The western sentinel. [volume] (Winston-Salem, N.C.) 1887-1926, 1889-11-21
OUR CHIEF JUSTICE DEAD

w IL Ou1EI d UO11OE HEdD
A LONG CHAPTER OF HONORABLE
USEFULNESS ENDED.
4! He Wore the Flower of Blameless Life
and Sleeps with Consciousness Of Duty
Well Done-His Life History.
| (Frem the State Chreniele.l
The tolling of the hell at the City
Hall few minutes after noon on
Thursday. November 18th, was the
first announcement to the people of
Raleigh that Chief Justice Smith was
desd. He had been sick for few
days and his friends were apprehen-
sive of the issue He had for years
been a sufferer, but his iron will and
his great industry served to give him
strength to continue the arduous Ia
bors his high position imposed upon
him. But his avanced age and grow
ing weakness told his friends that he
could not stand a severe attack, and
when it came he was unable to meet
it. He died 10 the harness. He
worked to the last, and with the same
clearness of intellect as when in the
vigor of mature manhood. He doubt
less died as he would have chosen
with the harness on. He could not
bear to think of retirement and rest,
although he had richly earned them.
He died in peace, a firm believer in
the Christian religion. He had long
been a member of the Presbyterian
church, and his religion was seen in
his life. He was an honest and jus,
man. He loved truth, character and
Justice. He had placed his ideal high
and he lived up to it. His religion was
unbending and his life unspotted by
wrong. He had attained to the highest
honors in his State by reason Of his
abilities and high character. Full of
years and honors, he has been called
1 from the courts of earth, where under
his rule injustice was never knowingly
! done, to the courts of Heaven.
William Nathan Harrell Smith was
born in Murfreesboro, Sept. "a, 1872.
His father, DR.. William L. Smith, was
a native of Lynne, Conn. He was a
doctor, and moved to Hertford coun
ty and married. He was half broth
or of Rev James Murdock, D. D., the
distinguished ecclesiastical historian,
orientalist and philosopher, who was
accustomed every Sabbath to read a
chapter in the Bible in several Ian
guages. The Chief Justice was pre-
pared for college in Connecticut and
Rhode Island, and graduated from
Yale College in 1884. He teen read
law at Yale and began the practice in
Murfreesboro, his native town. In
1910 he was elected to represent nert-
ford county in the House of Com
mons, and in 1848 to represent the
Hertford district in the Senate. In
1S49 he was elected by the Legisla-
ture, during his service as Senator, So
licitor of the First Judicial district,
and held the Office eight years. In
1857 he was the Whig candidate for
Congress in the First district, but was
defeated by a small majority. In 1853
he was elected, and took his seat in
Washington just as the sectional con-
f1ict was on the eve Of merging into
civil war. In the ,ong and exciting
strife, consuming eight weeks, which
preceded the organization of the
) House, he was nominated for the
Speakership by the Southern Wings
in opposition to John Sherman, the
Republican nominee, and Thomas S
Bocock, the Democratic nominee
Some of the more moderate Republi
cars, known as the peoples Party,
,, having signified their intention to sot.
for Chief Justice Smith, tacit agree
ment was made by which the majority
of the Democrats were to transfer thei
votes to him, and he would unquestoni
ably have been elected Speaker, bu
that refusing to pledge himself to E
Joy Morris, of Pennsylvania, one o
the Republicans alluded to, to consti
,, tute the Committee of Ways ant
Means in the interest of Protection, ,th'
Republicans, with one exception, with
, drew their votes. He thus came with
? ? in one vote of being elected Speaker o
! the National House. During the wa
he was member of the Confederat
Congress from the First Congressions
i district. Before the close of the war h
: was elected to the House of Common
of the State and zealously promotes
the reconstruction of the State govern
ment under the plan of Presiden
johnson. He practiced law in East
ern North Carolina then until 1876
! when he moved to Norfolk, Va. A
the end of two years he moved to RI
> leigh and formed law partnersbi
!. with Judge George V. Strong, whic
= = lasted until he was appointed to tn
u bench. In 1874 he received the degre
u Of LII. u. from Wake Forest Colleg'
Upon the death of Chief Justice Pea
son he was appointed by Governo
Vance, January 18th, 1878, Chi
Justice of the Supreme Court of Mort
Carolina
We have thus merely touched upo
to to the outlines of his public career. Fro
nc the first he gained success at the ba
!. A legal mind of high order he col
te h stantly enriched by patient study, 81
:. ing his nights to the study of the la,
70 70 He thus became an able jurist, and hi
. wide reputation before he went on Il
a bench. BE appeared in many impo
a tant cases. Among them We may me
81 ton he was counsel for ex-Govern
= Holden before the court of impeac
ment- He appeared for B. N. Mool
ex- Governor Bragg, Ed Graham Ha
wood and others when they were
I'D trial, charged with contempt becau
01 thov had stoned nrotest aoair