Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1883-07-03

entire year. There is splendid road bee
from here to Richmond and they make ex-
cellent time. The officials at the Chesa
peake and Ohio offices in Richmond are
exceedingly courteous and polite; and
through the columns of this paper, the
writer takes this opportunity to return
thanks to Mr. G. W. Smith, the prince OF
railroad officials, for ''courtesies" extended
from Richmond to Lexington, Ky.
THE BAR OF sTAUNToN. =
1t is the professional men everywhere
that give tone to society. Take away from
England her orators, poets, and states
men-let her commerce remain-and she
would be shorn of half her glory. To
whom are you indebted for the formation
OF your minds, your tastes-the great de-
sire to be up and doing? It is the writers
OF books, the contributors tn magazines, to
newspapers, theSearcher after new discov-
ferries in medici1eAnd science. These are
the people to whom you are indebted for
the formation of your minds and desires
for ''much learning"
There is class of men whom the masses
of people affect to believe are hired to lie
and cheat and steal, yet it is class that
the people are afraid of, though they
concede them to be the smartest people af-
ter all-the lawyers. Now, 1 say, and
mean what | say, that l would take a law
yer's word for any thing sooner than l
would any one else. 1 really think that
lawyers, as rule, are the most honest peo-
pie that live. Again: they are the most
unselish people that live, and the most
generous on all occasions; and if I had to
build church, or bury pauper, or found
an institution of any kind, I would call on
them IN preference to any one else-sure
always OF sympathy and aid. They are
bound to be the smartest men everywhere
1t is the price of their position. A doctor
buries his mistakes and secrets in the
ground. A lawyer stands up before the
world, and if he makes-a mistake, there
are fifty others standing by ready to tell
him of it. equally as smart as he. They
are not like the self-righteous Pharisee on
the street-corners, but their familiar inter
course with wickedness and crime in its
every phase incline them to be generous,
and 10 look kindly on other peoples faults.
There is something in the cool, calm, col
lected demeanor of the lawyer that quite
sets him apart, and professional etiquette
among them that he preserves inviolate
Lawyers do not traduce each other.
During my short stay in this charming
old city, | had the pleasure of meeting one
of her most distinguished citizens, the
HON. ALEX. H. H. STUART.
Augusta county has the honor of having
been the birthplace of Mr.. Stuart. He
belongs to the old race of Virginia gentle
men, when the name meant more than it
does now; for new regime has usurped
the place of the old one, and they have
been merged into race of money -getters,
and the new race has less time for the
cultivation of the graceful courtesies of life.
Mr.. Stuart is the only surviving member
of Mr.. Fillmore's Cabinet, and is, at the
age of seventy ysiX, in the full vigor and
preservation of his intellect. For fifty-f1ve
years he has been identified with the people
of this and the adjoining counties in the
practice of law. His father before him was
Judge of the Circuit Court for thirty years,
with whom he read law and was admitted
to the Bar in 1925
Mr.. Stuart was Secretary of the Interior
under Mr.. Fillmere's administration from
1850 to 1853. He is the most prominent
member of the Staunton Bar, and an own
cousin to the father of Gen. J. E. B. Stuart.
Mr.. Stuart is President of the Valley Mu-
tual Life Association, formed here four
years ago. The insurance Of this Associa-
ton amounts to over twelve million dollars
They occupy beautiful new building on
Main street.
The Courthouse of Staunton stands in
beautifully shaded grove or square, and
was built away back yonder in the year
-. The walls are thick and the rooms
are delightfully."- cool and pleasant-the
front shaded from the glare of the sun. In
the course of my rambles around Staun-
ton, l met
MR.. WILLIAM A. BURNETT,
Clerk of the County Court, who has spent
large portion of his life in the service of
the county. His popularity is well estab-
lished he having been in the County Court
Clerks office as Deputy and Clerk since
wrong in that time somebody would have
found it out, and as he still keeps his place,
it is presumable he has not.
The City Clerk
MIR. NEWTON ARGENBRIGHT,
we found comfortably domiciled in pleas
ant office ON the first floor of the Opera
House, where he sits and writes, writes all
day long, until the sun goes down, all the
days in the week except Sunday, (and he
writes beautiful hand, too,) and may be
he writes on Sunday, but hardly, think.
From him we learned that the finances We're
never in more prosperous condition-the
interest ON the bonded debt having at all
times been promptly paid and the market
value of the bonds steadily increasing,
while "all hands, have entered into mu-
tual admiration of the general prosperity
of Staunton. 1t was a real pleasure to talk
to Mr.. Argenbright.
There is not more popular man at the
Staunton Bar than
CAPT. ALEX. H. FULTz.
His many friends speak in warm praise
of his talents as a lawyer, his high charac-
ter and many attractive personal traits.
Capt. Fultz is native of Bath county, Va. :;
was edncated at the Washington and Lee
and the University of Virginia. He began
the practice here in 1870. As q lawyer, he
stands in the front rank. AS whole
souled, kind-hearted, gracious Virginia
gentleman, there are none better. He be-
longed to the celebrated Staunton Artillery
with the army of Northern Virginia. was
in Jackson's Corps when he was wounded
at Chancellorsville.
RISE TO EXPLAIN.
| lived for four years in Atlanta, Ca,
which city, for progress and enterprise, has
no equal anywhere, and it was down there
that first ever thought of writing up"
cities and towns, and the "dear five hun
dred' people. My various wanderings have
led me into many cities and among many
charming people, for it is only those who
wear the s'purple and fine linen" that l
care to know, and if there is any bad about
people | never want to know it, | am only
Jo