The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1885-05-01
NUMBER ii.
CARRYING A LIBRARY IN HIS HEAD.
a CoIcred ETau IL, Washington whom
LGs-yc.s All over the Country
n now


Opposite the winding staircase which
ascends 10 the ro.unla. and directly be
meath the Supreme Court room. is the
finest law library IN thls country. It con
tains $500 volumes. and the annual
editions amount 10 about 1000 volumes.
Though nominalIy "a part OF the miscel-
laneors library. and under the jurisdiction
of Mr.. Sponord, it has had for years it's
librarian and separate accommodations.
Within the portals OF this vast collection
the profoUndest lawyers of the United
States have laboriously traced legal prin-
ciPies and fnarsEalied arrays of authori-
ties The rule of silence is without
breach. In this legal reservoir there is
that quiet which rests upon the waters in
whose depths genuine pearls alone are
The legal explorer meets with but one
annoyance. There is not a gas Jet or lamp
WITHIN tnc ROOM No employe dare even
carry match After the fire in 1871. which
proved so disastrous. a statute was
enac,ed prohibiting the use of Conlbusti-
bleS of any kind within the libraries And
tlrs, when dusk prevents the eye from
longer following the studied text, the
doors are closed, aud, perhaps in the mid
die OF d sustained argument which the
reader would fIin pursue 20 conclusion.
the volume must be resigned
The assistant law librarian John Fran
els Nicholas Wilkinson. is colored gen
tleInan. lie Is the oldest attachc in either
library. For twentyeight years he has
been the familiar purNeyor Of the law
DOCKS, and IN every leading Office of the
larger cities he could ind q lawyer whom
ne knows. NO abbreNlSt.Ons OF the law
reporter sfaTler him. lie refers To no die
tlonary 10 discover the meaning of initials
or condensed names used. but promptly
goes 20 the proper alCbyC. and unerringlv
brings forth the desired report. whether il
be one OF a mUsty British series or some
editor sought 70 emblaEcn his own name
uEon II rather than employ the modern
convenience OF consecutive numbers. 1t
Is tnlS perfect familiarity with the library
which imprezses Mr.. Wilkinson upon the.
yisiter. The pages OF the supreme Court
justices are mOmentarilY coming down
with re Ij;.~ltiO9S for auth h1rities that mar
range from the ancient Brehpn laws
French .CUtt2Cs CeiCbTCs. or reports of the
Court de Cessation t. the whole domain
OF American decisions With the pre-
clslou OF aSyiss bcll-ringer Mr.. WiIkinsou
draws out the re tuiIed WC Ks from Inc
shelves But what IS more remarkable as
a Ieat OF momOriZin- Is the accuracy Of
MS recollection of cases He has 10 need
OF recourse 10 digests 10 locate the leading
cases III cur Jurisprudence. The library
has grown during Mr.. Milkinson's iucuru-
hency from 1900 Il GS. 600 volumes brlr he
has kept pace with j..
forslX generations back Mr.. W-il5ius0n's
ancestors have been free. He hes Afri-
can. Indian and white blood in his veins
Ia 1881, when the fear of slave insurrec-
ton terrorIzed the South, and the free
negroes were driven from Nirgiuia, MIX
lnson's father became "a resident Of Wash
ingtOu, where he was caterer to tho lend
ing statesmen who messed together there.
The son was carly placed in n br.ckyard
and followed brickmaking until he was ~
years old, filling the winter intervals with
catering and playing in q band In 1851
he was employed as laborer to assist in
cleaning the general library. Congress
made an appropriation for an additional
labOrer, and Wilkinson got the permanent
Job. Wilkinson was soon detailed To the
law library, and there. through the grades
OF laborer, messenger, and assistant libra
rian. he has served ever since IN 1862 Mr.
Lincoln removed John =. Meehau the law
librarian, after thirty-Oue years service,
and appointed Or. Stevenson of Terre
Haute, in his place. The new appointce
discharged every employee except the
younger Mcehan. Wilkinson was told
that il had been decided to employ no col
ored help. But he was restored in a few
months, and the Supreme COurt and
Reverdy johnson, then on the Library
Committee, requested that he be never re-
moved.