Sacramento daily record-union. [volume] (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, 1889-04-27
MEMORIAL TRIBUTE.
EX.MAYOR DAVIS on THE DEATH
OF HENRY yROOMAN.
An Eloquent and Touching Ad.
dress in Memory of the
Dead Statesman.


our late brother, Henry Vrooman. In doing so
ask Indulgence for a few moments in connection
with my motion that this memorial be spread
upon the minutes of the Court, and that when
this Court takes its recess it Go so as d mark of
respect TO the memory of the deceased.
Henry Nrooman was born with the blessing of
poverty. Besides that he came into the world
with another blessing greater still, with the ca
pacity OF reason coupled with unconquerable
courage.
That as mere child he was herder: that by
the time he was j he was laborer that when
he was mere boy he was selfsupporting: that
as young man he mastered the trade of the
forge; that then he began to rob night of sleep
IN order to equip himself for newly discerned
future; that while the metal was heating in the
forge his eye gathered learning from the pages
lying open on the tool bench; that at the noon
hour. while the body was entitled to its relaxa-
ton, he took a hurried bite and rushed to n
private recitation at school; that after the close
of the days work another and different days
work was done by night; that quilts and an arm
chair were proved by him to be cheaper than
the grate ana coal lire: that he became sur
veyur. engineer and public officsr-these things
ale known to all of u.s.
Ills SENSE OF DUTY
From the time when Mr. Vrooman conceived
the purpose TO move forward from manual to
lntelectusl labor down to the time when he
wss admitted TO the bar. and was occupying at
once two responsible official positions was but
the br1ei space of q half-doZen wears during
which 1t must be remembered. TOO, that there
AL
work. Just there he put twelve years hard
work into six, when there was more waste than
properly belonged To the twelve. But he then
realized that the span of life was short and
that with his disadvantage in the start be must
MAKE haste to osertake hi, more advanced fell
lows. Possessed of great physical force he
forgot its limits.
Once in the profession, which his abilities.
indus ry and power have oruamented both in
counsel and at the bar, his nature, instead of
slaekening its speed, seemed the more intensi-
Care ard detailed duty occupied the dsys. while
steady intellectual betterInent las it had done
before) occupied the nights. Who from his
beginning III the profession, can put his finger
upon an lneonsldeTate or unsound opinion or
npon case lost for want of industry time
| labor or loyalty to his client? We We're part
ners for about seven years And so, perhaps
| better than any other person, / know there
never was one such case. The solicitations of
pleasure had to go down before the sense of
| duty. Enjoyment however legitimate had to
go down before the courageousnesS and single-
ness OF bis devotion to those interests placed in
his hands. The later to retire with him. meant
only the earlier to rise; for the same imuelling
cause caused both.
A MERRY COMPANION.
The thirst for knowledge is half its acouisi-
ton; and to no mans taste was knowledge ever
sweeter than to Henry Nroomans when first
knew him in 1865 He STOOD then as straight as
an arrow, and looked like native athlete In
stead OF the dragging steps which we now know,
ne tleu touched the ground with elasticity. In
stead OF waste there was then the Drawn OF iron.
Instead of palor the glow of seemingly mex
haustible health and Yigor fairly shown from
every llneament of his firm face, and the flow
ing springs of youth seemed 10 replenish what
over Work and over waste were secretly exhaust
ing.
Some have thought that Mr.. Vrooman had no
playful or mirthful vein nothing could be more
untr1e. But his love of fun was for that which
was innocent On the journey he was merry
and romping companion. In the camp he was
grown-up man on the playground of a grown
man. In the affections he was sensitive and
gentle. The children and the wife live 10
know better than anybody else can how tender
can be the touch of a blacksmith hand. In
the sickness Of others he was noiseless com
fort, cheerful visitor, q physician healing by
the touch of good cheer. No man could put his
arm about you with more potent gentleness and
his.
cHEERFULNEss AND ENDURANCE
In his own sickness he had the fortitude of
woman, with the determination of a valiant
soldier. In him, the gentleness of womanly
aheetion was intermingied with the strength,
Rightly and neroism of man. II any man ever
suffered as many deaths without dying as
Henry Vrooman during the last five years. /
never heard or read of such case. We know
now that the words torture and torment
(Which, repeated and protracted. he suffered
are inadequate words to describe the living
death and dying life which latterly was his lot
ZONE would have sought relief in ueighborinp
type; and some otherwise. But the courage which
willed the suffering heart of Henry Vrooman,
and the moral and mental determination which
chlseled that nrm countenance, as we know it.
