The sun. [volume] (Morris, Stevens County, Minn.) 1882-1895, 1888-03-29

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MORRISON R. WAITE.
professional nurse was in charge Of the
sick room. Shortly after 6 o'clock this
morning the chief justice said: Il feel
little easier. l think / will go to Sleep"
and turned over in his bed. In q few mo-
ments he was dead. The nurse could not
realize the fact There was no struggle, no
suffering. The chief Justice literally fell
asleep. The two members OF the family
could not realize the terrible blow that had
come upon them Miss Waite is completely
prostrated
Associate Justice Miller, the senior member
OF the court. sent invitations to his fellow
members to meet him at the consultation
room of the court. where they all assembled
at IL o'clock. The attorney general and
leading members of the bar were present.
The chair of the chief justice was simply
draped in Grape. but in no other respect did
the appearance of the chamber give any in
dication of the mournful nature of the occa-
sion When the court and the assemblage
were seated, Justice Miller, in a low, broken
voice, said:
1t is my painful duty to announce to the
bar Of this court that it's honored chief JUS
tice departed this life this morning at 6 80
o'clock. This is not the occasion to make
any extended observations on the subject,
which will be done in due time The court
will adjourn until 12 o'clock on Monday,
April 2.
The senate and house both adjourned
as the death was formally announced.
THE DIsTING UIsHED DEAD.
Morrison Remick Waite received his ap-
pointment as chief justice Jan. 21, 1874,
and was the successor of Chief Justice Chase.
He was the seventh in the line of dis
tlnguished inrists who have held the Office.
In the rural town of Lyme, Conn, the old
house in which he was born, Nov. 20, 1916,
still stands. At the age OF seventeen he en-
tered Yale college, from which he graduated
in l S37 in the class which included William
NJ Evarts, Edward Pierrepont. Prot. Benja-
min Siiliman and other distinguished men.
He began the study of law with his father in
Lyme aud concluded his preparation for the
bar in the Office of Samuel L. Young, then q
prominent lawer in Maumee City, Ohio He
formed a partnership with Mr.. Young shortly
after being admitted in 1889, and the year
after he took as his life partner young lady
of his native town. He was elected
to the Ohio legislature in 1S49,
and the following year the firm of
Young & Waite removed to Toledo, Ohio,
where they built up very large and remu-
nerative practice A younger brother of Mr..
Waite was admitted to the firm soon after,
and the partnership continued up to his ap-
potntment to the chief justiceship. Mr..
Waite was Whig until that party disbanded,
when he Joined the Republican party He
reluctantly became candidate for congress
in 1862, and later was the nominee of the
administration party" but his canvasses
were unsuccessful Other nominations and
various appointments were rendered him
from time to time. all of which he refused
to accept The first position in which his
ability attracted the attention OF the whole
country was that of counsel for the United
States in the tribunal Of arbitration which
met at Geneva in 1912. He was associ-
ated in this delicate negotiation with Caleb
Cushing and William NJ Evarts His tact
and good judgment largely served to termi-
war between the United States and the
United Kingdom. The year after his return,
in 1879, he presided over the constitutional
convention Of Ohio
PERSONAL APPEARANCE.
Though the chief Justice was in his sew
the street even recently would have ven-
tured the prediction that he would live
many years yet to grace the bench. He was
of medium height, with broad shoulders and
sturdy figure. Everything about his appear
ance indicated splendid physique He
stood straight and was dignliied in carriage.
His large head was crowned with a thin
growth of iron gray hair His forehead was
broad and full, the eyebrows dark and
heavy The mouth and nose were large and
full of character. He wore beard about
his face but his upper lip was clean shaven
10 xrno q I'm m ia a
IA he almost invariably walked to and from
his house and tho supreme court cham
ber in the capitol In the summer of
1883, Chief Justice Waite was one
of the party with President Arthur, Gen.
Sherman, Gen. Sheridan and others who
went on trip through Yellowstone Park.
On that trip he met with an accident that
caused considerable alarm at the time.
While en- route from the Mammoth Hot
Springs to the falls the chief Justices saddle
slipped from under him and he had bad
fall At first he felt but little pain from the
effects Of his tumble, but after riding two or
three days he was obliged to stop, and the
surgeons who accompanied his party made
an examination which elected from them
the opinion that the chief Justice had suf-
fered slight fracture OF the ninth and tenth
ribs The chief Justice was obliged to
abandon his trip and return East Go
ing to his old home at Lyme, Conn.,.
he soon recovered from the effects Of his
ocClQen1 Inc waite familY Is one or the
oldest families in the country and the coat
OF arms granted to it bears the date Of 1912.
Thomas Waite, who was member of parlia-
,nent, signed the death warrant Of Charles
n. and the family moved to this country
soon after the Restoration. It was about
thirty years after the landing Of the Pilgrims
that Thomas Waite settled In Connecticut,
and this mans son was one of the first presi-
dental eleptore after the War of the hevo-
luton, and cast his vote for George Wash-
ingtop. Justice Waite's father waa chief
Justice of the supreme court of Connecticut
and be studied laW under Matthew Griswold,
one Of the most noted statesmen of early
daya Like Judge Waite, he WINS graduate
OF Yale and eminent as jurlst He left the
supreme bench. however. OF the age of sew
euty, and died at eighty-two. :.
HIS APPOINTMENT REcALIEn
Judge Waite's appointment and confrma-
ton formed a striking episode of the time.
Ex- President Grant had nominated sucoess-
lively Attorney General Williams and Caleb
Cushing, both OF whom encountered much
opposition, and after time their names
were withdrawn and Mr.. Waite was nomi-
mated He had been an independent Repub-
liCan candidate for congress- against one Of
the late Charles Summers warm personal
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