The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1892-11-04
The uulhita 1arlp gaeIe rdau aorng goueber 1892.

X
had not previously appeared. Two
propositions were conceded by the other
side to be true; third was in dispute,
but Harrison assumed the correctness
of the three and on this basis his plea
was unanswerable. The lawyer who
rose to reply said the character Of the
argument just closed reminded him of
! the boy who declared that ''brother or
sister he had none, but that mans father
was his fathers son"-the only solution
being that the boy lied. This insinua-
/ ton concerning Harrison reused horror
/ and Indignation ia the mind Of Partner
! Miller, especially as the audacious at
/ torney succeeded in knocking out the
! argument.
! An incident in the federal court caused
much amusement to persons present.
/ Before the repeal of the bankrupt law
Harrison appeared for the defendant in
suit brought against certain Hebrews
charged with having attempted fraud.
The state had gone to much expense
in securing evidence, the work being
done by the deputy United States attor-
ney, the chief prosecutor knowing little
or nothing of the details. One day,
Harrison, knowing there was no chance
/ for his client. intimated to tho prose-
cutting attorney that he was willing to
plead guilty and take sentence. Much
to his surprise the prosecutor, thinking
this an easy way to dispose of a trouble
some matter, accepted the proposition;
the plea was made and Judge Gresham
imposed a fine and a short term of inn
prisonment, no provision being made for
costs, which ran far into the hundreds
after the compound method of reckon
ing practiced in courts had been skill
fully applied. Naturally the deputy
prosecutor objected when he learned
what had been done, and at next session
of court applied for a correction of the
ruling, Judge David Davis presiding.
Harrison had enjoyed the discontinue
I of the prosecutor and made light Of his
threat to ask for correction until he was
reused by hearing the court order the
record changed to provide for the pay
ment of costs. Harrison came forward
with rush, as if charging the enemy.
Your honor, / object" he said.
This was criminal proceeding. The
record was made up at another term Of
court and cannot be altered now. 1t is
impossible
Well. Mr. Harrison drawled the
court, with broad and benevolent smile,
''W-e-ll, I have ordered the record
changed, and guess, Mr.. Harrison, the
order will stick
In trial where Senator Voorhees, ap-
peared on the opposite side Gen. Harri-
son ridiculed the position assumed by
his opponents, saying that it reminded
him of buzzard which alighted on
dead limb, but kept its wings outspread;
if the limb broke it would be flying; if
it remained secure it would be standing
Mr.. Voorhees,, in response, said he
had met Mr.. Harrison in court on many
occasions and that the same buzzard
was always present on the same dead
limb
A busy lawyer Of close observation
and positive opinions asserted boldly
that while Harrison could thrust and
parry with the best of them in legal
encounters, and was often sarcastic and
of humor. ''It has developed somewhat
in later years, l think, since he went
into the senate and had an opportunity
to expand" he added, but formerly
there was not CLEAN of it. l have
theory as to this lack of development.
The man had no youth in the proper
sense. He married at twenty, and
number Of dependent relatives made
his cares and responsibilities heavy.
This would have a SOLDERING effect upon
a man of more natural gayety. He
had many friends in Indianapolis who
had been worshipers at his grand
fathers shrine not many years before,
and the shadow of great name,
greater in Indiana even than elsewhere,
may have added to his seriousness
For years." continued the speaker,
with more force than eloquence, his
nose was held to the grindstone until
the sparks flew. Such experiences take
the humor out of life. although in his
case the enforced concentration of mind
upon his calling made remarkable
lawyer. His six years in the senate
was very beneficial to him. New ex-
periences and contact with men of
wider cultivation than those he had
been accustomed to meet developed him
in the right direction. When he re-
turned 30 practice he was broadened
and strengthened in every way and had
lost nothing of his familiarity with the
technicalities of the law. The reverse
of this is apt to be the case with men
who return to practice after a period of
public life"
Said another man who had known
him all his life: Il doubt If Ben Har-
rison ever took mental recreation vol
unfairly and of deliberate purpose until
driven to it by the instinct of self-prcs-
ervation in recent years. l notice that
he goes to the theater occasionally now.
In the first year Of the war an amateur
dramatic society gave a performance for
the benefit of some benevolent cause in
which there was great local interest
Mr.. Harrison came with his wife. hav-
ing an air of unwillingness and of being
dragged. or. as Hoosier vernacular has
it. drug into the festivities. Instead
OF watching the play and applaud
ing as it was his bounden social duty
to do. he became absorbed ia the
study of proofs of a legal brief which
he had thoughtfully brought aleng in
mis- pocket. The indignation of the per-
formers was great and the oiense
rankles yet in the minds of surviving
stars the only excuse made for him
beng that he had no appreciation of
art or humor."