Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-06-05
YORK'S BENCH and BAR.
Continued from Page One.)

of in the case of any other man.
He was IN general a well-equlpped
lawyer, though, not, certainly until MS
very last years, Il profound or deeply
read one. All his legal requirements,
such as they We're, were at his instant
| call and control. When | first knew
| him and for many years thereafter,
| hlS purely eXtemporaneOuS speeches 10
juries were his best. Later he adopt
ed the plan of studied preparation for
such occasions. Then his preparation
became minute and most painStaking.
| All his intended emphatic or impress
| i've sentences, especially his cllmaNeS'
| were wrought out to the last word or
SYLLABLE beforehand, and his manner
| and elocution were equally studied, ms
gestures and attitudes with the recur-
| ring Stammer, being given precisely as
rehearSed. He was moreover so skill
| full an artist as to be able to conceal
his art: but in the undreSS of his Of
| flee and among intimate friends, ne
BETRAYED and smiled at the perfect ar
tifciality which often served him so
we'll before the public. Coming from
the court house one day where he had
| been defending Il prisoner ana DelnS
asked what he had been doing, he re-
piled, oh, boring for water for two
hours. He loved the limelight OF the
court room and there his contempora-
ries liked best to see him.
Naturally, with such endowments
| and with such ambition, he became
great favorite as a criminal advocate.
Here, in this arena, till near the close
of his life, his chief strength was eX-
pended and his chief fame won. Great
success, oratorical if not pecuniary, at
tended his efforts in capital criminal
cases. For years he was, l think, cas-
| ily the foremost criminal lawyer OF
the state, and it might not have been
easy to match him outside the state.
I'm politics, Melton was professedly
| q Democrat down as late as 1868. An
amusing. if not witty remark ol ms
| in regard to the presidential campaign
Of that year, is still remembered. ASK
ed if he voted for Seymour the Demo-
cratic candidate, he replied, oh, yes,
| voted for Seymour, but l bet my
money (with Il long stammer on the
| last three wordS) on Grant. In 1869
| he professed himself a Republican and
was elected as a circuit judge of CO.
lumbia circuit by the Republican leg
islature In this Office, so far as l can
recall, he conducted his official duties
with dignity. ability and impartiality,
and to the general satisfaction of all
parties.
In 1872, at the expiration of my
own term as attorney general, he was
chosen to that office. Here, too, his
career was faithful and laborious so
far as official duties went, though he
developed u thorough paced partiZan-
ship in his new political surroundings,
which surprised all and grieVed many.
AT the beginning of his term as at
torney he formed u law partnership
with me which lasted until left the
state At the expiration or ms term
he became Il private citizen, ana re-
mained such until 1880 or 1881, when
he was appointed by President Car
field. United States district attorney
for the district of South Carolina. Here
he was at once plunged into the trial
of numerous alleged offenders against
the election laws of the United States.
Many, if not most, of the defendants,
were men of standing and influence,
and the district attorney found him
self pitted against virtually the whole
| bar of the state.
This was an episode in Melton'S life
which deserved notice. His tempera-
ment was naturally sanguine and IN
general he bore rebuffs and dlsap-
pOintments poorly. In this crisis he
was hard pressed in court by his able
adversaries who did not spare him
professionally or personally. Feeling
ran high both in court and out OF
court Under this strain, ii must be
said by the fair, if friendly historian,
that Melton'S temper gave way; he was
led into retortS and SarcaSmS when
long ranked in the minds of men who
had little, if any, political prejudice.
Some of his Oldest friends denounced
him. The white people generally cen
sured him severely and he left the OF
l.; nd IN
happy mood.
But soon, in his retirement, he re-
covered his poise and from this time
dates his best professional work, his
highest respect in the community, and
probably his highest personal happi-
ness. Old grudgeS were forgotten;
old enmities were laid aside; the bit
ter past gave way TO period of friend
ly feeling on his part as well on the
part of those who had most severely
censured him; his legal practice be-
came lucrative, more lucrative than
ever before; and these days were his
happiest and most prosperous.
"Of his professional character and
work at this period ii is fitting for me
to especially speak Though l was
absent from the state knew intimate
ly his professional standing, business
and methods. In a word, he became
in these last years a remarkably studi-
Gus, painStaking lawyer. The prepar-
alton of his cases was painfully minute
and elaborate, as well as his argu-
ments His citation of cases was par
ticularly voluminous and exhaustive,
so much so that judges have assured
me that he often embarrassed them by
his array of authorities. He worked
night and day with sort of Sibylline
fury whenever an important case or a
critical motion was on hand. There
is no doubt, l think, that he became
at this time an unusually great and
sound lawyer. | was credibly inform
ed that at Lexington court house on a
simple motion to make the complaint
more definite and certain, he spoke for
the plaintiff six hours continuously;
and the late Judge Simonton told me
he once occupied in his court, on the
familiar, but somewhat shifting, point
of the true measure of damages in a
Slander suit, nearly two entire sessions
of three hours each: But said the
judge. he was so well prepared and so
entertaining that / could not stop
him
"In a conversation of mine with the
late Chief Justice McIver and Associ-
ate Justice MCGOWAN, they spoke of
MeltonS recent appearance before
their court. on a criminal appeal of
very narrow scope, in which he spoke
for two hours. Said Judge MCGOWAN.
with characteristic geniality, He just
poured out on us the eXuberance Of
his studies. At the same time his
power as speaker, or oral pleader,
was not diminished though his style
naturally became, as years went on
and his learning increased, less rhetor-
ical and more sober, less popular and
more chaStened.
Here ! wish To record my assured
belief that during this last, best pc
riOd of his career, he won back COM
pletely the friendly (almost affection
ate, regard which he had formerly en-
jOyed among his friends as We'll as the
respect and esteem of all, or nearly ALL
his fellow citizens throughout the
state.
But his labOrs We're too great for his
years and his strength. Force of will
kept him up longer than seemed posSi-
BILE: but the end came and he ceased
from his labOrs, surrounded by his
family and friends, at peace with the
world which had buffeted him not a lit
tie and leaving behind him the men,
ory of one who had great gifts, at times
hardly used to the best advantage to
himself ar the public but paSSing at