Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1889-09-27
OBITUARY..
JUDGE RoLLlN s. WILLIAMSON.

+ JUDGE ROllIN s. WILLIAMSON
Mention has already been made of the
death at his home near Chicago of Judge
Williamson of that city. who was a
brother of Mr.. NJ. B. Williamson of
Cornwall. These extracts from the col
umn and half account of his funeral
in the Inter-Ocean will be read with in
terest by his friends here:
Know we not that there is prince and a
great man fallen this day in Israel'-IT sam
uel, ill.,, IS.
For he was a good man. and full OF the Holy
Ghost and OF taith.-Acts. XII, "a
In the above quoted verses from the
Bible the Rev. Mr.. Plumb found origin
for his eulogy of the deceased, a synop-
sis of which is given below. The two
quotations plainly represented the life,
works, and character of Judge William
son. In the first place no ordinary man
had stepped off the stage of life; no man
of circumscrbed Importance was about
to be laid at rest. a feature about his
career was that while by no means neg
ligent of his earthly interests. he yet
saw the value of living for two worlds,
and his experience in this regard the
speaker obtained from the Judge as he
lay dying on his bed.
Firstly, the expiring man was inn
pressed with the mercy of an infinite
God; secondly, with his own desire to
lay down the weapons of life and take
up the cross; and. lastly, with the joy
which came from consciousness of an
acquaintance with the Divine One and
His heavenly benediction. These eX-
pressions of feeling were uttered by the
dying man when he was racked with un-
measurable pain. and were illustrative of
his Christian end.
Judge Williamson settled in Palatine
in 1857, continued the speaker, and two
years later was married to the companion
who now mourned him. He early turned
his attention to law, and was admitted to
the bar in 1870, and thus commenced his
life work. That he touched many CEN
tiers of life was manifest from the fact
that so many interests were represented
at his funeral. In 1870 he was elected to
the Legislature, and two years later was
placed in the Senate. But in all his work
he exhibited heart that was rarely
matched. He was grand man when
burdens were put upon him. In his
church he was pillar of strength. and
the memory of his last appearance here
in the capacity of Sunday-school teach
er, when he gave instructions to the
young how to pursue the path of life,
would not soon fade away. His chief
delight was in seeing Others happy, and
his life was study to this end he al.
ways acting so as to gain the confidence
of all with whom he came in contact
and unhappy unless he attained his OBJ
iect. The speaker then spoke of the dead
mans family-his wife, his daughter
niece, and Misunderstanding words OF
comfort to them and bidding them be OF
good heart.
Between the address of the Rev. Mr.
Plumb and that of Mr.. Lee of Wood
stock, who followed, came the hymn
The Silent Land" from the quartette.
Mr.. Lee of Woodstock was much i'm
pressed with the inscription of one fora
piece on which were intertwined the
words "A Just Man." 1t reminded hin
that it was the general testimony Of
those who knew the deceased, Nor,
than this, he was sympathetic anC
kindly man; but, above all these, he wa
a true man, wholly antagonistic to tn,
things that divide men. Just one othe
thing remained to be said of Judge vii
hanson, and it was that he was a Chris
tian, no more and no less.
As representative of the bench an,
bar it devolved upon Judge Waterman t,
make the following address:
'My acquaintance with Judge William
son was of many years. My association
with him on the bench has not been O
long continuance, but in that relation
found him TO be uniformly courteous
pleasant, kind and able. The work tina
a Judge does is not principally that whc
is transacted during the hours at whc
the court sits. The principal labor
that which is done after the parties an
witnesses are gone, and the lawyers hay
ceased to wrangle. when one retires t
his chamber to remember and cOnside
what has been said and to determin
what must be done. And it was in grea
part because of Judge Willamson's faith
fulness and assiduity in that kind of labo
that he lies there and we are here today
SIT is said of the ancient Egyptian
that they had strange custom AT funer
ais of calling upon all the neighbors t
give their testimony, one after the other
: as to the character and life of the dc
, ceased; and that nothing might be omit
ted one person was appointed whose dut
it was to remember and rehearse all tn
wickedness of which the departed ha
been guilty. Was such an office commit
, ted to any one person concerning Judg
Williamson, he must, perforce, be silent
Many years ago Judge Williamson cam
from the little State of Vermont to cas-
his lot among these people.
= "lf you would know what manner c
, man he was at home. ask his neighbor
/, and friends among whom he lived an
l died, and who knew his daily comm
7 in and going cut. If you would kno'