The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1899-04-10
His Service on the Supreme Court Bench
Exceeded that of Marshall.
WAS APPOINTED BY PRESIDENT LINCOLN
the Early He Was Chief Justice Calfornavotcd
the Democrats on the Hayes-Tlden Commsson--The
Killing of Judge David Terry.


HAS term was tne longest IN the history
OF ina, tribunal. me great ehlei Justice,
dohh MaFshall, wore the ctmlne tor PC.
rlou oAtonuins over thirty-tour years. !.
Vas tne amnitioh OF tne lSto Justice rieiu
10 surpass inns record, and ne succeeded
III uoing go, by rev months. Ills friends,
l,arins that the STRAIN OF nara work would
suorteh ms useiui hte, ADVISED MIN 10 70
ule from ms arauous duties but with
i,iueia,isapic perseverance Nc slnnS 70
ms TASK until the latter part ot 1887 when
NC h"u tle satisfaction OF having iulnsled
tue aupluon OF uls NE. During the term
Oh moro tnah thlru OF century ne was
VonVerheH III some OF inc most llnpnrsan'
cases ever passed upon by the supreme
uourt, among the prominent decisions
Was the famous test oath case IN wn'ch Nc
saEe me casting vote ana annulled the
! validity OF the iron~clau OATH His DIS
sehtins opinions IN the oonhsoation cases,
the legal lender cases aud IN the New Or
leauh slanghter mousse case attracted TIE
WIDEST attention
During this long service on tho bench
be was also before the public eye IN more
Ways than Justice OF tho supreme court
re was r member OF the Hayas-Tilden
electoral commission In 1877 and voted
Win the democratic minority. IN 1880 he
received Do votes FOR the presidential nom
mutton ~ me CINCINNATI democratic con-
Vehtioii on the iirst ballot In 1873 10 was
appointed by the governor OF the state Of
california one OF the committee 20 eN-
anime The code Of laws Of that state. In
300 Willinna college conferred upon him
the degree Of LID, and IN 1863 the ra-
gents of the University OF California made
MIN professor OF law In that institution.
IN 1889 one OF the most sensational
events OF n remarkably active and Sigor-
Gus career, largely passed in new cOuu-
try IN process OF development {rom pic.
iieer state TO highly civilized oomnuin'
itN, brought his personality wildly before
mo public Sarah Althea Vim Terry hal
brought a famous suit against oS-Ssnatoi
sharon, California multi-mllionaire.
Justice Field was on tho bench. The out.
come was unfavorable 10 the plaintiff fanC
engendered her feelings Of hatred Of tht
Jurlst. This eliminated In her attempt 10
ehasiise the aged justice in the dining
hall or denot eating houre az Lathrop
tal. Judge TORY, who had been her It
torney nsainst Sharon aud who afterward
married her, intcrtered. and whom IL
seemed that he was attempting to do ylo-
fence 70 Fields person David Maggie, a
United states deputy narehal, drew a re-
NolVer and killed Judge Terry. Ndgln
was acquitted
ihero was, however. for many years. IN
tense bitterness between the two factions
ana Tor this reason Justice Fields family
N'sNouIakeu MS discussion ot California
topics or the peras1l OF California nows. .
papers
Justice Fields retirement from the su-
prone court bench occurred December /.
1917 and Attorney General McKenna of
California shortly aftorward was nomi
mated to succeed him. lie rendered his
resignation IA April 10 talo effect pc
eembcr l. The president in his letter OF
acceptance OF tho resignation, wrote
Upon your retirement both the bench
ana the country VIII sustain great loss,
but the high character and ability OF your
work viii live and long be remembered
not only by Nonr colleagues but by your
grateful fellow counirymen.'
The dead Justice made tho formal am
nouDccmcnt Of his resignation 10 bis col
Leagues on the bench IN a long letter.
sketching his own aud the courts history
during his oAtcndcd service In one part
he said
III is pleasant thing In my memory
that my appointment came from President
Lincoln, OF whose Apprentices am the last
survivor Up TO that time there had been
no representative hero Of the Pacific coast.
new empire had arisen in the West
whose laws were thoso Of another coun-
try. The land titles were from Spanish
and Mexican grants. both Of which were
often oycrlaid by the claims OF the first
hrEs 81