Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1890-01-27
THE DEAD OHIO LAWYER.
Interesting "reminiscences of the Career of
Hon. John McSweeney.

|
ESPECIAL TELEGRAM TO THE DIsPArcH.l
WOOSTER, O., January 26-Since the death
of Hon. John Mcsweeney many interesting
| "reminiscences connected with the distinguished
| lawyers life are recalled, but none is more in
| teresting than the circumstances connected
| with his childhood. When John was little
toddler his parents resided in little hut along
the Ohio Canal, at Bolivar, Stark county. His
| father was shoemaker, who. with his wife,
came from Inuesfallen, Ireland. The cholera
| scourge caused the sudden death of both his
parents and little John was the only one of the
family left at Bolivar. Neighbors investigated
the household effects left by the McSweeney's,
and in An old earthen jar found some sugar.
This discovery was the cause OF much COM
ment, and closer inspection of the jar resulted.
Under a covering Of sugar was found about
81, 500 in gold. The finding of this wealth made
several persons anxious to take charge of
young John. Luther Pratt, who then con-
Quoted small general store at Bolivar, took
the matter in hands himself. He placed the
youngster astride his shoulders and took him
and the money to his store, and at once went to
Canton with the boy and the gold, and placed
both in the charge of John Harris, an attorney
as guardian. The child was placed in the keep
ing of Mrs Grimes, and the money was eX-
pended in educating him. He afterward
studied law with his guardian, and in 1S45 came
to Wooster as young lawyer. He gained
footing here by reading set OF resolutions be-
I
melodious voice attracted attention. and his
subsequent success as an eloquent speaker soon
followed. He was devotedly attached to his
profession, and although frequently pressed to
seek political preference he refused to do SO.
The goal of his ambition was to stand as a
peer in the legal profession, and although he
took deep interest in politics. he never lost
sight of the place for which he was striving
and to which he attained. In this he was
guided by the belief that political success and
professional success would not mix One of
the most dramatic scenes ever enacted in a
courtroom was by Mr.. McSweeney. in Wooster,
when he was aiding in the prosecution of John
Callahan for the murder of John Tormie and
for which the accused was convicted and exc
cuted ten years ago. Tormie died from knife
stabs received in a brawl at the fair grounds.
When McSweeney addressed the jury in this
case he had pumpkin on a table before him.
The court room was jammed almost to suffoca-
tion by an audience anxious to hear the elo-
quent pleader. As the flow OF rhetoric fell in
awe-inspiring eloquence from his lips, the audi
ence appeared to breathless attention. Sud
denly the great lawyer sprang forward and
seizing a knife began pluuging it into the
pumpkin to illustrate the assault on the muir
dered man. 1t acted like magic and the intense
stiffness of the room was broken only by the
burning eloquence as it rooted every auditor to
the floor, and scarcely breath was drawn in
the room as the knife was thrust a number
of times into the pumpkin by McSweeney, as
he argued as he never argued before.