Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-10-26
JUSTICES LIVE LONG.
No Telling How Many Years a Man
Will Last Once He Gets
ON UNCLE SANS SUPREME BENCH,
Plenty of 0ctogenarians Though the Work
is Very Exacting.
FACTS IN THE BELKsAP SCANDAL

WASHINGTON, October 25-W ashington |
is still talking o; the deaths of General Bel |
knap and Justice Miller. The two men
came from the same State. They were the
closest of friends, and their careers during
great part of their lives ran side by side.
When Belknap was made Secretary OF War
Justice Miller spoke of him in the highest !
terms, and, when through the fault of his
wife, he was forced to leave the War De-
partment, Justice Miller was the first public
man to call upon him, and to tell him that
he still believed in him.
More than one-half of the noted Belknap
scandal has never been told. There is no
! greater liar than history. L know OF men
who have passed away within the last ten
years, and who now shine in the minds of
| the people as the brightest stars Of morality
and purity In the heavens Of American
craftsmanship. who led double lives, and
| whose public lives were never truly report
| ed. / know of others who were Tar better
than Dame History has ever painted them;
and the Angel OF Truth, when she reads be-
tween the lines of Belknap's record, will
| give him better place in his future state
| than he has ever had in this.
BADLY INVOLVED FINANCIALLY.
saw General Belknap about two days
before he died. He was attending an
| auction sale of some valuable lots which he
owned OIL X street and Mcpherson square.
The sale was forced one and the lots did
| not bring as much as be expected His
financial affairs were very much involved,
and his estate will be small. General
Belknap was one of the finest looking men
in public lile. About six feet high, he had
| great head of classic shape fastened to
pair of strong, broad shoulders. His COM
plexion was as fair as that of milkmaid.
His eyes were blue and he had long beard
| of golden hue into which the silver strands
had begun to creep. He was popular man
here and he leaves many friends.
| Judge Miller went off in much the same
way that Belknap did Both seemed in
perfect health few DAYS before their deaths,
| and Miller looked as ii he might live to be
100 AS it is he died at IA, by no means an
old age FOR Justice of the Supreme Court.
LONGEVITY ON THE BENCH
There have been during the 100 years of
its organization only SO Justices on the Su-
preme Bench OF the United States, and 20 of
these have lived to be over 20. Judge
| Bradley is now II and he is as tough as a
pine knot. Blatchford is TO- and the pros
poets are that he will dry up and drop to
pieces all at once like the old deacon's shay
at some time during his eighties. Harlan is
only 81, but he don't look to be so, and he
has enough iron in his blood to make
| horseshoe
Justice Gray has a skin as fair as a
baby's and at 62 he is as spry and healthy
as a young chicken. Judge Brewer is in
his prime. Chief Justice Fuller is sound
from in to out, and the only shackley men
on the Supreme Bench are Lamar and
Field Field is by all odds the healthier of
the two. though he is nine wears the older.
Lamar looks much broken and his hair is
fast turning gray
BETTER THAN BROwN-SEQUARD.
The Justices of the United States are the
most long-lived men ill the country. They
don't have a soft snap, either, but they stick
to it like grim death. There is no telling
how long a man will live if ne is once ap-
pointed to the Supreme Bench, and
curious instance of this was that o. Chief
Justice Tanev, who died at 81. He seemed
10 be all his life upon the edge OF the grave.
He was one o. the leading lawyers of
MARYLAND before Andrew Jackson ap-
pointed him Secretary of the Treasury and
got him to remove the deposits from the
United States Bank. Luther Martin and
William Pinknev were at this time his
chiei competitors, but they died leaving him
at the head Of bar. Both of these men had
been employed on a chancery suit which
had been Tor long time in the courts, and
which babe fair to become a second Jarn-
dyce VS. Jarndyce. The client who had en-
ployed them had taken one after the other
and they had both died on his hands leav-
; ing his case unsettled.
THOUGHT TANEY CORPSE.
He was then advised to engage Taney and
with this view he called upon him. He en-
tered the office, took look at the emaciated
form and graveyard air of the great lawyer,
and then turning on his heel left the Office
without word "Give that man my case?"
he said to the first friend he met, 81 would
as soon think OF giving it to a corpse. He
will die within two months" But Taney
did not die. Jackson make him Chief
Justice of the United States and he sat on
the bench % years.
Among the other octogenarians Of the
Supreme Court was Chief Justice Jay, who
, had the good sense to retire after he had
presided over the Court for six years, and
lived TO be ST. Chiet Justice Marshall
lived to be 80, and Judge Swayne, of Ohio,
died at four score, and sat on the brnch for
20 years. Judge Duyal. of Maryland, died
at Sc, and he was the bench 25 years. 1
night from one OF the old stagers of Wash
ington. Said this man.
AN OLD FRIENDS MISTAKE.
; s'Gabriel Duval was one OF the best fel-
lows as we'll as one OF the most noted men
5 of MS time He had to leave the Supreme
Court on account OF deafness. He was
I, member of Congress when it was sitting in
! Philadelphia, ,and while there boarded at the
house of an old lady named Gibbons, who
2 had a daughter who was neither young nor
/ taciturn. There were a number Of other
| | Congressman at the house, and among them
E a member from Virginia named Giles.
1 ''Giles and Duval became great friends.
| but they lost sight of each other after they
| lett Philadelphia, and it was several years
later that they met at the races at Washing
ton. By this time Giles had been elected
Senator Of the United States, and Duval
was Controller OF the Treasury. They
were enjoying themselves and chatting
: about old times and had discussed a num-
: Der of their friends when Senator Giles
suddenly asked: by the way, Duval, what
l has become of that cackllng old maid,
Jennie Gibbons"
'sShe is Mrs Duval, sir, was the reply.
. Giles shut up like clam, and it was several
: minutes before he could recover himself
enough to 90 on with the conversation"
i. JUSTICE MILLER'S SERVICE.
Justice Miller was the oldest Judge on
: I the Supreme Bench in point of service He
q served 2S years, and there have been only
: | eiqht Justices in the past who have served
', as long. Chief Justice Marshall leads the
! list at "a, and Judge Story, OF Massachu-
! = setts, was also on the bench for "a years