The citizen. (Honesdale, Pa.) 1908-1914, 1909-02-12

shut up in a wardrobe, and on which he
slept on the floor at night. These facts
as to his extreme poverty at that period
are mentioned as a contrast to the pros
perity with which he was afterward
blessed, his holdings a few years ago
being variously estimated at from half
a million to a million dollars.
Mr.. Box was admitted to the Buffalo
barFeb. 2, 1862, and for few years there
after he practiced alone, devoting his
attention to criminal law, of which he
made a specially, with signal success.
He formed partnership with VIM. H.
Gurney, and later with f. r. Perkins,
who was then city attorney. The firms
business increased, and in the '70's it
became Box & Norton. At this time the
Buffalo Street Railway, then owned by
s. V. r. Watson, was client OF the
firm which on January l, 1884, became
Box, Hatch & Norton.
In the fall of 1885 E. w. Hatch was
elected Judge Of the Superior Court, and
the firm became Box, Norton & Bushnell,
which continued until Aug. l, 1901, when
Clarence M. Bushnell withdrew from the
firm, and Mr.. Box retired from the active
practice of his profession. One of Buff
falo's leading attorneys said of Mr.. Box,
on learning of his death, "He was one
of the most successful trial lawyers the
bar of Erie county has ever known"
But his greater work was in the up
building of the street railroad system, of
which he was counsel for the long period
of 81 years, or from 1870 until 1901. In
the organization of the various COM
panies embraced within the Buffalo
street railroad system of that period his
work was able and indefatigable. Be-
sides the Street Railway Company, Mr..
Box had for clients the Buffalo Gas Co.,
the Bell Telephone Co., the Western
Union Telegraph Co., Union Fire In
surance Co., Third National Bank and
other large corporations. His success
as corporation lawyer in his last years
outrivalled his earlier work as Grim
inal lawyer. He was also largely con-
cerned in real estate transactions.
OF charitable and philanthropic
character was the work to which he de-
voted himself following his retirement
from active practice of his profession.
In the past eight years he caused the
erection of 400 sanitary homes tor work.
ing men on the East Side, Buffalo. In
1893 Mr.. Box was one of the commiss-
toner's to the Worlds Fair from New
York State.
He was a member of the Buffalo and
Country Clubs; life member of the
Buffalo Library, Historical Society and
Fine Arts Academy. Mr.. Box was a
lover of high-class art. His collection
of paintings, now loaned to the Albright
Art Gallery, has proved source of de-
light to connoisseurs. He was also q
man of very decided literary tastes. His
library is one of the finest in the city.
Mr.. Box's health became seriously inn
paired some years ago, and since thai
time it has been his custom to spend hi
summers in Canada and the Adiron
dacks, and the colder months in Cali
tornia and the South. About two year.
ago he passed some time with his fami
{ ly on the Pocono, following which hi
paid his last visit to Honesdale, wher'
he had large number of warm persona
, friends, and where his mother sleeps il
8 Riverdale cemetery. He..died at Saran
2 &C Lake, in the Adirondacks, on Sunda,
; last, February 7th, 1909, in the cottag
, formerly occupied by Robert Louis Ste
venson, of whose writings he was grea
: admirer. His remains were removed t,
Buffalo, and the funeral was held on tn
afternoon of Wednesday last. Mr.. Bo:
is survived by his widow, MARY Masol
. Peabody to whom he was married il
} 1865, and an adopted daughter, Mis-
4 Mary E. Box. Also by number ofrel
l atives living in this vicinity.