The Baltimore County union. [volume] (Towsontown, Md.) 1865-1909, 1884-01-12
A Virginia Sketch.
HOW HE BECAME A JUDGE
HIS DEATH.

Letter from Richmond in New York Sun.
Not long ago received information
of the death of an individual whom l
had known in former years, whose
character always contained a peculiar
interest for me, and, thinking others
might be similarly entertained, I will
try to write something about him. He
was an aged African, probably 80 years
old at the time of his death, and for
many years previously had gone by 40
other name than "The Judge" His
real name was Scipio Morris.
My acquaintance with the Judge be-
gan about fifteen years ago. He was
then of the ancient and honorable pro-
fession of wood saving, and in the
practice of it had been operating around
our neighborhood for an indefinite
time. Eliza, the cook, had always had
her favorite ''wood-saw mana very
much younger, sprucer, handsomer,
and saucier fellow than the Judge-but
when Gummy (that was the delightful
name he bore) failed her one day, in
the emergency she came to me-
,yould please, if met a wood saw
man when went out, send him to her?
went out and met the Judge.
He was not the Judge then. That
distinction, like his brass mounted
spectacles, came to him later in life,
when he had graduated from wood
saving into politics. This was not un
til some five or six years subsequent to
the period of our acquaintance, how
ever. l met the Judge and sent him
home to Eliza. Whether it was that
he gave superior satisfaction, or that
the adorable Gummy failed ever to re-
turn, / do not know, but from that
time until his new departure into poll
tics the Judge sawed our wood and ate
our bacon.
His elevation to the bench came
about as follows: There was no one in
Ebenezer Church who could sing loud
er, preach better, or pray harder than
he, not even excepting the pastor him
self, and these enviable accomplish
ments gave him great influence in
secular as we'll as in religious affairs
So, when the only colored Justice of
the Peace who had ever been chosen
in his ward, or in the entire city, in
fact, died, the Judge found it an easy
matter to get himself selected in his
place.
This distinction he enjoyed about
two years, when he was forced to lay
by his ermine and brass spectacles at
one and the same time, for he was too
consistent to retain one without the
other. The cognomen of "Judge"
still stuck, however. An unfortunate
dispensation of justice, wherein the
laws of the married state were involved,
so offended his henchmen that they
deserted his standard for that of rival
deacon, and at the next election ac-
complished his downfall. Whether his
pride interposed to prevent his picking
up his saw and horse again and van
gushing inviting wood piles as before,
or old age and "rheumatiz" were get
ting in their work, l do not know, but
never herd of his returning to the
wood saving profession. 1t is equally
matter of conjecture with me how he
supported himself in his dignifed re-
tirement. 1t is seldom that a darky
ever puts by provision for the future,
but he prefers to trust to the charity of
friends or the church, the compassion
of former masters, precarious chance,
or, what is more probable, takes no
thought on the subject at all, and the
consequence usually is that he scrapes
along somehow-a little here and a
little there-about as we'll as he ever
did. But however the Judge managed
to subsist, the wood saving fraternity
knew him no more, and in a little while
he was as great stranger to me.
soon lost sight of him entirely.
There is a pleasanter side to the
Judges character, however, than
have yet presented. He had many
faults, but he also had some virtues.- =
He was diligent and faithful in his
work, and warm hearted cheerful, and
obliging in his nature. Indeed, in the
wood saving days l think he was the
cheerfulest mortal l ever beheld. Most
of the saw-and-horse fraternity are as
sour as unripe persimmons, and &C
about in high old hat and short
cape, perfect pictures of Robinson
Crusoe on rainy day without his um.
brella. But the Judge was an exception
A smile or a jest was ever ready. He
enlivened his work with many quaint
songs, relics of the old plantation days
and sayings that drew laughter in spite
of yourself were ever on his tongue
1t was a misfortune, in one respect, al
least, that he ever gained judicia
honors, for his nature suddenly anc
| comnletelv changed. He was so i'm