Lexington gazette. [volume] (Lexington, Va.) 1871-1962, 1906-06-13
Banquet to Judge Letcher by
HarrisonburQ Bar

y
Harrisonburg Bar
The Harrisonburg Daily Times
Of Saturday, June 9th, contained
the following notice of a banquet
given in that town last Friday
night in honor of Judge Letcher:
Probably the most pleasant mset
ing of the bar and the only one at
which the opinion was unanimous
was at the Kavanaugh last night
when the lawyers gathered togeth-
er to express their regret at the
fact that Judge Letcher is no long
er to preside over this circuit and
express further their deep sense OF
his kindness and his fairness or
all questions which came before
him while he was judge. Judge
Letcher leaves this circuit because
the last Legislature created a new
one for the counties of Page and
Rockingham.
After the banquet Mr.. Sipe act
ed as POSTMASTER and without pre-
vious nc tice to the person called
on asked one after another to ex'
press his feelings. Tie first speak
eer called Oh was Gen. John +
Roller who said that he regretted
that he had had no notice of the
fact that he was to be called on sc
he was unable on SO short notice
to properly express his feelings on
the subject. After few remarks
on the good feeling that had exist
ed between the bar and Judge
Letcher Gen. Roller said that Judge
Letcher's whole course had been
an appeal to "show me the right
of the case.'' He was an honest
and an upright judge and the bar
regretted to lose him.
Messrs. George N. Conrad, DO.
Dechert, John L. Harris, Chas. M.
Keezel and E. S. Conrad followed
each with a few remarks, the
most pleasing thing of which was
that every speaker referred to
Judge Letcher's well-known homes
ty and fairness. Col. D. H. Lee
Martz, the veteran clerk, said that
ne had served under four circuit
Judges and that his relations with
none of them had been more pleas
ant than with Judge Letcher.
Judge Letcher replied in few
words that were we'll chosen. He
said that his Gays here had been
most pleasant. In coming here he
had not come to a strange land,
but to a country from which some
of his ancestors had come. He
found a bar of hard fighters, men
who stood up for the interest of
their clients when they thought
those clients were in the right.
He said that his duties had been
pleasant and that the only un-
pleasant feature had been that he
had to decide against somebody
each time. He recalled the fact
that some one had said that cir
cult judges were known to make
more mistakes than any other set
of men, for the law always created
u supreme court, the only duty of
which was to correct the errors OF
the circuit judges. In closing he
commended his successor, Judge
L. N. Haas, to the bar, saying thai
he knew he would measure up to
the full share of his responsibility.
The banquet was very pleas
ant one. The dining room was
decorated in rod ana white, while
the flowers adde1 to the attractive
ness of the scene,
An Onlooker, not a membe of
the bar, was heard to ssy as the
mattresses passed time and tire
around the table that he never saw
80 many motions made and no law
yer object, but that he thought
from Judge Letcher's countenance
that if anybody had asked for an
lnjunc ton to prevent Them, the re-
quest would have been promptly
refused.