Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1885-12-17

} by the old Supreme Court in bane. Mr..
Peck had never made speech in court
up to this time. He was afraid to trust
himself. so he wrote out his argument in
full. All the briefs were then prepared
in manuscripts. The judges on the cir
cult then took Mr.. Peck's brief with the
others to read; and the next morning
Judge Wood quietly slipped Mr.. Peck's
brief back to him, saying, "your argu-
ment is very good one indeed, but it is
so yillainously written that the other
judges may not read it, so l advise you
to get some one to copy it nicely before
the court meets in banc at Columbus"
Upon this hint, he took his brief to Whee-
ling, and had it printed in good type; and
this was the first printed brief ever filed
in the Supreme Court ef Ohio; the judges
were delighted with the innovation, and
Mr.. Peck won this, his first chaneery
case, and which gave hiLa at once great
reputation, and he soon secured large
and profitable business.
The lawyers then praeticing at st.
CIairsville were VIM. B. Hubbard, Ste
phen Caldwell, Jos. A. Ramsge, Wilson
Shannon, VIM. Kennon, Sr., Thomas II.
Genin, Gen. James Weir and Daniel Peck,
who survived all his contemporaries. The
lawyers who came from abroad to the
St Clairsville courts in those days, were
Judges Tappan, Wright and GOodenoW,
from Steubenville, Walter Bsebe and
Chauncey Dewey, from Cadiz, and Gen.
James NJ. Bell, from Cambridge They
are all dead long ago. Mr.. Peck witness
ed long procession of his fellows pass
away. He was personally acquainted
with Jonathan Zane, the Indian tighter
of the trackless woods of Ohio and West
Virginia, and lived to see nation in
mourning for Gen. Grant, who WAS born,
grew to old age, subdued great rebel+
lion involving great states, aud passed
away after the death of Zane and prior
to his own last sickness. What paDa-
ramo of progress and power within the
span of one mans lifel
1t would make this sketch too long for
a newspaper, to enter into further de-
tails of this remarkable man. For over
sixty years he was leading figure in
the State and United States Courts OF
Ohio and West Virginia. He ranked
easily with the oldest lawyers in the na-
tion, and IN his speciality as a cbaneery
lawyer, be had no superiors if any equals.
He was the associate and peer of VIM
Kennon, Sr. Wilson Shannon, Henry
EStaAberry and Edwin NJ. Stanton. justly
admitted to be the great lawyers Of the
west. Had be been a self-seeking, money
boarding man. his law practice would
have made him millionaire. His wants
were few and inexpensive, and be cared
little for money or wealth in any form.
He was confding and generous to his
friends, and helped others often to his
own hurt and privation. One hundred
thousand dollars would scarcely make
good the surety debts he paid for others.
He loved Nature in all her varied forms.
He studied astronomy, geology and bot
any, and thoroughly understood these
sciences. He had great love for fruits
and flowers, and encouraged others to
cultivate them, and was the FIRST maH TO
import and plant evergreen trees in the
community.
He was public spirited. More than
forty-6ve years age, with David Allen,
of Bridgeport BE paid for making a SUR
vey for a railroad from Bridgeport to
Flushing. That was the first railroad
work in Ohio, and railroad in fact final
ly followed that old survey line. His
voice was always on the side of sound
morals and the public good. He was a
firm believer in the truths and principles
of the Christian religion. He had no
taste for politics, although taking an ae-
tive interest in public affairs. He de-
tested shams. humbsgs and hypOcrites.
He was elected member of the conven-
ton which framed the constitution of
this state, against his wishes. He was
nominated for justice of the supreme
court by the American party, against
his wishes, and spent some time in the
canvass working for his friend and COM
petitor, Judge Ramsey.
After removing to Wheeling in 1868,
be was elected to the State Senate Of
West Virginia, and lsbored hard to give
the new state good code of laws. And
these are the only public offices he ever
held, and these came unsought by him.
While residing in Wheeling. he was one
of the directors of the state prison, and
connected with other reform institH-
tions; and during the Rebellion, his old
friend, Secretary of War Stanton, ap-
pointed him one of the visitors to inves-
tigate the management of the West Point
Military Academy.
He removed back to his old home Of
st. Clairsville, in October, 1884. to the
hills he loved so well, and is laid with
the friends who have so long preceded
him. All his blood relations are dead.
All his old compeers in the courts are
dead; and ever his newly made grave q
whole community can unite in saying:
That our sons can find NO better or high
or type of manhood than his. Brave
heart, true friend, hail and FAREWELL
In the year ls4S, he married Miss
Olivia Jones, the eldest daughter Of the
late Wilmeth Jones, and who survives
her husband. and who like him Is uni
vsrsslly beloved.
IN the days of Republican rule at
Washington. the Democrats we're in the
II. hnA