The Valley Virginian. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1865-1895, 1882-05-18
For the YIRGINIAN.
In MaYnOri3.na

We ask The favor Of the VIRGTYIAN to ena
BILE Us TO pay last sad tribute Of respect to th
| memory OF q departed friend. We desire Il
speak only Of that friend in the language o
| sober truth, as he was known TO us perso I
ally, through many years OF intimate associa
ton, both in public and private life. and Il
place upon record leading and interesting fact
and incidents IN his lite as we have gitinet
! them from authentic sources. 1t is not our de
sire or wish to multiply words unnecessarily
us "it Is not always by words said an elo
i quent speaker, 'that the living pay to the deat
The sincerest tributes" The head and The
1 tongue are perhaps more the fountains o
| words tiian The heart. The heart is the source
! OF tears, whether poured out in Joy, sorrow OF
| greet, and though they may be sincere, warm
| truthful and eloquent, as they generally n e
vet they are but the service Ofthe moment anC
cannot DE made the record OF the life anC
character OF those on whose tomb they are
shed. They are like 1.-The dews Of heaven,
says chase and classical writer, falling al
night, they are absorbed by the GARTH or drieC
] up by the morning sun, aud disappear without
/ leaving a trace to tell to Others the full meas
/ IRE of the virtues and merits of those to WHOSE
} memory they are grateful tribute"
p All men of distinguished traits of character
/ have a natural ambition to live in the memory
and estimation Of p0sterity, when they shall
/ have passed away This ambition is indeed
one of the grandest incentives which we have
TO perseverance, in whatever our undertakings
in life may be- Private interests, of course
in great measure, mould and direct the ac-
lions ofall men, and the ambitions OF men flow
i'll different channels. But men of lofty aspi-
rations-bold and daring natures-capabili-
ties of carving out for themselves q niche in
the temple OF fame in the particular spheres
in which they mOYe-never fail to 90 forward,
| to press on, regardless Of obstacles of any and
| every kind, II they may only scale the heights
| of their ambition and live in name and fame
as one of the benefactors OF the age in which
! they lived. Great men-yrtuous men-re-
markable men-whether in public or private
| life, know and feel the great force OF one OF
the most trenchant utterances of Cicero, that
the life OF the dead is placed in the memory
OF the living Hence it is right and proper
that the living should care for that l.feand pre-
serve it, SO if we desire to gather and pre-
serve the life of the good, the great, the noble,
| the remarkable Of earth, in whatever spheres
they may move, and deposit them in the urn
of honored memory, we must pay our tributes
and make our records in words and express
sions. Such are our feelings at this moment, as
we approach the tomb OF our departed friend
and professional brother, Hon. Peter B. Borst,
and in behalf of his immed late associates at
tlIC A(dl anu plOlS6oiOu VI 4IiS
teenth Judicial Circuit. with whom he was
brought in more immediate contact and con-
slant association to lay upon it the evergreen of
| cherished memory, and to pay to that memory
the trbutSs of our grief, and to mingle our
tears with those of his loved ones" who were
more near and dear to him than all the treas
uTes of eaath.
That 'the life of the dead" may be more
fully preserved in the memory of the living"
we Shall in as brief a manner as we may pre-
sent some of the leading facts associated with
his birth and early life before he became q cit
iZen of Virginia. as we have gained them from
authentic sources, and which are not known
generally to those who walked with him in his
ripper and more advanced age and manhood.
From the record which we shall make, it will
be seen that Mr.. Borst's lineage was of the
highest responsibility and honOrab Inhu-
ence.
Coming in direct line of one Joseph
Borst, patentee of land, lever since held
by the family,) near Albany, under one of
the Georges, in the 17th Century Hon. Pc
ter Bouck Borst, the second son of Hon. Peter
j. B0rst, a member OF Congress from the State
of New York, and grandson of Judge Joseph
J. Borst, was born at his fathers residence
The Hook" near Middleburg, Schobarie
county, New York, on the 23d day of June,
the "Rust House" in Luray on the evening of
the oath day of April, 1882, where he was in
unusually cheerful spirits, attending a session
of the, Circuit Cnurtin Chambers, where the
Hon. Mark Bird, Judge OF the Court was sit
ting in Chancery.
