The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1883-02-15

lAOUANSfOhl, IGD. III uOS0 Dlulle Is ny
ing of eryspelas. His physicians have pro-
nounced his case hopeless, and his death is
momentarily expected.
Horace P. Biddle, LII D., PHI. D.. was born
March a. 1912, twenty miles below Lancas-
ter. O., near what is now logan, the county
seat of Hooking county. His father was
Benjamin Biddle, who came from Connecti-
cut in 1888. There were nine children, of
whom the subject OF this sketch was the
youngest He worked upon farm, going to
school as occasion offered, until he was 16
years old, when he went to Muskingum
county and clerked in a country store for an
elder brother. He returned to the farm,
where he remained until 1886. He was then
in his twentyfourth year. He had quick
perception, was noted as fluent talker, and
had deep, analytical mind. With these ad-
vantages in his favor, he determined to study
law, and applied to Thomas Ewing, SEN, at
Lancaster then United States senator, who
recommended him to another leading attor-
ney. He was admitted to the bar in Ctncin-
natl, in April, 1885, In October of the same
year he came to Logansport, Ind, and
began the practice of law. In
1874 he was placed upon the Wing electoral
ticket, and made an energetic canvass for
Henry Clay, meeting in debate upon the
political questions of the day such men as
Dr. Graham N. Fitch (since United States
Senator) and the eloquent Charles Cathcart.
Judge Biddle was a warm personal friend of
Clay, and after his defeat left the field of
politics with sadness and disgust, though in
1915, while at indianapolis attending as an
attorney to the Supreme Court, he was,
tod Hxr tlO
Wings of Cass county for the Legislature.
As he afterwards laughIngly remarked, he
was SO handsomely defeated the Democracy
being flushed with the election of Polk that
his nomination never hurt him. In Decem-
Der, 1916, by joint ballot of the Legislature,
he was elected president-judge OF the Eighth
circuit for term of seven years. He held
the office six years and then resigned, having
been nominated for Congress against the
late DIR. Norman S. Eddy, by whom he was
beaten. He was member of the constitu-
tional convention in 1850, and participated
in the debates on all the leading questions.
In 1857 he was elected Supreme judge by
$4,000 majority, bnt the Supreme Court held
that at the time there was no vacancy; he
was therefore not commissioned. In 1850
wishing to retire from his practice, which
had become exceedingly laborious, he &C.
cepted the nomination and was elected to the
Circuit bench being reelected to the same
against him. In 1872 he declined re-elec-
ton, and from that time until 1874 gave the
greater portion of his time to literary pur-
suits. He was then nominated for the Su-
preme bench by two State conventions, the
Democratic and the Independent, and
elected by the largest majority ever
given to any candidate in the his
tory of the State, his majority reaching
nearly 30, 900, magnificent tribute to his
his honesty ana capacity.
In 1849 he published his first volume of
poems. This work was highly complimented
by many of the leading American authors.
In 1858 another and larger volume of his
poems was published. In 1849 he wrote his
work on THE Musical Scale" book of 200
pages, which he did not publish until 1860,
when small edition was printed and dis
tributed among colleges and scholars, but
not placed in the market. Oliver Ditson, of
Boston, seeing the work. purchased the copy
right and has published two or three edi-
TONS In this book the Judge differs regard
ing the musical scale with preceding au-
thorties not only in the analysis of harmo-
n.y. but in the combination of harmones
and in the arrangement of some or the in
tervals in the SCALE Afterwards. in London,
the Judges theory was proved correct by the
microphone, and Is now accepted as author
ity. In 1864-5 he wrote "Glances at the
World" his third volume of poem a book
of $40 pages. In 1876 he published another
volume, poem entitled American Boy
hood" In 1878 still another book of poems
was published, though not put on the mar
ket. His last volume of poems appeared
little more than a year ago. Besides these,
he was the author of number of pamphlets
on various topics. But he was ablest as a
jurist and while many of his decisions
notably the one on the constitutional amend
meuts in 1S76-were unpopular, his integrity
was never questioned, and he will go to his
grave full Of honors