The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1882-05-26
"REMINISCENCES 4
OF THE
BENCH and BAR Of CAMBRIA COUNTY
FULL TEXT OF THE ADDRESS DELIVERED BY
n. L. JOHNSTON, ESQ, AT THE DEDICA-
TION OF THE NEW COURT HOUSE
THURSDAY, MAY 25TH, 1882,

To perform the duty assigned to me by the
I Committee Of Arrangements is a labor Of
love on my part; and whether it pleases my
audience or not, it affords me infinite salts
faction. have taken great care to put my
remarks in pure and classic language, so thai
if t here is any violation of the "Queen's En-.
glish" found by the reader hereafter it will
be the fault of the reporter or printer, and
th rs the proper shoulders can bear the re-
sponsibility.
To portion of my audience this discourse
will be dry and uninteresting but 1 am
compelled to be truthful rather than enter
tanning, as, like another great man, 1 am de-
termined to make this the greatest effort of
my life."
The 26th day of March, 1904, was the birth
dav Of Cambria county. She came to the
world tie last of litter Of six bantlings-
namely, Jefferson, Mexican, Clearfield, Pot
ter. Tioga and Cambria-yet, though the last
to see the light, she has far outstripped all
her older sisters in population and material
prosperity Nay, she has done better still
Owing her maternity to Huntingdon and
Somerset, she has largely outgrown both her
mothers in population and material great
ness.
Strangers to Cambria county speak of her
as having natural boundaries, and occupying
the table land between the Allegheny and
Laurel Hill whereas she has no natural
boundary except on a small portion of her
southernline, made by Stony creek and Paint
So far from Laurel Hill being her western
line, it all lies within her border, marked by
straight artificial line from Conemaugh river
to Cherrytree. And while the act Of Assem-
bly, of 1904 runs her eastern line ''southerly
along the Allegheny Mountains" yet that is
no line, the summit of the mountain being in
good part fat surface covered with farms.
Much litigation resulted from this cause, as
every surveyor had his own line, until a more
recent act of Assembly appointed E. A.
Vickroy and the late Judge Gwinn to ascer-
tain and mark the line of division between
Cambria and Blair counties.
The act of 1904 was only provisional in its
character, leaving Cambria annexed to Som
erset for all judicial purposes, and also leav-
ing the location of the county seat undeteI-
mined, except that it was to be within seven
miles Of the geographical centre of the
county.
The act of Assembly of 29th March, 1905,
fixed the seat of justice at Ebensburg, an
pointed John Horner, John Evans and AL
exander Ogle to take conveyance for the
public buildings from Rees Lloyd, as trustees
for the yet unorganized county. On the 9Th
of June, 1905, the deeds were made to these
trustees, who on the Sth of August, 1903, con-
veyed to the county and surrendered their
trust. These deeds were recorded on the
5th and sth days of December, 1910, in Re-
cord Book: volume 1, pages 199 ct. seq.
On the 26th of January, 1907, was passed
can act to organize the provisional county
of Cambria" This act provided that from
the first Monday in November following
(1sO7), Cambria should enjoy all the rights,
powers, privileges and liberties of other
counties, etc. that suits pending in Somer-
set county, within her territory, should be
certified to the Courts of Cambria that Off
GERS should be elected, give bonds, etc. that
public buildings should be erected, and in the
meantime a temporary court house should be
secured, etc.
On the oath of February 1906, what was
known as the General Judiciary Bill was
passed. There were then ten Judicial Dis
tricts in the State, and ten President Judges
! There are now forty eight districts and seven-
ty-seUen Judges. Cambria county was at
tached to the Tenth Judicial District. The
same act provided for the appointment OF
Judges for the district the Office then being
q life Office, OF during good behavior, which
meant nearly the same thing
Hon. John Young was in the same year
appointed President Judge of the Tenth dis.
trict, embracing the counties of Westmore-
land, Armstrong, Indiana, Somerset and
Cambria. He held that Office till 1897, when
Hon. Thomas White was appointed. Judge
Young was native of Scotland and settled
[ at Greensburg about one hundred years ago
| He was a man of more than ordinary culture
I and dipossessed of some poetical talent, though
/ somewhat visionary. As early as 1871 he
/ was in full practice before Judge Addison,
also a ScOtchmaD, who was Circuit Judge OF
/ all the southwestern counties in the State
afterwards including Cambria. His first le
( gal effort on record is found in Addison's
| Reports, page 1, Pennsylvania VS.. Susanna
/ Mckee, tried in Allegheny county at Septem-
4 Der term, 1791-fifteen years before his ap.
I pointment as President Judge. This was
case of homicide, and his client was acquit
/ ted. But his most notable case was a civil
suit tried at Gre ensburg at December Term
| 179S. 1t was an ejectment for two tracts oi
valuable land, on which l am informed the
convent and celebra ted school of st. Xavier's
and st. Vincent's college now stand.