Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1883-03-16
BAR MEETING.
An Eloquent Tribute from Judge Shelby
Hammond to the Memory of the
Late Judge HOrrigan.
Committees Appointed to Arrange for
the Attendance Of the Bar Ia
Body at the Funeral.

Body at the Funeral.
Yesterday morning there was q bar meet
isg in the Circuit Court to take sction con-
corning the death Of Judge l.. B. Horrigan.
The meeting was called to order by Judge
Mcdowell, who nominated Judge E. S. Ham,
moud for chairman.
On motion OF Judge Fiippin, Mr.. Frazer
Edmondson was appointed secretary OF the
meeting.
Judge Hammond delivered the following
beautiful address in memory OF the de.
ceased:
Brothers OF the Bar:
We assemble here as is our custom, 70 make a
record of the death Of our deceased brother, L. B.
Horrgan, late Judge OF the Criminal Court o.
shelby county. When knew yesterday that be
must die II seemed to me that il would not be in
appropriate to speak OF him from my place in this
assembly, and now that you have honored me by
Judge Horrigan's personal history cannot speak
with biographical detail for want OF knowledge OF
the subject. He was peculiar man IN never
talking of himself in that regard. so far as my own
intercourse with hints concerned. But OF his pub
lie career in this community we can all say some
thing and 1t does not belong exclusively TO his in.
timstes That he had within him the elements Of
success, we sill know, mostly because ne dlo
succeed and became, In his line OF pu6ne
life, the foremost man, not alone OF this
county and city, but OF this State. Beyond this
State he was the best known by reputation OF all
the judges in IL. That he reached this degree OF
success, coming here as he did among the strong
men OF this bar stranger, and, In one sense an
lieved an army of invasion, is an evidence OF bis
energy ana talent. He won his way, and that he
could SO win Il Goes honor 20 as as Wei as him
of civil strife did not deny brilliant career
to a worthy man who fought upon the adverse
side. He was called almost unanimously TO the
bench without distinction Of party. But his was
the triumph not of genius but Of labor. He was
not a man of genius-whateyer that may mean
and had he been he wonld have failed without
the patient labor with which he pursued the law
less science of the law" Judge Horrigan was a
did, and he could not have done 1t without in
dustry and patient toll:
''Bliss of time is bliss of toll;
No bliss but this from sun and soil
Does Goa permit to grow
While he was i'll friend related TO me cir
cumstance that demonstrates this fact and shows
how he acquired that extensive ku owledge OF The
criminal law which was the foundation of bis
professio lal success. When he first came here he
did not own the Tennessee Reports, and from that
friend he borrowed them volume by volume, until
he had diRestsd the whole criminal law OF the
State. He did not hunt the digests spasmoeicaly
for particular use, nor learn all he knew by such
frantic searches for law" but thoroughly and
Complementary mastered the whole body of the
specially to which he devoted his attention. If
the career of Judge HorIigan teaches the younger
bar to which he belonged any more salutJry
lesson than another il is that which is contained
in the incident just meDtio ed. 1t rays TO his
brethren in the profession: Learn your law as
much as possible before the absorbing duties of
active practice begin But on this occasion we
are permitted to deal more with his relations to
the public than his merely personal relation 10
great while ago reference to certain eulogies on
deceased judges and lawyers, one of which was
commended as the best example OF the kind ex.
tant, and turned to it in that charnelhouse of
buried eulogies, the Law Reports. The truth OF
its sentiment struck me more than its eloquent
words. The deceased there was an old man,
eighty six of who WaS COME sSedly the
leading lawyer Of the state, where that distinction
here repeat the words of the eulogist, but briefly
the sentiment was this: That take the lie
Of 5o Sgbss s Of hq The has or9 o be
bench, and when mis- life is closed there is moth:
ing left of it all but tolling bell, HANDFUL OF
half pssT-that reminds Us only OF the infelcity
which attends the reputation Of a great lawyer"
the eulogist then compares the labor and services
of lawyers with those of the men of letters and
the men of arms, and contrasts the more lasting
character OF the posthumous fame OF these last
with the fleeting memory of the former. But he
concludes there is compensation in the superior
value of the services lawyers render to society,
and the lawyer who falters at the thought he hrst
presents will find courage in the last. The
memory of Horrigan will fade away-even that OF
Kent and Marshal is now almost tIadllonai-6ut
can never be undone, unless we relapse into the
barbarian OF unexecuted laws, which God forbid.
