The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1893-05-01

the liie-savins history Of the United States. and
when I met him felt the something akin 10
reverence which think We all feel In the pres
ence of one who has done . brave and great
deed. found that his heart was a. gentle ana
unselhsh and tender a. il was fearless, and our
acquaintance has ripened into one Of the clos.
est and most valued friendships OF my life.
Through this friendship was brought into con-
tact with his partner, Judge Hall For long
time 1t was but an ordinary acquaintance, In
deed my intimacy with him has extended over
period of only about three months. About
three months ago he wished to have me asso.
ciated with him in the trial of one or two
causes which are still pending and to have
me join with him in the investigation OF
questions involving large property interests. In
this way came to know him well. could sec
that his habits were telling severely upon his
spirits a. well - upon his health. He had
periods OF great dependency. He seemed to
take strong liking 70 me and constantly ex.
pressed wish to have me drop into bis office 40
often as could. During the past two or three
months have done 30. sometimes two or three
evenings Q week. My only personal opportu-
nifty to form an opinion OF Judge Hall al a lawyer
was from these combinations and in these in.
formal chata He impressed me as a man OF
extraordinary natural ability, aided by only oc-
casionai, irregular and spasmodic application.
To speak more definitely it seemed to me that
his strength lay in his ready wit, in his logical
mind, in his wonderful memory, in his broad
and comprehensive grasp of elementary legal
principles and in his clearness of statement
am inclined to think, however, that his
power lay most OF all In his absolute honesty.
do not mean the ordinary and common honesty
that exists between lawyer and client, mean
that higher honesty of the lawyer before the
court When Judge Hall declared. in his didac-
tic way. that the law was 30 and 20. the court
might think that he was mistaken, but knew
that he was sincere. believe that such type OF
honesty as this. when it comes to be understood
and appreciated, 10 Q source OF tremendous
power before any court.
There is another aide of Judge Halls charac-
ter OF which would like to speak at greater
length than intend to do, for l think an ad-
dress of this kind should be short. He was not
aliberally educated man, as the phrase is COM
monty understood, that is, he was not
coilege-brsd. He came to this Sec
ton OF the country when it was a
rough and practically uncvilized ter
ritory. For the most part his associates we're
men OF uncuitivated minds and he never, to
any considerable extent, enjoyed the advantages
or su ffered the disadvantages OF highly re-
fined society. He knew little or nothing from
personal experience of the atmosphere which
surrounds scholars and men of letters. He had
no access to libraries and had but few books
Yet in all this city, with its hundreds of college
graduates, with its hundreds OF men represent
ing the best families in the East, doubt il
there is q single one who could rival Judge
Hall in &C Quaintance with. in appreciation for.
in mastery of the greatest and nobiest of the
English classics. Here was man who knew
Gibbon. Hume, Macaulay, Dickens, Thackeray,
Scott, Pope, Burns and Shakespeare almost by
heart, who lived in the scenes and with the
people Of all ages as you and live with our in.
innate and chosen friends, who held daily con-
verse with the mighty living and the
mighty dead, who exuited in the resistless
march OF the Roman legions as If he
himself were their emperor, and who sobbed
over the death of little Nell a. If she wers his
own darling child, whose feelings responded
alike to the most refined and delicate sent.
ments, to the most touching pathos and to the
Hottest flights of the imagination even the
key OF an organ responds to the divine touch OF
q great musician.
With his extraordinary gifts and with the ex-
traordinary opportunities Of Q new land, he
might, but for single fault, have accumulated
millions If he had desired them, he might have
had the highest political honors unsought, or
he might have had the higher honor OF being
the recognized leader of the North western bar
IT his Life is a warning-and it il a Warning
it Is also an inspiration. He was q man of the
noblest, the most generous impulses, and If he
squandered his commanding powers he never.
like so many able men, used them to wrong or
Cypress a single human being. For this reason,
if Tor no other, it 10 eternal Justice that the
world wide charity which he always felt aud
expressed for the shortcomings OF others should
be extended to his own, and when our time
shall come and our life books shall be closed
and the balance sheet shall be struck, who 10
there among us that will not be in need of like
charity7
He is dead. The street, the ONCE. the forum
and the home that have known him so long will
know MIN no more forever. Ashes to ashes and
I,ts To- r.t x,;~fS 20 ho Cod
it He has passed beyond. He can never re.
turn to us. You and must follow him into the
great unknown.
At the conclusion of Mr.. Dole's Grafton
Judge Burke arose and said:
should not speak this afternoon were 1t not
that otherwise my silence might DO construed
as evidence Of lack of respect for the memory of
Judge Hall My acquaintance with him is of
seventeen years. standing, and when ! first
knew him he was In the prime of life and in the
full possession OF his faculties Judge Hall was
remarkable rather for his grasp of the funda-
mental principles of the law than for knowledge
acquired from the reading of law books His ma
ture did not take kindly to technicalities, and
remember that once asked him his opinion of a
brother lawyer who was noted for his love OF
raising technical questions.
"Wsll. Mr.. Burke" he replied. "he's a very
good lawyer. but. as Shakespeare says, he's .
snapper-up OF unconsidered tribes"
AS a trial lawyer Judge Hail was not always
formidable. He would not take q case unless
he was convinced that his client had Justice on
his side and 30 If upon the trial it appeared
otherwise, he seemed to lose something OF his
force. Although man OF acknowledged
humor, his wit was kindly In its nature. and /
never knew him to attempt to pull down q
brother lawyer for his own advantage. In cases
OF harsh criticism OF some acquaintance he was
wont TO say:
Don't you know that the great writer says,
'most good men are moulded from t2eir faults?
Judge Hall wss lawyer, but iHspi;e OF that,
law was merely his vocation. literature his de-
light His literary taste was not ditfused over
many books, his iavorits authors were few. but
we'll chosen. and he was thoroughly versed
in them OF the writers of fiction
Dickens was great favortte with him, but
Shakespeare Was his greatest delight lie read
only the text, however, and expressed contempt
for the commentators. Not only was he
humuri.t in himself. but also q source OF humor
III Others: so frauz and candid was he by ns-
ture that on such occasion as this L could
not insult his memory By calling him model
man. We're he alive he would be tbs first TO
resent l.. but whatever his faults may have
been, he lived and died an honest man. he
might have achieved much more during his
liie, but many men with greater Opportunities
hsvs done much less, and no man can ever sag
that Isaac ". Hall did him an injury or
wrungei him of a dollar. l must, however,
agree with Mr.. Dole and sdrni. that ne was MS
own worst enemy. The fact OF the ahection
cherished for him ~ the bar OF this county Is
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