Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-12-12

around himself, yet failing never to emerge
at last with all his ssreamers floating; ana
never so gleriously floating as at the close.
RECALLING THE PAST.
All OF these men are gone. j stand alone. For
my thought Is dwelling upon time when my
Iriend' Gen. I.awton, did not 20 with us upon
the circuit. | am thinning of our evenings at
barren. at Brunswick, at JeffersOnton. sure
~ then and there "the feast OF reason and the
How Of soul" was 'tall our own" not to be eX-
celleu. venture to say. even in Dublin, the
CITY or Curran, or in any o her city OF the
world. is this vanity? Nothing but vanity?
Excuse it then, since it comes hoary from the
past, ana movers above the graves OF the ueauE
For me there is pain in recalling this poP
uon OF the past In the evenings OF WHICH,
speak there was not one OF us who. contem-
platng the Dortc embodiment OF pure truth
which we are here 10 honor at this late day,
dld not realize that he had grown nearest to
the stars, and would not have exclaimed.
each TO either, "He, at last, Is the noplest
Roman OF us am" And yet be was ther !
AZ tne Bar and l upon the Bencb
Needless to say it was no aDsenc
OF merit IN him or presence OF merit IN N e
winch had displaced him and placed D le
there. 1t was party which dId it, In justice 10
myself l may say | was no willing actor IN
the worF OF displacement. The necessity of
making bread for my family, and doct, rs
telling me that TO practice law would be TO
sacrifice lie. accomplished the work.
And so Ifound myself upon the Bench, the
boy attempting to bend \pollo's bow" IL Iere
oaH We NO uOuDJ tnAL all Wlse men anu all
good men rejoiced when Apollo was rest bred
10 MS weapon again. And how nobly OIL ne
handle 1t! To say that he never erred w ould
De TO say mat he was altogether perfect, ana
perfection belongs not TO mortas. But o say
that thete are spots upon the sun, that ID omer
hlmseP nodded, and that this RENT kabe
Judge may have erred. will not carry W it'll 1T
the ring OF eXaggeratiOn to those who knew
MN IN the palmy days OF his life.
The position lie held IN the estima-
ton OF the Judges of our hgho At court
was tnlly Recognized by the eutire ate. To
suspect him of error was simply 70 doubt
themselves. But enough has oeen said! To
the memory of this great Judge, this true
man, this unbending Southron all. and last
ing, honor be paid!
AS A FRIEND.
Hon. Rufus f. Lester, who for many
years was law partner OF Judge Flem-
ing, and who knew him perhaps more in
timately than any other mamber of the
bar, spoke at some length Of the relation
ship between them aud of tive private life
of the deceased jurist. He Tnew him as a
professional associate anti as friend.
Judge Fleming, ne said, was not the aus
tere man that the world took him to be.
He was kind. He had the fine rsensibil-
tiles, and was able to appreciate in high
degree things that do not fall within the
understanding OF most Taen. 1t may sur
prise many to know that Judge Fleming
things, and picking up from the table
beside him small, torn book, Col. Lester
read this fragment:
To-day and beauty wears its bloom,
Admired, courteI and beloved,
Tomorrow sees 1t IN the tomb
or all and ever charm deprived.
To-day its plum } and crimson cheek
Attracts the ident lovers eye,
Tomorrow and in vain he seeks
To find the fascinating dye.
For ah! I'll 5 gone, the rosy red
And every other charm is fed.
This is from A little volume OF poems
which Judge Fleming published and
afterward suppressed. The last copy he
threw into tine fire, but before it was en-
tirelv destroyed it was rescued by one of
his daughters, and is carefully treasured
as a memorial of the dead Judge.
Capt. George A. Mercer, Hon. p. W.
Meldrim, who was an intimate friend of
Judge Fleming. Gen. A, r. Lawton and
Solicitor General duBignon all spoke IN a
touching manner of the deceased.
Judge Adams, in receiving the
resolutions, spoke briefly, but eloquently,
of the man whose history is thus handed
down TO the future, and adjourned the
court In respect to his memory.