The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1885-07-10

arrested and imprisoned by the mil
tary authorities as a sympathizer wit
the rebellion.
In 1870 he was elected q member {
the Constitutional Convention, an
took a conspicuous position in its DIT
ties and debates, holding the broa
ground that every man was entitled I
the ballot. Fol- his liberal views o.
this subject he has higher claim up
on the colOred man than any othe
man in the State.
In 1870 he was also elected one @
the Judges o the Supreme Court, auC
Immediately, by his brother judges
made chief Justice, which office h,
filled without the loss of a day from
sickness or other cause, except wheI
disabled in 1873 by broken leg, unit
the date of his untimely death, March
| %, 1876.
| Gentleness of nature, kindness and
charity of disposition, modesiy and
dignity of department, fidelity TO duty,
justice-goodness in a word, charac-
| terized A. o. Z. Nicholson in all the
| relations of life and made him approx
innate as nearly to perfection as NOR
tai man car in this mortal life.
In the heat of debate, on the hust-
| ings, he was never known to lose that
beautiful seIf-controI which so marked
bis life. 1t is said that no one ever
heard him use di-cOurteous or un-
kind word even to an adversary.
This self control naturally led to
great personal purity of character, yet
he was never stern or ascetic, but at
all times accessible aud genial.
His ability commanded the respect,
his virtues secured the esteem and his
true kindness of heart won the devot
ed love of oil who Were associated with
him.
1t is, however, III his character as a
lawyer and judge that we have now
more particularly to consider him.
His success was prompt and rapid, Tor
tile character of his mind was such as
qualified him to become II great advo-
cate. Added To this, his high sense of
duly and indefatigable industry COM
bined to push him to the front rank
both at the bar and on the bench. The
leading characteristics of his mind
were the power of concentration and
a truly marvellous capacity for mental
labor. This power OF concentration
enabled him 10 reach conclusions at
the bar, 90 the bench, in political or
private life, without visible effort and
be gave explanations in such simple
words that the humblest listener had
no difficulty in following him. He
had, indeed, few equals III the com
mand of pure English.
An eminent critic said of him
"He possessed "a dense aud Dimbie
brain'-clear as crystal and compact
as ivory. He had clearnt IS and apid-
ity of perception, exhaustive analytic
al acumen, concentration and grasp of
n ff.1laI.f nnI VI inn
puwt rs. With these were combined
an easy flow OF language, clear as crys
tai, and Issuing in n uniform current,
without ripple or u fault. He bad a
pleasant voice; often winning in It's
sweetness, and mOdulated 10 a tone
above which ii was never much raised
He seemed, before he commenced an
argument, to havO gone over, piece by
piece, every item of fact in law, asccr-
tanned its proper place, and fixed il
exactly there, aud there it renamed
until brought out in regular sequence.
IL his great speeches, often Necessarily |
tha IN piFssisz.esf ftsIs=l z -. liz.
Teen written out in advanceland care |
FULLY committed to memory, they could |
moi possibly have been more syslemat-
iealiy arranged or more evenly deliv
cred"
He could take up long aud compli-
Gated chancery record, c0Bfusedly put |
together, and by single peTusai grasp |
all the details and reaTrauge them into /
q clear and accurate narrative, follow
ed by an enunciation of the principles
of law involved and a discussion of the |
reasons which uuderlay them, cOuched
IN the purest language. In less than "a
week 5 time after the fracture of his |
thigh, whed PROSTATE upon his bed,
he Would have his daughter read him
paper sitter paper of such records,
whilst he lay with closed eyes and
clasped hands intently listening fire
quently racked with pain, then he |
would dictate more rapidly than she
could write his enunciations aud dis
cussions. He was often heard to say
that such records were more fascinat
ing TO him than the best written nov
81, and that his work upon the Su-
preme Bench had been the most con-
geHia, Occup ition of his life. 1t wa a
matter OF regret to him that he had
not eschewed politics and devoted
him~' II Xc.uSivtly To the law. Had
he done SO the nation could not, per-
haps, have DO at, d "a superior
His capacity for mental labor is fully /
proved by the work done by him dur
ing the last xix years OF his life. Com
ing to the bench when the IaboTs of
The Supreme Count were simply Rp-
pallmg, IN addition To the continuous
and eXhaustiBg labor which fell upon
him in the regular routine of duty, hp
received and dispensed cases subm t.
ted on briefs which, in The crowded
state of the d0cKet, could not be
reached during the term. He could |
Lot refuse to do what h. could do with /
such ease and rapidity, and thus he
over t3X' q II lure nj fell a martyr 20 /
bis fidelity TO d puhiic trust. He had |
not quite run the allotted "three score |
years and ten"-ihe brief span of |
mans life--tut, as one of Iisassociates |
said, III his lIfe be measured by his |
work. he lived thrive the period allOt- |
ted TO mortality, and dit d foil of years |
and of hOuors."
Sustained by the consciousness of |
duty well done, of the goodwill of his |
fellow men, with his last utterauces |
he breathed out ill eloquent language |
his unfaltering trust 10 the truths of |
the Bible, of which he had hesn close |
student from his youth, and calmly |
aud gently his pure spirit went to hear |
the sentence of the Great Judge on |
heavens t,euch. Must not that SEN
tTnce have been t'Well done, thou
gopd and fBithful servant. enter thou /
int'I TIE joy of tIlV Lord ?'