never would rob nature of a day though years
of torture might have remained. / know that
he wanted to die many time. He would say :
" wish that might never come out OF another
one of those spells" But amidst ell that there
was an amazing cheertulnes and endurance as
impossible TO us to Iealize as 1t was for us to
possess.
rho IF Of
suffered the tortures of the damned in room
to which he had gone SO as not 10 terrify the
members of his family. he bathed his face
brushed his hair, and returned into the room
where the others were, with his face as cheer
full as if he had just come in from an excursion.
scoRNED sUBTERFUGE.
At the bar, in his triple relation to Court
counsel and client, he was model He brought
his case there i'll a condition safe to preserve
every right OF his client, TO tighten the labors of
the Court and AID IL in the application OF the
law to the facts involved and in a condition to
meet the adversary fairly, directly and souarely
along the real battle line OF the CONTROVERSY He
scorned any repudiated subterfuge both as 10
the Court, the profession and the case. He
would rather lose the cause than lcse the re-
spect of the Court, respect for the facts and his
selfrespect. What industry, labor and learn
ing could not do Ill a cause he would no. seek
to accomplish by intrigue With him. n case
presenting group of facts either had or had
not law applicable TO it which warranted relief
WIN MIN case was not a scene IN which he
sought victory fos his client as Il person; his
view was the higher and correct view OF the
practice of the profession; that is that there is
science OF law. as nearly universal as may be-
in furnishing relief, and that the trial OF a case
at bar is the Judicial application of the rules of
that science 10 the facts at bar. To his fellows
in the profession he was always courteous and
no lawyer, whatever the magnitude of the is
sues in the case ever wanted a stipulation in
writing when he had the verbal stipulation of
Henry Vrooman. He never Intentionally mis-
led Court, either as to the law or the facts. In
a word, he was lawyer, not a mere praeti-
TONER In the trial propositions in his hands
fell with the ringing force that belonged to his
hammer and anvil long ago If he lost
anything by want OF versatility, invention and
imagination he gained more by clearness. di-
RICHNESS and power. Where others would con-
sumo days in a labyrinth of things immaterial
or confused Mr. Vrooman would occupy per
haps not day in building the cause into wall
of solid masonry. There was no wandering nor
experimentation in the Court room. The pan
of campaign was before him on a sheet of paper
"a map OF the legal battlefield.
HUMAN AVALANCHE.
The current of his argument was never sub-
divided into mere babbling brooklets. 1t was
never broken into spray. If we liken him to
water, then he was a clear, deep and swift
river; If we liken him to land, then he was an
avalanche. Whatever he was, wherever he
was, it was strength, momentum and unity of
force. While he enjoyed the fresh beauty of
the wild rose, he admired more the everlasting
o. swavlDg vines, but he knew better the
strength of granite angles. mean this in hu
man nature as well as in nature. He did not
underestimate the forms and graces of social
life and of our civilization, but he knew that
, solid gold was OF more worth than gilded ball
While he sought to acquire, ne labored more to
be something. While he was constructing the
outward thing called reputation, the burden OF
the work of his life was to widen deepen and
highten his inward being. His LIES enGeayor
Was to turn possibilities into abilities. And
what admirable abilities. though yet Young
man, he had developed from his possibilities,
thongh Graded in poverty, beset with hardship
and afflicted with pro,racted torment. If there
be any virtue in that will force which creates
the forces and abilities of manhood out of the
mere possibilities OF youth, then that virtue,
without qualification or limit, belonged to
Henry Nruoman. II it he good in the Creator
to give US possibilities, then it would seem di-
vine in man to turn these possibilities into abil-
tiles. This creative will force, amounting to a
divine attribute, was the Characteristic virtue
of the de ened. II more young men who are
small would engage in this almost creative
worg. there would presently be more men in
manhood OF great size. Who does not regret
to-day that kenny VTooman, possessed of these
qualities, inspired by this courage and capable
of what he WAS capable of, had not seen the
other law--that. after all, we do inhabi. bodies
and that these bodies though our slaves. are yet
our masters Not yet ripened grain, he was
harvested.
MENTAL SIZE AND WORTH