplices.
The truth is. however. that strong drink
tends to destroy all soundness and mod
Grafton Of Judgment. aud at this time there
never was a waking hour when he was not
under the influence Of it. Burr was ac-
quilted; and to no man was he % much
indebted for the escape as to Luther Mar
tin: This was Burr's own opinion, shown
both BY words aud deeds.
Luther Martin was G3 years Of age when
he retired with flying colors from Burr's
trial ut Richmond. From this time his
downward career was more rapid; and
yet, such was the strength Of his eoasti-
tuition. that he continued to practice with
success. though not with the FIRST distinc-
,i"n. for ten years after. AS late even as
1919 be was employed in important caus-
es with the first lawyers of Maryland.
Chief Justice fancy used to relate that he
was engaged with Martin on an import
aut cause in Hagerstown. 20 miles dis
tan,; and yet they were obliged to set off
in stage coach the evening before. Ev-
cry time they changed horses, which was
every Eve miles. Martin would drink. He
drank whiskey when he could get it; and
when he could not. he drank ale; and il
be could get nothing else he would drink
buttcrmilk
On reaching Ilagerstown the two law
yers took supper. and Taney told Martin
that as soon rs he had smoked cigar and
rested little. he would go to his room
aud examine the case with him. At elev-
en- O'clock he went to Martins room and
found him dead asleep. lying across the
bed. With. his hat and al his clothes on
except one boot He tried 10 wake him
in vain. Taney went 70 his own room.
and studied the case nearly ell night he
fore going to court the next morninghe tried
Martins door. found it locked. and went
to court thinking that he would have to
rely on his own efforts for the manage
ment Of the cause. But. just in the nick
! Of time. as the case was called, in walked
Martin in the perfect possession of his fac
ul,ies; and never. the Chief Justice used
to say. did he acqait himself better than
in the conduct of that cause.
Three years later he was total wreck
His intellect was gone. But so much ad .
mira,ion was still felt for him that the
Legislature put kind of tax Of IS year
upon the legal profession for his support.
Il appears. however. that the tax was not
productive. for when Aaron Rurr was
prac,icing Law in New York after his re-
turn from Europe, he learned tha. Luther
Martin vas ruined and destitute. He
still owed Martin large sun of money
for bis legal services in 1907. and be owed
him gratitude for most jealous champion.
ship. He took the broken old man iuto
his house on Nassau street. assigned him
an apartment. and maintained Lim in com
for, aRsil he died in 1926. at the age oI
eigh,y.one. Thus. the ornameat Of the
Mary land Bar. aud one Of the mos. sue.
eesssul practitioners Of his tine. was in
debsed for shelter In his old age q. some
thing resembling charity.
! jenkins told bis son. who proposed ;,
buv n coz in partuershin. N s.bc sur,