Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1897-02-07

shalrs decisions in the Circuit Court of
the United States for the District Of
Virginia and North Carolina.
The editor of the two volumes contain
ing those reports was John White
Brockenbrough, eldest son Of Judge VIII
liam Brockenbrough, of Richmond, him
self a reporter OF established reputation.
The Chief Justice, influenced, in part,
no doubt, by a desire to promote the
aspirations OF a talented young man
whom he had known from his boyhood
as the son Of near neighbor and warm,
personal friend, placed in the hands OF
this young man for publication the
manuscript of such Of his opinions as
he had preserved, and which were all
written with his own hand.
My roommate at the University Of Vir-
glnia during the sessions 1879 and 1928
was John White Stevenson. a first cousin
of John White Brockenbrough. Steven
SOD having been requested by his cousin
10 copy these opinions for the use of the
printer, / assisted him in making the
copy; and thus I became well acquainted
with the handwriting of Chief-Justice
Marshall. 1 have q distinct recollection
Of its peculiarities and of the sheets Of
old-fashioned linen paper, foolscap SIZE
with ragged edges. on which the opinions
were written, many of them yellow with
age. l am glad TO say, as an intimation
to some Of the young law students Of
the present day. that the writing to which
l allude was perfectly legible.
MADE OFFICERS.
About two years after 1 had left the
University / was one evening attending
the wedding of Miss Mays, a sister of my
college friend, DR.. John Mays, at the resi-
dence OF her brother-in-law, Mr. Philip
NJ Tabb. The country was in a high
state of excitement at that time over
the probability Of war between France
and the United States. growing out of
the offence France had taken at Presi-
dent Jackson's message to Congress re-
lative to the delay Of the latter Power
i'm complying with her engagement to
pay twenty-five millions OF francs in sat
isfaction OF what has been commonly
known as French spoliation claims"
Half a dozen Of us, former fellow
students, were standing together, talking
on this subject, when John Mays pro-
posed that we should all take commits
sions I'm the State militia, with the view
to be ready for anything that might turn
up" This being assented TO, we autho-
rized him to confer with Adjutant-Gene-
raj Richardson, who was delighted at the
offer made, and a few weeks later, after
raj of us received commissions as cap
tains. John a. Meredith, George Nicol-
son Johnson, and i were made captains
in the Nineteenth Regiment; John b.
Young, living in the county, was made a
captain in the Thirty-third Regiment;
Robert c. Stanard Joined a volunteer
rife company, and was elected first lieu
tenant, and Mays, being n graduate of
medicine, was made a full surgeon. So il
came to pass that when the body of
John Marshall, who had died in Philadel-
phia on the Sd of July, 1885. was brought
to Richmond for interment, escorted by
Major General Winfield Scott; Justice
Henry Baldwin, of the Supreme Court,
and other distinguished pall-bearers, we,
the militia captains aforesaid, prospec-
tive warriors had an assigned place in
the great funeral procession which moved
from the late residence of the deceased
TO the Shockoe Hill Cemetery. ! remem-
Der that "a we stood at rest on the
street In front OF the house there fell
an exceedingly heavy summer shower,
which, though 1t dampened not our sin
cere sorrow at the death of the man who
IN life had been honored and revered by
our entire community, was sufficient,
nevertheless, TO thoroughly drench our
bright, new uniforms.
NET HIM OFTEN.
As a boy, l often met the Chief Jus
tice in the market-house-the New"
market-house, as it was called-on
Shockoe Hill, in contradistinction TO the
"Old" market-house down below Shockoe
creek. 1t was the custom in those days
for the gentlemen of the city themselves
to go to market before breakfast, at
tended by their dining-room servant
with a basket on his arm. Not unfre-
quently L accompanied my father, and
on such occasions, seeing Judge Mar
shall, would run up TO him and shake
hands with him without the least fear
on my part. The plain, simple. unas-
Stunning manner and dress of this most
conspicuous citizen of Richmond was as
apparent to me then as it was at later
day. when. on his being the guest Of my
father, l had the honor to dine with him
at the Buchanan Spring Barbecue Club.
1t is true, / did not witness the scene. or
a repetition Of IL, so genially described
by Colonel Munford I'm his book 1.-THE
Two Parsons" according to which Veri-
table narrative, this eminent jurist, this
ex-Minister TO France, this ex-Secretary
Of State of the United States. etc. etc,
was down upon his knees. with his PEN
knife I'm one hand, the blade of the knife
struck through straw, measuring with
greatest exactness the relative distances
between two quoits and the meg, in
order to decide whether he or his ad-
versary, Parson Blair, had won in the
game of quoits at which they were play
ing; but, small as 1t may be, ii is a remi-
niscence which l cherish, that several
years before / was myself a member. |
was privileged to witness the festive
politeness" OF that club; to listen to the
tests and repartees and stories. or the
erayer conversation, Of Chief-Justice
Marshall and his fellow-members. as they
sat az their plain, pine-board table. under
an open shed, shaded by the foliage Of
grand old oaks. near Parson Buchanan's
famous spring; while, or after partaking
Of the choice meats that Jasper Crouch
had barbecued, and the porteree. claret
punch. etc, etc, that Mr. Wickham's
Robin had concocted for us.
THE CLUB.
Everybody knows that the Buchanan
COTTOLENE.