The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1895-02-15

For several days Judge Handley's
condition has been serious and since
Wednesday night the doctors consid-
cred the case as alarming and visited
their patient frequently. He has had
many periods of unconsciousness.
Last night the carriages of both DR..
ing from II to l o'clock near the bank
building. orders We're then given the
drivers to go home for the night.
Judge Handley has not been we'll
for over q month. His first i'll turns
were a series of colds, which kept him
in bed several times for periods of a
day or so, until about two weeks ago,
when he became affected with a severe
bronchial trouble. and has been in bed
ever since. About week ago he de-
veloped muscular rheumatism, which
was announced in The Tribune at that
time.
1t was then rumored that he had had
stroke of paralysis. DR.. Allen denied
this to a Tribune reporter several days
ago.
For several days the sick man has
been attended by a professional nurse.
Sketch of His Career.
Ex-Judge John Handley was for
many years a most conspicuous figure
in the public life of this part of the
state. Tall and majestic, he was Il
veritable giant physically, while in in
tellect he ranked far above the average
man.
He came to Scranton before the war
and soon won for himself a prominent
place in the active life of then struggling
and sparsely settled Scranton. He
achieved fame as an advocate at the
bar and became known from one end
of Lu2erne county to the other. In
1874 he was nominated by the DEM
ocrats of LuZerne as their candidate
for judge and was elected. OF mis- ju-
dicial career DR.. HOLSTERS history of
the Laclawanna Valley contains the
following:
IN 1874 Hon. John Handley was elect
ed judge. He took his seat upon the
bench in 1875 and served faithfully un-
til his term expired in 1885. During
the most critical and exciting period in
the history of Scranton Judge Handley
presided with singular judicial grace
and ability, and his rulings. covering
thousands of cases, simple and intri-
cate, were those dictated by sound
sense, a clear perception of law and
justice and We're considered fair TO both
sides. He retired from the bench with
all the honors earned by the late la
mented Judges Mallory, Jessup. Conyng
ham and Woodward. of old Luzerne.
carrying with him the respect of the
bar and the people, without regard to
politics. The time will come when he
will be accorded by all men the place
in the history of Scranton to which he
Is entitled, as the foremost jurist that
the county has ever produced"
The Division OF the County.
In 1878 Lackawanna county was
carved out of portion of LuZerne and
Benjamin S. Bentley was appointed
president Judge by the governor on Aug
q of that year. He organized his courts
on Sept. ., 1878, over which he presided
until Oct IA, 1873, when the supreme
court decided that he was acting with
out authority and ordered a peremp-
tory mandamus to Judges Harding,
Handley and Stanton to organize and
open the courts in Lackawanna county,
| which they did on Oct. "a, 1878.
BY the new county act Lackawanna
was to remain in the same judicial
district as Luzerne, but the act Of
March 13, 1879, made this county the
Forty-ffth judicial district and John
Handey was assigned as president
judge.
In 1894 Mr.. Handley sought a re-
nomination from the Democrats for the
office of judge and was opposed by
Edward Merrifleld. One of the most
exciting conventions in the history of
Lackawanna county followed. Both
Mr.. Handley and Mr.. Merrifleld became
candidates. r. w. Archibald was nomi-
mated by the Republicans and elected.
After Mr.. Handley retired from the
bench he did not take a very active
part in public life and of late years has
rarely left his apartments over the
Merchants and Mechanics bank on
Lackawanna avenue.
| He was man of considerable wealth.
| Among the properties in this city that