Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1904-04-04
Hon. John A. Peters.

In the death of Hon. John A. Peters.
Maine loses one Of her best known ana
best loved citizens. He has for many
wears been a notable figure in the life
of our State. and his work during the
long years he sat upon the bench as
member of our supreme court, and dur
ing many of which he presided over its
deliberations forms a very important
chapter in our judicial history. His
was a pleasant and magnetic person.
ality. He carried into maturer years
the rlJyful exuberanCe of youth The
years came and went, but left him
Young. His sympathies were quick
and broad, his impulses generous. his
fund Of good fellowship marked. He
had brilliant mind, wonderfully quick
in its perception, logical in its process
ees. and accurate in its conclusions.
He was inpatient of pretence ana shan
and his relations with his fellow-men
were characterized by an atmosphere
of frankncss. directness and honesty.
There WAS i'm his whole makeup no
trace of snobbery or affectation. He
WAS = plain, everyday man of the peo-
ME Who took a keen delight in the So
ciety of his fellow-men and who never
failed to contribute spirit of good
cheer to any circle in which he mingled.
lie readily ada pied himself to circum-
stances and radiated a spirit of opti-
mism upon those about him.
A marked feature of his makeup was
n keen sense of humOr and wonder
fully ninlLle Wit. He was a prince OF
after-dinner speakers and a man who
was quick to detect the amusing SIDE
Of every circumstance that came uTd"r
his observations He loved dearly to
meet fopnrn worthy of his powers, and
to enter with all his heart and soul m
10 the bon liomme of the hour. While
he had Il distinguished career in the
roliticS of his State. and as a member
of the national House Of Representa-
tivcs. it was as n judge he was best
known ana will BE- longest remembered.
He had Il keen appreciation of
the dignity Of the court ana
no one knew better how TO
maintain it. Once out of the
court, however. he threw of the
restraints Of his judicial Office. ard
mingled freely and with unaffected en-
iovmcut in the society about him. He
knew personally nearly every practlc-
Ing attorney in the; State. and felt an
interest in them all that WAS II once
cordial and Unaffected. Sincerity WAS
the keynote Of his character. II" rang
true. The people knew that he WAS
honest. upright and just. They laughed
at his bright and brilliant s,Illies. but
at the same time they pinned their
abiding faith to him. ana lie never
of their expectations.
A striking characteristic of his life
was the distinctly human element in
his makeup. He knew whom. where
and how to mbend. He dearly loved
n good story ana knew how to tell one.
ana he mingled with no social circle
which was not Illuminated with the
brilliancy of his wit ana the quick play
Of his mind.
To his work upon the bench he
acumen. ana n mind eminently judicial
I'm it's poiSr. wonderfully rapid in its
processes. and clear cut in its conclu-
sions. He was quick to detect insin-
ccrity. to see through pretence, and
seize and sift the salient and pertinent
points In Il mass Of testimony. No
man knew better than he how to win
now the wheat from the chaff, in thn
threshing out THE merits of a case. He
was guided solely by II desire TO arrive
at the truth. and to apply the law to
Il when found with rigid impartiality.
ing. He was honest with himself. and.
therefore. honest with the public. His
fellow citizens knew this. and honored
him for it. As 4 judge he was honored
for his strict sense of fairness, his alb
solute fearlessness. and his resolute
determination to deal out impartial
justice. wherever it might cut. AS a
man he was loved for his warm hui
man sympathies and his we~lth of
human fellowship. He filled large
place in the life of our State-and filled
1t ably. honestly and well. 4 His per-
sonality was strong; his inefiv duality
marked There was no other man Ike
him. and no one who can just fill his
place in the hearts of Maine peofle.
His life work is his best monument.
and it will be an enduring one.