The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1905-07-13
AN HISTORICAL ADDRESS.


rendered to Col. ]. G. Freeze by
the bar of Columbia and Montour
counties, the remarks of the Colonel
following his introduction were of
such general historic interest that
they are reproduced in full
Col. Freeze said :
wish had such command of the
English language as would enable
me to make you entirely conscious
of the profound feeling Of happiness
| nave III receiving at your hands
the testimonial you have granted me
this evening. | am not able to do
that, but | can assure you that so
long as | remember anything | shall
remember this night and this occas-
ion; and trust that in your further
progress through life you may be
able to carry with you a conscious
ness and recollection of the happi
ness you have given to me.
l will not, Mr.. President, upon
this occasion endeavor to give my
friends who are before me here a
direct disqnisilion upon the law. l
do not propose to ask them to read
Blackstone through once a year and
to take Chitty's Pleading to bed
with them and study the discrim-
nations and distinctions between
trespass and trespass on the case.
But | propose, in reply to a word
that occurs in the invitation that
was given to me, to give you a sort
of historical recollection ofthe bench
and bar of forty years ago. l think
perhaps to the younger gentlemen
who are here before me-all of them
probably born after the time of
which Ispeak that sort Of recollec-
tion will be more interesting than
anything else that could say.
AS has been already said by the
gentleman who presides at this ban
quet, my connection with the bar oi
Columbia County began 81 years
ago, on the 10Th day of April, 1913.
When we remember that the county
of Columbia is 92 years old, it is a
curious fact which I think l can
state to you that, with one single
exception, | have seen on the bench
every man who has ever presided in
the Courts of Columbia County.
When the county was erected in
1913, the Hon. Seth Chapman,
gentleman of the bar of Bucks
county previously, had been COM
as Judge of the County
of Notthumb rland Of which CO.
lumbia was then part; and he was
upon the bench when Columbia
County was erected, and became OF
course the first President Judge of
our Courts. He remained upon the
bench until 1888, when he retired,
and the Honorable Ellis Lewis
a Justice of the Sup
rene Court and Chief Justice of the
same body went upon the bench of
that district, and, of course, in the
same way. presided over the county
of Columbia Judge Lewis l need
not say to you gentlemen, was one
of the ablest lawyers that ever sat
upon this bench, or perhaps as able
a lawyer as ever practiced law or
was member OF any bar in the
State of Pennsylvania.
He was followed By Judge Dom
mel of Northumberland, who re-
mained upon the bench but about
fourteen months when, unfortunate
ly, he sickened and died March IS,
1874.
He was followed Immediately by
the Hon. Joseph B. Anthony of Ly-
coming county. Judge Anthony
remained on the bench for a con-
siderable time, and at the end OF
his term of some FIVE or six years
he died in IS5I,-he was succeeded,
through change in the district, by
Judge Conyngham of Luzerne
county. We begin to remember
him.
He was succeeded after little
while by Judge Warren J. Wood
ward of Luzerne; and after a short
time-when Woodward took NOM
ination for the bench at Reading,
Berks county, by Aaron x. Peck.
ham Of Wyoming county. And he
was succeeded subsequently by
Judge Elwell.
OF him we all know something.
He remained upon the bench here
for more than twenty-five years
and it is an honor to the people of
Columbia county-to the btr and to
everybody else-that from the day
he came upon the bench until he
left it there was never a minute that
anybody thought of running for
Judge against Judge Elwell He
yyoc a1acto1 70 tho haa>l, -, tl,;,