Port Tobacco times, and Charles County advertiser. (Port Tobacco, Md.) 1845-1898, 1881-02-25
LOCAL MATTERS.
Circuit Court.

Circuit Court.
The February term of our circuit
court met on Monday, Chief Justice Ma
gruder and Associate Justice Chew on
the Bench. After the usual calling over
of the dockets, which were very short,
was completed, court was adjourned over
until Wednesday, Tuesday, the 22nd Of
February. being legal holi lay. Imme
tliately after the adjournment of court a
meeting of the Bar was held to take &C
ton concerning the decea e Of the late
Judge Brent. Tho proceedings of this
meeting are given elsewhere. Judge Ford
arrived late this afternoon from Leonard
town by way of Potomac steamer and ely
mont.
Neutrality-suspicious. Magruder left by
the early train this morning for Annapo-
lis to attend the session of theCourt OF
Appeals Court assembled at the usual
hour, Judges Ford and Chew sitting
Immediately upon the opening of the ses-
sion Richard H. Edelen, Esq. arose and
presented the resolutions adopted At the
meeting Of the Bar yesterday and moved
that they be entered upon the minutes OF
the Court and copy furnished to the
family of deceased and to the county pa
pers for publication, which was SO order
ed by the Court. The resolutions, which
are very expressive, are published among
the procse iings of the Bar meeting In an
other column. Judge Ford responded to
the resolutions in a most feeling and i'm
prestive manner. He said that he had
known Judge Brent from childhood, and
never had he known a man whose exalted
character and pure life impressed him 8.
deeply. He spoke of the friendship that
exis ed between him and the late Chief
Justice as of the most cordial character
and in fitting terms alluded to his grsa,
abilities a. a judge, his noble Attitudes as
a man, his many virtues as a christian and
his pur- character as a gentleman. lie
said that the great loss which the judiciary
and the profession had sustained was per-
haps fully, though simply, expressed by
the popular verdict, which is heard from
ali sides throughout the circuit, hat -
good man and noble judge is gone, whose
place it will be impossible to supply
We regret that we are unable to give Judge
Ford's remarks as they were spoken, but
as he spoke entirely without notes We are
compelled to give an imperfect synopsis
from memory.
Judge CHEW responded as follows:
My Brothers The circumstances. under
which came among you at this time FL
my heart with painful emotions. In May
1879, l came for the first time to your
Court, to argue case before our departed
Chief Judge, whose presence in our court
in Prince Georges had so often hailed
with delight, and before whom in the pre-
viops 10 years l had tried many cases;
.-Hitltw hom my official and personal rela-
tions were ever of the most friendly char
acter, not once interrupted in all that time
by the slightest circumstance. So great
was the love and esteem for him with our
Bar. and people Of all classes, We earnest
ly hoped his failing health would be re
stored and that he would long live to fill
his high Office, as We doubled not he
would do during life. which he adorned
by his learning, made honorable by the
unrivslsd purity of his character, and in
the highest degree useful by his honest,
prompt, faithful and intelligent discharge
Of its duties. At the Bar meeting in Pr.
Georges which occurred soon af er his
denise, it was my sad privilege to express
in more formal manner than is now ne
cessary, or it is my purpose tn do, my es-
innate Of him as a judicial officer, OF his
eminent public services, his exalted char
acter as a CITIZEN and true cLristisA. gen
tleman, my affection for him as friend
with whose confidence and esteem l had
been honored for SO many years.
The emotions of sorrow which fill your
heart, and to which you have given ex-
preston in your resolutions and addresses
to which have listened with deep inter
est. also fill the hearts of the members of
the Bar and the people of Prince Georges
county, and were reflected in the proceed
ings to which have referred. / delight
to recall the interest which Judge Brsn'
always evinced in US, and often in his
Quiet, earnest way was accustomed to ex-
press can say with entire candor no
man has ever lived or ever moved among
us. who in a greater degree, had the love
respect and homage ofour people. have
never heard a man of any class or csndi-
ton express aught but respect for and con-
fidence in him.
Your resolutions and addresses and the
remarks of my brother Judges do not ex-
aggerac the public estimate of him, nor
is it possible to portray in words the full
depths of sorrow, the sense OF the loss
which the death Of such a man occasions
As evidence of the confidence in which
his decisions ere held at the Bar, was
struck with the observation made by our
brother Edelep-rhat he recalled but one
case in which he had taken an appeal from
one of his decisions, and in that case his
Judgment was affirmed in the appellate
court. As well as my memory now serve,
me, my experience has been precisely the
same. recall but one case in which
took an appeal from decision of his, and
with exactly the same result.
II Is impossible to estimate the sdvan
tsge to the public in their selection to the
courts, to their business, their domestic
relations, and the general happiness of a
community, in which such confidence ex-
lists in the due and proper administration
of justice, and the settlement oflegakjghts
One Of the distinguishing charaskeris-
tics Of our lalncnted friend WAS bis kind
ness to the younger members of the pro-
fession, which has so happi been advers-
ed to here and at our Bar. His counse
his advice. his COMMUNICATION oftheir pro-
fessional efforts, when merited, which from
him seems to have the effect to excite to
greater efforts, to higher ambition, TO a
devotion to exec. 1t was impossible for
an attorney not To feel repronf In his looks