Wilmington daily commercial., 1875-06-04
FIRST EDITION.
The Lnfe Judge Hall.

| INTERESTING LETTER FROM HON. A. Il. HAYES OF
| LANCASTER, Pa REMINIscENoEs OF THE BAN
| AND PUBLIC MEN IN DELAWARE.
TO tie Edior Of The Commercial:
Reading the affectionate AMI just tribute OF
of respect by the Bar OF Delaware to tho mom-
oiy of the late Judge Willard Hall, am in-
duced to jot down some incidents recalled from
my early acquaintance with ono of tho pnrest
men that, in a long experience, [ have happen
ed to know. t.r ..-.>.
| When Mr.. Hall arrived in Delaware, from his
| New England home tho leading lawyers in the
State were inferior to none in tho Union They
were tho Hon. James A. Bayard, Caesar A. Rod
ney, and George Read, son OF the late Chief
Justice of the same name, OF New Castle couii-
ty Nicholas Ridegley and Henry M. Ridgely,
| Joseph Miller, Thomas Clayton, and the Finh-
ers OF Kent county and James Z. WILSON,
Thomas Cooper and Peter Robinson. of Sussex
county. This WAS in 1903. 1t was in cornpeti.
tion. with such men, that ho entered into
the heroic struggle for success in hs profession.
one thing which he proposed to himself
he was sure to obtain by selecting Delaware as
the Held OF his enterprise. Nowhere elso could
he have found the morale of tho profession bet
ter. He desired to establish himself where his
business would be made respectable by the hon
or OF its professors and honor was omlnently
tho characteristic of tho gentlemen of the bar
with whom ho was to be associated IN his chosen
doinicile.
Ho opened nu Office in Dover, and occasionally
visited the Courts in Georgetown, Sussex county,
l saw him for the first time in Court, a6 Dover,
about tho year 1908. My recollection of him ut
that time, when he had not reached thirty years
of age is that his hair was beginning to change
to gray, but his face WAS smooth and fair, his
eyes were clear and bright, his features small
clear cut and regular, and his countenance
very intelligent, and amiablo in expression.
He was rather under the medium stature, but
symmetrical IN person. Though living in tho
came town, had but the opportunity of young
lad il, the recess Of school hours, of occasional
ly seeing him as he attended Court, and formed
no personal acquaintance with linn until the
winter OF 1910, short time before / was sent to
College. But remember Ills reputation rs
lawyer WAS steadily on the increase ; and he
ranked with the first lawyers at the Bar. Those
i'll Kent county were at that time Thomas Clay
ton, subsequently Chief Justice, II. III. Rdgey,
and John Fisher, Esquires--the last mentioned
afterwards Judge Halls Predecessor in the Dis
triot Court OF the U. $. for Delaware.
Returning from College, 1 entered as student
the Office OF the Hon. IL. NJ. Ridgely, then the
Representative Of tho State in Congress, an ac-
curate and thorough lawyer and high toned gen
tleman. After the usual term of three years
study, was examined by Messrs. Hall, Clayton
and Fisher, and on motion of Mr.. Clayton adj
mitted to practice. In my novitiate became
well acquainted with Mr.. Hall and was honored
with his friendship. When he was elected over
Mr. Clayton and Nc. NJ. Lane his JOINT or rather
several competitors, to Congress, he corres-
ponded with me from Washington. Tho great
question in his term, was the Missouri Oompro-
mise. His friends were anxious that he should
appear in the grand debate, and OF their wish
and expectation he seemed to be aware, for lie
prepared an elaborate argument Oh the subject,
and made, as he informed me, frequent attempts
to gain the floor but failed in catching the eye Of
the Speaker OF the House of Representatives.
He wrote his intended address at length, and
sent me the manuscript, covering half dozen
sheets of paper closely written, which after read
ing it with much interest, i handed to an intel
ligent Quaker friend OF our representative, Mr.
Joseph q. Rowland. with IL request that he would
show 1t to others. In reference to this debate
which famous i'll its day as that, in the
following age, on Foote'S Resolutions, he mem
toned in his correspondence, that he was pres
ent during the delivery of Mr.. pinckney's great
speech in the Senate. lie said he never heard
any other speaker who could interweave 30
much ornament i'll legal argument without in
pairing its weight. At first ho stated that he
felt some dissatisfaction Mt tho excess of meta
phors with which his speech was garnished but
as Mr.. Pnckney proceeded, he exhibited 30 much
talent and knowledge, such depth and extent of
erudition, that the hearers became wrapt in ad
miration and he must say that after listening to
numerous speeches of others on the subject,
there was nothing in them which had not bee n
forestalled by Mr.. Pinckney's exhaustive discus
sion.
Mr.. Hall not only disappointed his friends on
that OCCASION but believe he failed to make
time during his term of office. All who know
him conceded to him superior abilities. In the
Autumn before he took hs seat, accompanied
Mr.. Clayton to Princeton, where no entered Ills
son at Nassau Hall; and OH our return, there
were several members Of Congress from the
Eastern States on the steamboat down the river,
going on to Washington amongst them Judge
Daggett, of Connecticut, and Mr. Mellen, OF
Maine. Mr.. Clayton having served the previous
torn, was intimate with Judge Daggett, who
had been re elected; and who wished to know
something OF his successor, Mr.. Hall. l was
struck with the answer. He told Judge Dag
gett that Mr.. Hall came to Delaware from Mas
sach ,lsetts that he had practised sixteen years
at the same bar with him, that he had a pro-
found knowledge of the common law, and 'you
will find him to be one Of the ablest members of
the House OF Representatives"
Though MIR. Hall did not vindicate, as MEM
Der OF Congress, the character which MIR. CLAY
ton generously aud justly assigned him, yet he
subsequently as well before, fully maintained it
in all the courts. He WAS III Truth one OF the best
counsel and abest advocates in the State. lie
WAS careful and industrious i'll his preparation,
clear and logical in his exposition OF his cause.
He was fluent speaker, his voice was full-
toned smooth, and natural i'll its modulations.
He used but little gesture and that not GRACEFUL
He was in the habit, whilst addressing the Jury,
of passing his hand along his shirt-oollar and
looking round as if wishing to see somebody III
the crowd, but still speaking on with out stam-
mering or hesitancy and always in good English.
Not long after he settled IN Dover ne Inarrleo
a daughter of Chancellor Killen. He lived in
very quiet way and modest style. mixed but lit
tic in rociety, and devoted himself to the busi-
moss of his profession. Some of his wlfe's young
relatives once asked the privilege of having
eotiion party in her parlor, but he put his veto
upon it, saying that he had no idea Of having his
house turned out of the windows.
Ho was very methodical in business, and ap-
parently careful of his papers III trying hls
causes before Court or jury and yet he was
said to have kept them thrown together in
large chest, in which he showed a sort of leger-
demain in recovering from the mass. at any
moment the particular document which he
wanted to use.
After removing from Dover, I do not remem-
Der to have met Judge Hall until long after he
changed his residence to Wilmington. An inter-
val of forty years had not affected his appear
ance materially, though he was approaching his
Goth year His hair was now of snowy white
neos, but his step was still firm, and his eye anu
intellect were clear. In the last interview had
with him, which was year ago, found him
much enfeebled. lie informed me in the course
of conversation, that he graduated at Harvard two
wears after Horace Binney. Esq.,o Philadelphia,
who-still survives in the full possession OF his
intellectual faculties in his 0Stll year-the fath-
or OF the Philadelphia Bar, and ono OF the most
able and accomplished lawyers that have