Semi-weekly south Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1883-1889, 1884-06-24
nnnIous CONSTELLATION

When the railroad was opened ior
travel between Baltimore and Washing
ton I saw Mr.. Webster frequently; but
it was not until we were both employed
in the important case of Wilson VS..
Rousseau, in the Supreme Court, that l
was again brought into professional re-
lations with him. Our client, Mr.. Jas.
G. Wilson, had no less than seven coun-
sel-Mr. Webster, Mr.. William Il. Sew
ard, Mr.. Reverdy johnson, Mr.. Phelps,
of Vermont; Mr.. Henderson, OF Louisi-
ana; Mr.. Hall of Washington, and my
self. The court had consented to our
dividing the points--two speaking to
each. But the difficulty was to get us
all together for consultation. At last,
in despair of succeeding otherwise, MIR.
Wilson invited us to supper at the Ma
tional Hotel, at 8 o'clock, with the I'M
derstanding that consultation would
take place at s. 1t was not until $50,
however, that Mr.. Webster called us to
order, stated the object of the meeting,
and complimented our host for his ex-
cellent judgment as displayed in the
means adopted for securing the attend
ance of hisprofessional advisers. Turn
ing then to Mr.. Seward, he said, "And
now, Brother Seward, you will begin
with reading the record" Records in
those days were not printed, as now,
out were engrossed on folio cap paper,
and in this particular case the record
was heavy pile Of manuscript, which
Mr.. Seward rested ON his lap, and which
would have taken several hours to read,
while there remained not more than
twenty minutes before supper would be
ready. Mr.. Seward, however, began
with the formal heading, and was going
on when interrupted by burst of
laughter, which was not QUOTED by the
grave, judicial manner in which MIR. Will
son called for order, and requested
. Brother Seward" TO proceed. By
this time Mr.. Seward, who had as yet
preserved his countenance, joined in
the mirth when Mr.. Webster, shrug-
cling his shoulders and turning to our
client, said: "You see how it is, Mr..
Wilson; there seems to be no alterna-
tive but to begin with supper, Do you
think it is ready? Perhaps We may get
on better with the record afterward :"
and to supper in an adjoining room Mr..
Wilson and his counsel marched, with
Mr.. Webster at the head of the process
sion.
There was moro than one good talker
OF the table, and for while the CONVEX
sation was general. 1t was not long,
however, before we were listening to
Mr.. Webster.
Contcuere omnes, intentque ora tenebant
He was 81 the vein," and the hours
flew by unheeded as there streamed from
him, in rapid succession, anecdotes,
quotations, references to his boyhood,
incidents in his early practice, descrip-
tons Of the men who then figured upon
the scene, graphic accounts of old ia
miliar places. He was sometimes grave,
solemn even; sometimes pathetic; some.
times, and by no means infrequently,
quaint, droll and humorous; sometimes
setting the table in roar then agair
moving his hearers almost to tears
Sure Of his company, he was under NJ
restraint, and seemed disposed to let hi
animal spirits run away with him, t.
forget the eminent lawyer and the grea
statesman, to roll off the sixty-five year
that then weighed upon him, and be I
boy again. I believe am the sole sur
vivor Of that merry party thirty-thre,
years ago; and, many as have been tn,
social gatherings at which in my own ant
other lands I have been present, l hav
no such experience as that afforded b,
the attempt at consultation in the cas-
of Wilson VS.. Rousseau, in the yea
1916.
1 ought toadd that, somehow or other
when the argument came on, we fell int
our proper places, and that Mr.. Wilson
gained his case.-John II. B. Latrobe