The Montgomery tribune. (Montgomery City, Mo.) 1892-1910, 1910-07-08

three correspondents were held in their seats by a
cautionary word from a veteran who had done
long service in the Supreme court. He said" wait.
In q few minutes, as the reading went on, II
became apparent that the court had decided that
while the companies had a franchise for 100 years
they had practically no rights under 1t. on the
strength of the mistake which was made in send
ing out some of the first dispatches on that day
stocks went up and then when the truth came out
they tumbled so fast that they hurt their heads.
When the justices led by the clerk and the
chief justice enter the Supreme courtroom every
body stands. When the judges have taken their
seats the court crier, after the manner of court
criers since the time of the patriarchs, declares
that the high and honorable court is In session and
that justice is to be dispensed. Just before taking
their seats the justices bow to the assembled
throng and the throng bows back. When the court
crier's voice has died away everybody takes his
seat and the proceedings begin.
The Supreme court sits in the old senate cham
Der of the capitol. 1t is the room where Webster,
Hayne, Clay, Calhoun and others fought their bat
ties. The gallery Is a tiny affair capable of seating
only about thirty people and the wonder is how
when Webster delivered his great Grafton in reply
to Hayne there could have been present the great
crowd of which history tells us.
1t was In the Supreme courtroom that the cleo
toral commission which decided the Hayes-Tilden
contest held its sessions. The fifteen members
of that commission occupied the seats of the JUS
tees and it is said that during the progress of the
hearing the little room was crowded literally to
dhu tiot iiSiiy SOpfS "Sto
1t is an historic chamber and 1t is one Of the places
to which visitors to Washington bend their steps
In the membership of the Supreme court there
are two veterans of the Union army and two vet
Grams of the Confederate army. John Marshall
Harlan, who is q Republican, raised the Tenth Ken
lucky infantry and served in Gen. George H. Thorn
as division. He rose to the rank of colonel and
his name was before the senate for Confirmation
as a ~brigadier general at a time late in the wal
when his fathers death compelled him for family
reasons to retire from the service.
Oliver Wendell Holmes of Boston graduated
from Harvard college in 1861 and at once entered
the Union army. AZ the battle Of Balls Bluff Ii
October, 1861, Holmes was shot through the
breast and for a long time 1t was believed he could
not possibly recover. He did recover, however
and went back to the front, taking part In thu
battle Of Antietam, where he was shot through thu
neck, and again his life was ~despaired Of. One
more he recovered and went to the front, only tt
be wounded again at the battle of Fredericksburg
Justice Edward Douglass White was born II
Louisiana and he served through the Civil war II
the Confederate service. Horace Harmon Lurton
who was appointed by President Taft to tn
vacancy caused by the death of Justice Peckham
entered the Confederate service when he was onl.
seventeen years old and he served three years. H
was with General Buckner at Fort Donelson whel
the Confederate commander surrendered to Ger
eral Grant. Lurton was Grants captive and 1t !
not at all probable that the northern soldier ha
any conception that this youthful prisoner was on
day to be appointed to the Supreme court of tn
United States by a Republican president.