His education was commenced at 'Schobarie
Academy" in his native county. At an early
age he was sent TO college at Undertook
where, us q boy, he enjoyed the kindly patron
age and personal friendship of Ex-President
Martin VanBuren, relation and devoted per-
sonal friend of his fathers II was designed
that he should go for the completion OF his
collegiate education to Union College," at
Schenectady, ~ Y, at that time, as at present.
one of the leading Institutions of learning in
this country, but through his own disinclina-
ton, his fathers cherished desire in this was
defeated, for, at Is years, he had conceived q
most romantic and passionate admiration for
the institutions and people OF the South, and
no persuasion or reasoning of his father Or
friends could alter his determination to cast his
lot with them. After the study of law for one
year under the very distinguished Judge
Sanford and Judge Darlorth, at home, he
came to Virginia in 1876, where, after further
study, while teaching to gain the support
which his father withheld from him, he was
licensed to practice law in Virginia, and at
once entered upon the active duties of the pro
fession, for which he entertained passionate
fondness and profound regard, He died, as he
had liveG for so many years, lab0ring assiluous-
ly in his calling. Thus it Will be seen that this
Industrious, talented and sef.reliant Young
stranger, alone and without a friend in the
State, entered the battle of life in the midst of
al able, learned and experienced bar ON their
own native heath surrounded by family and
friends and other fortuitous circumstances in
life, and fought his way with constant courage
and faith to the honorable distinction which
he occupied in the profession at the time of
his death. When he came to Lurly in 1916,
and chose it as his future home, he at once es-
poused the cause of Page county's interests, |
and with a chiyalrous devotion which would
have been an honor to a native, this adopted
son gave his whole heart and mind to the sup
porto Virginia, and his energies and life to
the development Of her resources, and i'm
PEELED by an unalterable faith in her future,
and burning desire to see her in material
greatness as pronounced as that OF her name
and fame as the mother of States and states |
men,"
lie was for upwards of thirty years an en-
ergetic and distinguished member Of the legal
profession, and on his circuit, while even yet
a young man, practiced with marked ability |
and credit at the courts where such profess
sional celebrities as Green and Joseph Samuels, |
Isaac ana Jere Pennybacker, james w. +. |
Allen, Philip Williams. James NJ Mason, Robt
Gray, John Kenney, William Seymour and
others OF equal distinction were active prac-
titloners By the force OF his strong and
quick intellect, indomtable courage and indus
try he soon won his way to a fair and living
practice, and gained the confidence, respect
and regard of the distinguished counsel with
whom he practiced. He was in a measure the
protege of Judge Green B. Samuels, of Shen-
andoah, who in 1851 was elected by the Legis-
1ature Judge of the circuit, but in short time
was elevated to the bench of the Supreme
Court of Appeals as the associate of the pres
ent distinguished and venerable Chief Justice |
Moncure. While in attendance on the court at
Richmond, Judge Samues died there suddenly |
OF apopexy, as Mr.. Borst died here in Luray, |
Mr. Borst has often expressed to us the deep
gratitude he felt towards Judge Samuels for
his many kindnesses to him in his early pro-
fessional life.
Sixteen years of Mr.. Borst's professional life |
were occupied as the CONFERENCE.-The at
torney for Page county. Our professional &C
quaintance commenced with him when occu-
plying that position. And we express it as our |
own, as we know it was the opinion of the
whole bar, that he was most distinguished
prosecutor, terror to the guilty, but fair and
merciful whenever he had,a reasonable doubt |
of guilt The poor and rich Jared alike in his
hands In the prisoners dock they were alike |
to him, and they were dealt with according
to no Iav NJ and tho cyidnnnoU