Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1905-08-02

lap, assistant rector of St Johns Protest
ant Episcopal Church. will conduct the eX-
ercises. Interment will be made in Oak
Hill cemetery. There will be no honorary
pallbearerS.s
One son, Horace Wylie local attorney and
business man, survives Judge Wylie. His
wife, who was Miss Mary c. Bryan of Vir
ginia. died about eight years ago. He had
no living brothers nor sisters
His Long Career.
Judge Wyle was born in Washington
county, Pa, February II, 1914, and when a
young man went to school in Indiana, grad
uating from the university of that state
in 1882 with the degree of doctor of laws.
He also studied law at Pennsylvania Uni
versity. Lexington, KY, for two years be-
ginning in 1880, and afterward with Walter
Forward of Pittsburg, Pa. He was admit
ted to the bar in 1887 and practiced in Pitts
burg until 1S4S, when he removed to Alex
andria, Va, and opened an Office in this
city.
The only vote cast for Abraham Lincoln
In the city of Alexandria in 1860 that
of Judge Wylie.
A short time thereafter he removed to
this city. He received the appointment as
justice of the District Supreme Court in
1863 and his record from then until his re-
tirement in 1885 was a notable and honor
able one.
Many interesting stories are told of the
judge to illustrate his devotion to the law
and his steadfastness of purpose. He was
always just to all and showed no favor to
any one, not even to his best friends.
Robert G. Ingersoll, or Bob Ingersou, as
he was known by his friends, was init
mately acquainted with Judge Wylie. 1t
was during the famous star route" trials
that he was arguing point before the JUS
tice He desired to ask the witness GER
tain question, so the story goes, but ii was
ruled out by the court. Disregarding this
action, Ingersoll fired the question at his
witness quickly and received the answer he
wished before the court could interfere.
Thereupon Judge Wylie fined the brilliant
lawyer $1,000 for contempt of court and or
dered that he be sent to jail If he did not
pay it.
Ingersoll paid his fine, and a few hours
after, as he was walking up to the court
house and passed a horse tied near by lie
was heard to remark the animal snapped
at him:
For sake, what court are Won Judge
of?'
The Case of Mrs. Surratt.
When Mrs. Surratt was taken into Gus
today by Gen. Hancock's soldiers. charged
with complicityin the assassination Of Lin
coin, her lawyers complained that the mill
tary authorities had no right to arrest her
and demanded that she be given a regular
trial in court. But feeling ran so high that
judge after Judge was appealed to for a.
writ of habeas corpus without avail. 1t
was thought to be useless to ask judge
Wylie for the writ since he was known to
be an intimate friend of Secretary STAN
ton of the War Department.; but at last he
was appealed to and. to the surprise Of ALL
granted the writ at once. The military
authorities were ordered to produce tho
body of Mrs. Surratt in court at 10 o'clock
In the morning.
Gen. Hancock ordered that the woman
be brought before the judge, but he also
appeared with an order from the Presi-
dent establishing military law in the Dis
| trict of Columbia and setting aside the
writ of the court.
WELL" said the justice General Han
cock has something like $4,000 soldiers in
| the vicinity to enforce his order, and
have but fifty policemen to enforce the
| law. l guess superior force will triumph"
And the writ was set aside and Mrs. Sur
raft was given military trial and hanged.
| 1t Is said that the judge remarked when he
| granted the writ of habeas corpus to Mrs.
| Surratts counsel that he was doing some
| thing that might land him in the old Capt.
| tol prison, but he intended to do his duty
| just the same.
| To many OF the old attaches of the Dis
| trict Supreme Court Justice Wylies term
OF service on the bench is the most memoir
| able in the history of local Jurisprudence.
| While the famous star route" cases were
| the most notable of the trials over which
| he presided, he nevertheless tried many
other noteworthy cases and figures in the
| annals or the court as the most fearless
| man that ever sat on the bench.
| Navy Department Fraud.
| In 1854 he presided over the trials Of the
| persons implicated In the navy fraud cases.
In these cases charges were brought and in
some cases proved. that enormous fraud
| was being practiced in the medical depart
| ment of the navy, vouchers being signed
| and collections made for supplies that were
| never received by the government, the pro-
| ceeds being divided among those concerned.
| In one of these trials the jury brought In a
| verdict of mot guilty" which was directly
| contrary to the charge of the presiding
| Judge.
The verdict was returned late in the af-
| ternoon of February 20. 1884, after Justice
| Wylie had gone to his home for the day.
He was sent for to receive the verdict, and
| when the foreman of the jury announced
| l. he became very angry. For a moment
he could not speak. He had a heavy cane
] In his hand and In his anger he raised the