Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1902-04-24
C3OLDsBORO. n c. THURSDAY. APR L "a. 1909

him transact business and there was
! no furry, no excitement and no con-
fusion, but his every movement was
as a piece ofwel adjusted machinery.
He enjoyed the largest professional
| income of any man il the State.
heard him say in January, 1868, as
/ was walking with him from the
hotel to his Office, that the income
from his practice the year before was
$50, 900. There were no big cOrpo-
ration fees included in this amount,
which shows that he must have done
more work and a larger practice than
any lawyer in the State. 1t required
an enormous amount of work to have
a practice reach that amonnt as law
fees were in North Carolina. He
was irresistible in pleading before a
Jury and what Lord Brougham said
of Eraskine may be applied to Mr..
Dortbh. ''That juries have declared
THAT they felt it impossible to re-
move their looks from him when he
had riveted, and as it were, fasci-
mated them by his first glance, and
it used to be a common remark of
men who observed his motions, that
they resembled those of a race horse,
as light, as timber, as much betoken-
ing strength and speed, as free from ali
gross superfuity or encumbrance.'
He rarely lost a case before juries
and then only when the facts and
the law were against him. He was
as all-powerful in Wayne county as
was the great Calhoun in his day in
South Carolina, or Clay in Ken
| lucky. 1t is dangerous for a lawyer
| to have such power, for, if he were
disposed, he could pervert it to some
| hands of a man like Mr.. Dortch
| would never be abused, for he be-
| lieved in fair dealing and was an ar
dent devotee at the shrine of the
spirit of liberty. He fully realized
the sentiment expressed by Macau-
| lay in his beautiful apostrophe to
the spirit of liberty when he says:
"Aristotle tells a pretty story of a
fairy, who by some mysterious law
of her nature, was condemned to ap-
pear at certain seasons i'll the form of
a foul and poisonous snake. Those
who injured her during the period
| of her disguise, were forever eXclu-
ded from participation i'll the bless
ings which she bestowed. But to
| those who in spite of her lOathsOme
aspect, pitied and protected her, she
| afterwards revealed herself in the
| beautiful and celestial form which
was natural to her, accompanied
their steps, granted all their wishes,
| filed their houses with wealth, made
them happy in love and victorious
in war. Such spirit is liberty. AT
times she takes the form of a hateful
reptile. She growls, she Kisses, she
stings. But woe to those who in
disgust, shall venture to crush her.
And happy are those who, having
j, dared to receive her in her degraded
and frightfuI shape, shall at length
be rewarded by her in the time o.
her beauty and her glory"
| AS a lawyer he was studious, pa
tient investigative and methodica
in his work as a we'll regulated ma
chine In trying a case if anything
developed that he had not anticipa
ted. he exhibited no surprise, there
was no change of a muscle in his
face, for no danger could daunt hin
and no calamity overWhelm him.
have watched him on such occasions
and he showed no sign that he ha6
been taken by surprise, but on tht
| contrary he looked like man who
expected exactly what had hap
pened. Of course this had great eff
feet on a jury, for they thought Ia
had foreseen the whole thing, anC
, was prepared for it. In this respec
he surpassed any lawyer I ever saw
at the bar.
| AS wise, practical, business-lik'
statesman he had no superior. [ re
5 member during the stormy days o
the war when the dark clouds
/, | thickened and gathered arounc
) the South and were threatening t.
| burst upon her with all their black
) ened fury, when patriotic heart
auailed in the presence of the i'm
: pending calamity, he was Confede
l rate Senator, and he stood calm am