pie such unbounded confidence In Horrigan, so
much more than other menf The answer wa:
i is because they believe him III 70 be profoundly
took to administer in their name confidence
founded on his unremitting labor and eminent
ilearned in the law above his fellows" they be-
lieved him to be, and thus inspired he had to sus
tain him that most potential of all the forces Of
civllization-public opinion. That confidence was
not mispls and the executive officer of that
immense force it was intelligently and ably di-
rected. He presided over court In which the
people believed was founded the embodiment
Of that principle Of judicial administrs-
scTibed Tor the crier who opened the frst
court rganized in then orthwestern Territory. on
court il opened for the administration of even
handed justice to the poor and the rfco, to the
guilty nad the innocent, without respect OF per
peers, an then only in pursuance of the laws and
the evidcnre in the case" This people further
more bel we'd, and not without cause, that he sd-
ministered justice in the spirit that actuated Mr..
Justice Sto.y when, on h memorable occasion,
nearly i ears sgo ne va, WAS; gnrng gfest exe,te
Spanish brig for robbery on the high seas. In
overruling the motion for new trial, and SEN
hanged by ihs neck, that great judge used these
solemn words:
sponsibility thrown upon the court upon this
occasios No person could have desired more
anxiously than myself that 1 wight have been
opinions of other men, not sitting in Judgment
under oath, or called upon to express opinions
upon judicial survey o. tne en-, wh0e evaeehes
Thought fit TO bring into this easel W" " nat,
ing to do. AS little have -, 70 do with IN. M
peals made though the press during the pendency
| which have been alluded to in the argument.
trust that this court Is incapable of being in
tueneed by any such considerations, or of being
betrayed by them into an abandonIne OF
of its own proper duty. trust tina
| while ! shall never be insensibe to human
ooW gut with e
| ity the dictates of my own conscience and the
high commands of the law. / may err in my
judgment for have not the slightest pretension:
10 iufallAility; but # do err ii shall not be ar
| error forced upon me by private opinions promul
gated through the press or otherwise. Ny
| present Judgment l cheerfully submit to the
sober confederation of my country. 1t is my con
scientious judgment for which am ready to as
sumo the full responsibility belonging to my sta
ton, having been tue result of the best exercise
of the powers Of my understanding"
SO it waswiJh Horrigan. He "tssumed the full
responsibility belonging TO his station" Ga every
hand the question is asked. "who can take his
placer Amy OF US may who, equipped with his
armed with his courage, will undertake the task
and assume the responsibility belonging to that
| station" responsibility which, under the cir
| cum.tances his eminence has made more diff
| cult This community will uphold such q sue
| cessor as they upheld him.,
| 1.-The honored gods
Keep Rome in safety, aud the chairs of Justice
supply with worthy men"
The following committees were appointed
On Rssolutione-L. P. Cooper, Judge J
W. Clapp, JUDGE s. p. Walker, Judge Wrigh
and Attorney General G P. M. Turner.
On ArraDgements-J Judge Csrmsck, j Judge
7. w. Brown and Judge Ttylor.
Ga motion of Walter Gregory committe,
of eight wss also Apo nted 10 attend upor
The corpse, or 10 act SIS a guard of honor
The committee is ss follows: Walter Greg
DRY, II. s. CAN'T, F. T. EdmopdsoD, Lucl
Clapp, S. D. Weakley, John I. Moss, Wat
Strong and J. NJ. Greer.
The meeting then adjourned, subject to tht
call of the chairman.
| Bar Meeting To-MorroN.
The Committee of Arrangements announce
that the adjourned bar meeting OF yes
terdsy will re assemble in the Circuit Court
room on Saturday morning, at 9 o'clock, u
receive the report of the Committee on R SO
lu,ions and TO attend the funeral Of Judge L
B. Horrig an at II o'clock.