The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-04-07

| lOOllSH LnlHS a politician can 40 Is 10 grow
| desperate and risk his all on a single ques-
ton" He begs Mr.. English not to risk his
all' by voting for a bill whose passage would
| bring dishonor upon his party. Writing to
Mr.. English under date of Feb. 81, 1858, he
| says:
THE wise man forseeth the evil and hdeth
himself; the fool passes on and is punished" 1
would not expect you to be fool, but on the
| contrary would expect your wariness clear
| sightedness and high sense of honor to save you
| from ministering to the ambitious plans of
others by surrendering yourself to he led blind
ISid into the put, and | see 1t IS likely that
| snail not be deceived. congratulate you.
Further on he thus refers to the bill intro
duced by Mr.. English for the settlement of
the Kansas question:
Had been at your elbow, I would have whis-
| pered these things to you, and said: "Now mind
| your compromise. II will 40 no public good, and
| may be TO the Jews (anti-Lecompton menl a
stumbling block, and to the Greeks (Lecompton
mem 1oonshness, and so bring you little honor or
profit"
When the campaign of 1860 opened Judge
| Wick took the stump as an advocate of the
| election OF Douglas. He made speeches in
| several places in central Indiana and with
much effect, for he was very popular
stumper. He was not particularly
logical as a speaker, but his humor, his wit
and pleasantries, supplied the place of argu-
ment with many and made him great
| favorlte upon the hustings Had Judge
Douglas been elected, Judge Wick would un-
| doubtedly have been rewarded for his devo-
| ton to the fortunes OF that remarkable man,
| but as he was defeated, all hopes of Judge
| Wick for political prefermeut disappeared.
| In short time after the campaign closed he
LETT Indianapolis, which for so long had been
his home, and took up his abode at Franklin
with his daughter Mrs. William H. Over
| street. He died at her house May 49, 1868,
and was buried in the Franklin cemetery.
| William and Henry Wick. Judge Wick's
, father and uncle settled at Youngstown, o.,
in 1901. As previously stated, William was
Presbyterian preacher. He came to the
then far West as a missionary, and labored
| zealously i'll his calling In speaking of the
location of his father and uncle at Youngs-
town, Judge Wick once said: zone chose
| piety and poverty, the other merchandising
and money getting, and they both sue
ceeded." One laid up treasures in heaven,
the other on earth, and verify they both had
| their reward.
| Judge WiclK's father intended him for a
| Presbyterian minister, but the boy grew up
doubling the truth of Calvnism and refused
to become an organ for its propagation. He
studied medicine, as stated in his autobiog-
raphy but soon abandoned it, giving as
reason that he did not like to be always con-
| templating the miseries of mankind Law
| and politics were more congenial to his ma
ture hence he embraced them and became a
good lawyer and a very astute politician.
Judge Wick, like Yorick, was "a fellow of
exuberant humor often "set the table in a
roar" making him one of the best and most
| jolly of companions. Fun and hilarity
abounded wherever he was, not even leaving
| him when on the bench. The lawyers joked
with him and played cards with him-often
for money. He was once indicted by
the grand jury of Bartholomew county for
ambling, was tried before his associate
judges, found guilty and fined. A few days
after this one Job Gardner, who had been in
dcted for gambling with the Judge, was
| brought to trial, and, on being asked if he
was guilty or not guilty, replied Guilty, as
| Your Honor we'll knows" you are fined
S. and COSTS responded Judge Wick, where
| upon Gardner cried out Have mercy,
Judge have mercy" you will have to APP
peal to a higher court for mercy" said the
| Judge, with a twinkle in his eye, as he pro-
| ceeded to call the next case upon the docket.
| Judge Wick, like most of the public men
of early Indiana, loved a social glass. Oliver
| H. Smith, in his EARLY Indiana Trials and
| Sketches" tells this story:
| We started in fine spirits from Greensburg
after breakfast. The day was cloudy, dark and
| drizzling. There road cut out between
Greensburg and snelbyvie; there were neigh
borhood paths only, in the direction between
them. Judge Wick rode spirited animal, and
at once took the lead. Away we went at a rapid
| travelling gait All at one the Judge stopped at
little log cabin at the forks of the paths upon
the gate-post of which hung rough board with
w0rg The Judge at the dn
of his voice. the door opened, and out
came the woman Of the cabin. The Judge:
"Have you got any whisky2" eyes, plenty; but
we have no license to sell, and will be prose-
cuted if we sell by the small. You have
some sugar VIII CAM
have it," Fetch 1t out am the president
Judge of the Circuit Court, and this is Mr. Smith.
He can quash any indictment these woods prose-
cutting attorneys can find against you. Fetch it
out; there Is no danger of prosecution" Thus
assured, the old woman returned, brought out
the whisky and sugar, the Judge took the lions
part, and away he went on his journey.
Judge Wick was kind and affectionate to
his family. His youngest daughter was acct
dentally burned when child, and when the
wound healed it left bad scar upon her
face While she was from home, at the
house of friend of the family. thought
less companion twitted her with the cicatrix
In her modification and grief she wrote her
father, asking to be brought home. In reply,
he sent her the following touching and
beautiful letter:
INDIANAPOLIS, Nov. l, 1862.
Dear Ary-I am delighted to hear from you.
was not uneasy about you, but did want to see
my little one-my beloved child. But now l
know you well, all is we'll am truly glad
that you are learning not to be afraid of the
darkness, which Is one OF the foohshest things in
the world.
Nobody has sighted you because of your scars
/ know, who WAS worth minding. hope my lit
tie girl will remember that as she will never be
very pretty, there is much the more reason for
her TO be good. pretty face may recommend
one to ight-hearted and foolish people, but 1t lie
goodness and talent and education which recon-
mend one to the better sort of people, whose
good opinion is valuable. Be ever good and in
nocent and sincere, you are now, and you will
find enough people to love you. in spite of the
burns. Perhaps they may, like your old father,
love you all the more for the / long to
see my baby, but do not wish to say word about
Y our coming home but leave that to fix itself
Be GOOD and obedient and obigng, and your pa
will not be ashamed OF you. Dear Ally. good
bye. W. W. Wick.
This child, now an intelligent and thought
| full woman in note to the writer of this
sketch, thus speaks of her father
After my fathers first stroke of paralysis,
| when il was with great difficulty that he walked
we had in our household a canine called