The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1894-04-22
THE MARION COUNTY BAR IN 1851
oliver III. smith,

and professional life when 1 came TO n
dianapolis. and was engaged in writing for
the Journal his sketches Of the men and
times Of early Indiana Ii was with con-
siderable trepidation that / ascen6ed the
stairway leading 10 his office in the old
postoffice building, which was located On
the east side of South Meridian street. a
short distance south Of Washington street
1 was treasured. however. when. with a
warm pressure Of the hand and a beniSnant
smile, he welcomed me and gave me a seat
/ bore a letter Of introduction from Gov.
CTom) Corwin. and when L presented il
Mr. Smith, seeing whom il was from pro-
caeded 10 give me an account Of Corwin's
great speech in which he SO thoroughly
riddled General Crazy, a member Of Con-
eress from Michigan, that John Quincy
Adams, who was in Congress at the time
afterward alluded to the victim Of Cor
wins satire as the late General Crary. q
Michigan" Crary, who was a militia gen
eral, had foolishly attacked General Harm
sons military record and had attempted
to show that in his battle with the Indians
old Tippecanoe had shown poor strategy.
Corwin followed, and, in the course OF his
speech, gave graphic description Of Gen.
Crary on training day. clad in cooked hat
and enormous epaulettes, bestriding a
a
of the corn-stalk militia on a watermelon
wagon, ceaving and hacking the melons
with his rusty sword. and quaffing their
Juice as the barbarians were wont TO drink
| wine from the skulls OF their vanqushed
foes. Mr.. Smith, who heard the speech,
stood up while he repeated, with great
animation, the most humorous part Of Il.
| After this he read the letter. and l thought
i saw a mischievous twinkle IN his eye
| as ne returned IL TO me with the remark that
| 1T might be OF to me. Corwin had
| spoken Of me In the letter as an ''inganu-
| Gus young man." / regarded IL as highly
complimentary at the time, and know that
| IL was kindly meant, but l suppose the ay.
erage young man of to-day would not SC
regard it. The fact is, COrwin knew me
as boy about my fathers house. where
1 saw him occasionally, and he had been
compelled. during the campaign of lS4S
| TO hear some sxecrable cornet playing by
me as the leader Of the 'old band" OF the
| village He cured me Of the habit by re-
marking during one Of his speeches. as he
| glanced at the members OF the band that
those young fellows will blow their brains
out through their horns IL they are not
careful" 1 always thought my father had
"set IL up on me-" so to speak, and. at all
| events. from that time forth my cornet
| was laid aside. That l was an unsOphisti-
| Gated young man when 1 presented myself
| 10 Mr.. Smith was very evident, and IL did
| not require Governor Corwin's letter 10 IN
| form him Of that fact. Nevertheless. Il
| was my good fortune TO see Mr.. Smith often
after that, and his words TO me were always
kind and encouraging. He told me that
Mr. Reginald II. Hall. a son of one Of his
| old Pennsylvania friends. had just located
in Indianapolis and had formed or was
| about to form a partnership with Judge
Rand. He introduced me to Mr.. Hall.
with whom / established a pleasant ac-
quaintance, which became a lasting friend
ship. Mr.. Hall, who died before he had
reached middle life. was a man Of great
promise. His legal attachments We're ex-
tensive, and he possessed a sweet and cour-
teOus manner, which made him a general
favorite with the bench and bar He was
always dressed in the most correct taste.
and his speech and character were IN ac-
cord with his appearance and department.
1 did not see Mr. Smith in the trial Of a
case. He occasionally came into the court
house TO mingle socially with the members
of the bar but his old associates, Hiram
Brown, Philip Sweetser and William
Quarles, were dead. and Calvin Fletchsr
and Ovid Butler had retired from active
practice. 1t was said Of Mr.. Smith ~
those who knew him well that he possessed
a remarkable aptitude for mastering the
details OF a case during the trial, 50 that
when he came TO address a jury he would
show a familiarity with the law and facts
which would astonish a podding colleague
who had been sitting up Of nights prepar-
Ing for the trial. Governor Hendricks also
possessed this talent TO a remarkable de-
| IlRKf M La q =
attorney who. without a gift in that line
undertakes 10 follow the method viii meet
with failure. can well believe the stories
told Of Mr.. Smiths powers as an advocate
He was a splendid-looking man, with a
large frame, stout but not corpulent, and
as L remember him. with thick-set iron
gray hair, inclined TO curl and his face
smoothly shaver, and pair OF eyes large
luminous, full Of kindness but capable
Of flashing with fury when he Wal
aroused. People said he was an egotist
but it seemed to me TO be no more than
just pride and consciousness Of his own abll
ity. And then. with it, there always wen
the warmest appreciation Of ability ln 9th
ers. He even took pleasure. sometimes
In telling OF his own surprises and defeats
He was one Of the promoters OF the OBJ
railway enterprise called the Indlanap0il
& Louisville Straight-line railroad. IN en-
forcing the collecting OF some stock So
scriptions in the Circuit Court at Martins
vile he encountered for the first time uI
old friend, RIP" Harrison, now the Nes
tor Of the Morgan county bar. who va
then beginner. Rip had thorough
prepared his case and knew ne Wa G
meet one OF the great men OF the STATE
When the case began Mr.. Smith treate
his young opponent with a sort OF patron
izing courtesy, but IL was not long Unit
he found himself in a doubtful struggi
with man every way worthy OF bis sCee
The upshot OF the case was that Harris0
got verdict, and when Mr.. SMITH cam
home he was telling everybody that p
: had met young lawyer at Martilsvillerl ?,
the name OF Harrison who was a man ,
! great ability. Whatever OF dIsappointrnel
there was in the result was relieved I
his generous appreciation OF the talents
his young adversary. Mr.. smith was
philosophical citizen and always express
unbounded faith in the future growth az
prosperity OF indianapolis. In lS5s. whs
everybody was depressed By the effects
the panic OF 1857, he addressed the Boar
. OF Trade and meeting OF citizens in q
old Masonic Hail. and I remember h
words Of cheer and encouragement 10 IN
: day. and especially his statement that n
man who then invested money In India,