The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-08-28
Vol. XIII. No. rs.

lfAt~~4tft4 Ntt W -f-t&Asf AtAt&sfW
students aud Villagers than dii th.~
mountain Youth II j. truc. that ths<
impression was targets dur ~ \ s'varity
Nho~e striking. huuur more genial aud
Wit more sparkling than any uthvr
worth had displayed "a that secluded sat
ut learning nrioy-. Itl> m.uass1n Xntu~.
his witty illustrations iu debate ami rot-
Nersatiun. and even his funny, though
ilut dl~r,.>p.efiFl r.p!.-> ~ ~Htsusa gu,~
/ items from NrN .1rHt ur professor. an The
absence. "f perfect knowledge of The
~utlect ia hand. communicated 81 H.. ,-If-
I .iVrumcut - college AMI village l.f".
Have. you heard Naucs.'> last WAS n
uut.~fiou FREQ Qtlt.8fly asked lt nslr student
4 of another. ami & laugh following itS ~.
+ icital always followed! Eut b. ayailtsl
himself. With a>ldity. nf thv uportuni
tics ~ Improvement afforded hsm aud
l'rc>idtrt Swami. Professor Mitchell ut.l
law teachers. .i.d-o B.ttl, and liun :
+ T. Phillips, aud III. sIorr dl-, Eliminating
~ hj~ IvlloW~, I'D class AMI ~aas"tN. SAW.
acquired fair English ,ducatluu, AMI
some knowledge Of tha Latin language,
and liIcrature, Int hi~ forte vas All uu
r common mastery II The Bible. Shake
pear" and Str Walter Scuft These
classics ne lad learned. inwauIh digest
Il ed and thoroughly a@~tmllat,1. and they
ever furnished linn ready quoiatiou and
apt illustration for essays, speeches and
conversation.
The estimate of him hy the Dialcctic
Society. in his one college year. is shown
. IN his tlt'tttl Is tilt tlI lis ItIlf~tf -
tivCS in the rditorShIp OF the uiNtt~tty
Magazine. III the May \o. l>.,2 is the
following notice of him: Mr. Irh. B.
| Vance, one ~ th" corps, lcft uS r.
Gently for his mountain home. cur
warm"~t wishes Tor his welfare went
with him. and W. are much .ratitieI Ia
learn. that he has been elected County
Solicitor II the State - BuncoHhr,
Gfltulamur ct yicturiam.'
Before lNtS Two licenses from the
Snnr.Ilt 'anpf Ntr t-,a,tfJrfl In
law IN THIS state. one from the county
courts. AMI the other FROM the Superior
courts. ~ lsaIri2h. iii December lS1l
Young Vance obtained his county curr,
license. and a the Morgantan term. in
August 1N13. license IT, practice in the
Superior conrts. Having completed the
coure" II Chapel Iiill IL had prescribed
Tor himself III May lS53 he returned
home with county court liccn~, in his
pocket. opened an otlicr in AShevllc
and threw himself into lifrs battle in
earnest. i i true That the ti@ht ha,.
hcgun long before Ills animal spirits.
when Il boy. had sought au outlet ia
miSchicvoHs prankS practical io}c~ aud
daring eScapadeS. which. though untaint-
ed With malice. often put him IN GOV
entry. and made his iudiciou4 mother and
piouS :unts tremhl4. for his future I
we'll remember how, in u journey we
made together IN 4 onr-horSc CONVEYANCE.
from Chapel ilil. after the commence
iftcnt "f l~"4 hc characterized this mis-
against him. pnrc ~ Il county court in
Madison tradition tells that IL sustain
!ll& position IN case on trial Vance
cited with confidence decision OF the
Supreme Court in an opinion written by
Question about his older brother. Gru
Robert Il. Vance. then prisoner az war
he said. II really think Bob is ono of the
best men ! ever knew: but hc does not
deserve more credit for being good than
| / do for not being mcaner than | am.
RDh horn good. and Xr I.lI Ia,
fight the devil ever since | WAS knee
high Ills love for his mother AMI an
innate sense Of honor and trnthfulnrSs,
that ever prevented his cnnccalmeni Of
peccadilloeS and sins by falSehoud. where
his shield iii the fight. while III charge.
and. possibly. an intuition That II" was
intended for something III the world, l."
found offensive weapons. AT all events,
III twenty two wears Of ag" he had 81
FAR triuInphcl over the spirit Of evil, that
we find him master of himself 2reat
victory for 4 young man. ~ measuring
himself with osher young men OF al
mttcd ability, hc had acquired a just
estimate OF his own power, and IL would
appear from what follows that that "~-
timntc was high But hc WAS free from
cgotism III conversation. q fault uSuhilN
conspicuous in self made men, and MS
tact prevented any appearance Of undu"
self assertion III his manner / have
often wondered ut what stage Of his
career. if ever, he realized how much
WIS III Efiil. HP boy - tIIt' iit ItI bi
tie man.. ana therefore have dwclt at
some length oa his early years.
That h. had friends AMI was thought
to have made good u~c of his time,
student Of the law. * "yid"nc"d hy III"
fact that the Justices OF bunconbr ut
once elected hia to the office Of county
solicitor. whose duties were 10 prosecute
Offenders against III" criminal law. and
to advlS" the justices III thcIr manage
mpHt Of the finances Of the county. Ills
competition for the office was a young
man Of high promise. licensed with linn
then and subsequently his rival FOR pop
uar favor. and destined 10 hccon"
nitcd States Senator and Chief Jus
lice Of our Supreme Courf. Hon. Angus
tus s. Merrimon. In their early contc.s
III the bar Alprrlmon displayed, from
closer application. more accurate
knowledge Of the law. while Vance. by
his ever ready tact. popular address ami
: Sk!fu management. seldom failed when
it he was entitled to Il verdict. ani some
It times won when law and facts were
o Eutfin. q. j., not alv"rting /" a repeal
Il of the law Us set forth in that opinion,
r. bv a late act of Assembly. Mr. Mprri
. mon. representing the other side, rose,
: with volume Of the laws IN his hand.
l. ard trump hantly read the repeating act.
II Vance had the last speech and with i"-
O. pudcnce unparalleled. graycly said
le "Gcntlem"n of til" jury, are Won not
o amazed at The assurance Of my friend.
It Mr.. MerrmJn, IN citing an act Of the
; good nei@hbor. John Smith. who knows
o no more law than you 10 and Bill Jones
Is Of Yancey who Knows less against the
n tdcci~on Of our Supreme Court consti-
f tutcd of such men u. RufIin. CASTOR an.l
,e Daucl:' II MAY have been a surpris.
n 10 both lawyers that the jury found fot
the Supreme Court Nance's excuse IL
- his cons cienoe for his imposition on the
II jury was the "a1dium ccrtaminiS. and
II the fact that the wrong was easily re-
" parable by an appeal 10 the Supcriu,
If Court. wher" the trial would be de noyo
y and doubtless h. advised his client,
t quickly to agFe- with his adversary
X ard settle according 10 law with pos
n. silly m abatement Of costs. This ex
IL ample Of his cXtricati0n OF himself from
IL sudden and hopeless dilemma must noi
le be taken a AZ indication Of his usua
II honesty in dealing wlth court and Jury
~ 1hen ana III after life. DI the contrary
[e his rule and practice %crr. TO commen,
+, himself 10 the court lrv Il fair Statemal.,
st Of the Law. as he understood it. and tf
lie command the confidence Of juries bA