The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1913-12-11

riculture and always took deep Inter-
est in the agricultural welfare of the
surrounding country. His personal eff
forts in that direction. although they
failed to add to his material wealth, had
the effect to stimulate others to good
works whose reverence for ''the Al
mighty Dollar" was greater than his.
He was one of the earliest and most per-
sistent advocates for the erection OF our
county, and was the first one, SO far as
known, to suggest the name it bears.
Wilson's Hill and Wilson's Stream, two
of the ancient landmarks in our city, are
indebted to him for their appellations.
A minute biographical notice of Mr..
Wilson, one that would do ample justice
to him, would require more space than
can be spared from these brief annals.
A few anecdotes, selected at random,
may suffice to illustrate the character
and peculiarities of the man more wildly,
perhaps, than can be done in any other
mode within the power of the compiler.
He was a man of fine physical organ
ization, of great physical strength when
A Young man, cool and deliberate in all
his actions, and of unfiinching courage.
/ Soon after he commenced practice he
| had occasion in the argument of case
to comment with more than ordinary Sc
verify on the conduct and character of a
prominent witness. The witness very
/ indiscretely, as the result proved, deter
mined 10 have redress by infllcting per-
sonal chastisement, and watching an op-
portunity when Mr. Wilson was alone in
his office went in and commenced an at
tack on him. 1t was but the work of a
moment for Mr.. w. to seize him by the
collar and place him, not very gently, in
horizontal position on the floor; he then
very deliberately sat down on him. A
brother lawyer who happened to come in
at the moment and saw the condition of
the PROSTATE man. without any appar-
ent sign of life about him, exclaimed,
"Why, Wilson, the mans dead -
"Yes." replied Wilson, eyes, l am
aware of that, and l am the Coronor's
Inquest sitting on the body ~
He was naturally of rather indolent
habit and was of course member of
a Club existing here in the early part of
the century called the Lazy Club. One
of its unwritten bylaws provided that
no member, under any circumstances,
should run when he might just as well
walk. He was discovered one day rum
ming leisurely down the steepest part Of
the hill on which he lived, and the fact
was reported to the Club. Being put
upon trial he set up in defence that he
had not violated the law, the intention of
which was to punish unnecessary labor;
for the reason of his running was that it
was less labor to run than it was to hold
back! 1t does not appear of record what
the adjudication of the Club was; the
presumption is, from the we'll recognized
precedents of the day, that the ingenuity
of the defence was admitted, but that
the pound of flesh" was eXacted.
Neither fear, favor, affection or the
hope of reward ever influenced him to
abandon a position which he held to be
tenabie consistently with truth and JUS
tice. nor to Withhold an opinion which he
felt that duty required him to express.
He was once witness IN cause when
It became important to prove by his testl-
mony, aud that of others, that the repu-
tation for truth of a material witness
was not good. In reply to the usual
question, Mr.. Wilson testified that the
general reputation of the witness for
truth was bad. The emphatic manner
in which the word was spoken so irritat-
ed the witness thathe broke in upon the
proceedings by saying: 81 suppose, Mr..
Wilson, you d swear that am the worst
man that ever WASH mo, DOCTOR" re-
piled Mr.. W.. deliberately folding his
arms across his breast as was his habit,
II would not swear to that; but | am
ready to swear that you are the worst
man 7 ever knew or read of. ~
He had remarkable memory. No
testimony in any case he tried escaped
| his notice when he came to the argu-
ment; hence his arguments were always
exhaustive, but necessarily proix and
sometimes tedious to those not personal
Nv interested A friend once asked him
if it might not be that his arguments
were too long. Did you ever hear any
of my clients complain of their lengthy
was his reply.
He possessed a wonderful degee of self
possession and forbearance. No instance
is remembered in which he exhibited any
anger, however much annoyed. About
the last time he appeared in the Court
house he was arguing to the Judge pre-
siding a question of law, and having
stated legal proposition the counsel on
the other side, young member of the
profession, in a rather contemptuous
tone of voice remarked "Who ever heard
of such principle of law as that!' Mr..
Wilson, without moving muscle, or ex-
hibiting the slightest resentment at the
rude interruption, or taking his eye from