Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1890-11-27
COMMON PLEAS ClERT-

Ohio VS.. Samuel WarnOck. No bill Of
Indictment having been found in this
case the defendant is discharged from his
recognlZance.
Judge st. Clair Kelly announced that
on Monday, November Il, Wm. Okey, a
member of the Ohio Bar, and for many
years Judge of this Court, died, and
moved that the Court appoint a commit
( tee of the Belmont Bar 10 prepare and
present to the Court appropriate resolu-
tions, and that Court do now adjourn as
! a token of respect to his memory The
motion was allowed, and the following
committee, viz: Judge st. Clair Kelly, j
! W Shannon, James c. Tallman, Ross J
Alexander, 4. H. Mitchell, J. W. Walton
| ID. H. Milligan. W. A. Hunt and Jas. F
Anderson, was appointed to prepare and
present to the Court a biographical
sketch of the public services and charac-
ter of Judge VIM. Okey; said report to be
presented to the Court Saturday, Nov
! %, at o'clock A. NJ, and as token OF
respect for the memory of the late Judge
Okey, it is ordered that this Court now
adjourn until Thursday morning.
| November 20:
Robt F Armstrong ct al. VS.. Sarah E
| Armstrong ct al Action to set aside d
/
writing purporting to be the last will
and testament of Vim Armstrong, decd
is not his last valid will and testament
Ordered that the same be declared null
and void and of no effect, and that plain
tiff recover from defendants their costs
! Defendants give notice of motion tC
set aside verdict and for new trial.
! November 21:
'Wm koehnlein VS.. The Home Building
! Association Company. Cause settled
and dismissed and costs and paid.
| Ohio VS.. Burt Cortland Harris. Indict-
ment for petit larceny, Plea of guilty
defendant being but IL years age he was
/ sentenced to be committed to the Boys
Industrial School at Lancaster, o., until
| he arrive at full age.
| November %:
Agreeable to former order of the
! Court the Bar committee heretofore ap-
pointed to prepare and present bio,
| graphical sketch of the life and charac-
| ter of the late Judge VIM. Okey, appear
ed at the Bar of the Court, and by st
Clair Kelly, Esq, their chairman, sub
mitted the following report, to wit:
| Judge William Okey was born Decem-
Der 2S 1909, in Belmont county, Ohio, ,and
| died at his home in Woodsfeld, Monroe
county, Ohio, November Il, 1890. His
| father removed to WOOdsfield about 1915
He studied law and became leading
| LAWYER of the Woodsfeld Bar, and con-
tinued to practice his profession with
| great zeal and energy to the time of
his death. He was Clerk of the Court of
| Common Pleas of Monroe county for II
years, under the old Constitution, and his
long continued experience as Clerk, and
his close, methodical application gave to
him rare advantages; he was the member
! from Monroe county in the Constitution
al Convention of 1873 and was Judge of
the Court of Common Pleas in the Bel
mont Monroe Subdivision from Februa-
ry 8, 1877, to February 9, 1882. He was
consistent Christian gentleman, and
worthy member of the NJ E. Church for
many years, and until his death.
| As a Judge he was equitable and pa
tient, always ready to give full hearing
to litigants, and in the progress of a trial
always exhibiting an open and unbiased
feeling to counsel and parties, making
all feel they were in the presence of fair
minded and honest Judge; as a lawyer
he was well versed in the principles of
the law and the rules of practice.
His close and intimate association with
US during the time he was on the Bench
in this county endeared him to all of u.s.
| He was kind and cOnsiderate to the men,
bers of the Bar in his administration of
| justice, and all who knew him found him
uniformly genial and courteous. He was
an indulgent and affectiOnate husband
and father, an honorable lawyer, and "the
noblest work of God, an honest man.
| We sincerely mourn his death, but the
| inevitable summons came to him, and he
peacefully yielded to it; the fiat of death
is inexorable; all must obey. We deeply
sympathize with those who have lost a
| father, friend and neighbor, in the death
of our beloved brother, Judge William
Okey.
Your committee beg leave to report
the following resolutions:
ResOlced, That copy of this report be
ordered spread upon the journal of this
Court; that it be published in the county
papers of this county; and that copy be
sent to the family of deceased.
st. Clair Kelly, A. H. Mitchell,
Ross J. Alexander, J. w. Shannon,
J. w. Walton, James &. Tallman.
James F. Anderson W. A. Hunt,
oh. .Milligan.
After reading the above report the fol-
lowing remarks were made by the Court.
which, at the request of the Bar, is Or
dered spread upon the journal, as follows:
l cannot suffer this occasion to pass
without expressing my hearty concur
renee in the sentiments of the memorial
just read, and my sense of the great pub
lie loss caused by the death of Judge
Okey.
After long and useful life-five years
of which was spent as presiding Judge
Of hn huc in fh.a FIJI af
years, gone to his final reward. But he
has left to the profession, of which he was
an honOred member, to the public, and to
posterity, the richest legacy that it is with
in human power to bestow-the record
of well spent life, a character above all
reproach, and an example we'll worthy of
being followed.
| had known him for forty years prior
to his death, and recollect when boy.
and while at the bar, and while he was on
the bench, he always had kind word for
me, and not only for me, but he was kind
and cOnSiderate to all. He was tolerant
of the religious and political opinions of
others, whether such opinions accorded
with his own or not. | think it can be
truthfully said that he never spoke an
unkind word to any person, and | very
much doubt whether he ever felt unkind-
ly toward any person.
AS Judge. on the bench, he was quiet
and courteous, and accorded to all who
came before him Il patient and attentive
hearing; he was cautious in arriving at
conclusions, but when once settled in his
mind he was firm in their maintenance.
He had, like his distinguished brother
Judge John W.Okey, phenomenal mem
ory, which, with his fine sense of justice
and right, greatly assisted him in his
professional and judicial labors.
His private life was, in all respects, in
keeping with, and worthy of the place
which he held in the estimation of the
public.
In every station, and always, he was
the same upright, conscientious, patriot
ic, Christian man-loving home, friends,
neighbOrs, country, and finding in them
and the duties claimed by them. a means
of preparation for, and foretaste of the
life to come.
A truly good man has fallen in our