The Ottawa free trader., 1885-08-01
The Cation Golden Wedding,

Among society events IN Chicago none has
been more notable than the celebration, OH
Tuesday evening, Of the ifteth or golden
anniversary of the wedding Of Judge John
Dean Cation and his estimable wife, Laura
(SherrilD Cation. As described in the ChlcaSo
newspapers, the event recalls the ancient days
of classic story, when pomp and Splendor
marked the banquets of the great. lhe resi-
dence of the Judge was most proIuscly ana
handsomely decorated, the whole interior DC
ing ablaze with golden tints reflected from a
mass of yellow blossoms that filled every avail
able spot Everywhere golden-hued flowers
peeped from costly vases; festoons of those
bright. .colored blossoms were loopcd with
bows Of old gold ribbon; the supper room was
abaze with yellow flowers and golden can
delabra; and the table service was OF gold.
And the scene without--the Judges own spa
cious grounds and those adjoining his son
and sons in -law-presented spectacle OF rare
enchantment But our readers must seek the
Chicago papers for details.
| The Judge, although having lately suffered
the atllction of almost entirely losing seye-
sight was as gay and chcery among his thou
sand ruests AS if he had renewed his youthful
days of fifty years ago. As to his blindness,
| II results from a cataract which began to grow
on one of his eyes about eight years ago, and
from which the other became affected. The
Judge is confident, however, that he can be
cured of this, and as soon as cooler weather
arrives will have his eyes operated upon.
Otherwise he is in splendid health, and good
for another score of years at least
He came to Illinois in 1888, when 81 years
of age, and made his first halt at Chicago,
when it had but 200 inhabitants. His first
work was at the saddler's trade, but he began
at once TO study law, and being admitted to
the bar, soon gained lucrative practice. In
1912 he was chosen by the legislature one OF
the justices of the Supreme Court, and sat
upon the bench for period covering % years,
when he declined reelection. While still
upon the bench he became interested in eX'
tending telegraph lines through the West,and
is mainly indebted to his success in the man.
-e,omant of these for the large fortune which
he has accumulated.
| Aside from his legal attanments, labors and
triumphs, the Judge has also won no little re.
nown in the field of literature, being the au.
thor Of a number of books, some of such sci
cntifc value as to be recognized as authority
| by men of emincnce like Darwin and Spencer
But to most of our readers his books are IA.
miiar enough to need no naming here.
But our interest in the Judge and his bril-
liant golden wedding arises mainly from the
fact that, although nominally a resident of
Chicago, he is really, and for forty years past
has been resident Of Ottawa. His stately
mansion on the north bluff is more his home
to-day than his snowy residence on Calumet
Avenue. 1t was as citizen Of Ottawa that
he won all his successes and triumphs, and
though convenience may require that he
should also maintain an establishment at Chi.
cago, Ottawa claims him as all her own, and
don't know "Judge Cation, of Chicago"