Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1914-02-03

me to perfect it, for If ] have life and
opportunity, 1t will constitute a part
Of the Sketches of the Bench and
Bar of South Carolina"
should be glad Of any information
or correction addressed to me at
Newberry or through your paper.
regretted to see last night that our
mutual friend, 1. D. Witherspoon has
been taken from his place here. I saw
last spring that his house Of earth
was in ruins and must soon fall. Still
mourn his death as that Of an hon.
est, good man, whose place it will be
hard to fill.
Your friend,
John Belton O'Neall.
GreenvilNe, S. c., Aug. 5, 1858.
William Smith was elected judge on
the 2Sth Of June 1903, in the place Of
Judge Trezevant, who had died the
February preceding. He was president
Of the senate when elected and was a
lawyer in the full tide Of successful
practice on the middle now called
the northern circuit.
He was born in North Carolina, but
when or where, I have been unable to
ascertain. He migrated to South Car
olina and settled in York district,
when very young and poor.
He was educated in part, probably
by the Rev. Mr.. Alexander, the able
teacher and minister of the Presby-
terian faith, at Bullock's Creek, and
finished his course at the Mount Zion
college, Winnsboro. While at Mr.. AL
exander's school, he met with Gen.
Jackson as a school-mate, and no
doubt, when the two noble Romans
met at Washington, as president OF
the United States and senator from
South Carolina, they met as friends
in early life, and friends in all the
fierce political strifes to which our
country had been and was then sub
jected.
At thirty years Of age, Mr.. Smith
began the study of the law, and as
three years was then the prescribed
term of study for the graduate Of a
college, he must have been thirty
three years of age, when admitted to
the Bar.
He represented his early life to an
intimate friend-Col Thomas Will
liams, formerly Of York now Of Mont
gomery, ALIAS wild, reckless, in
temperate, rude and boisterous, yet
resolute and determined"
He had the rare blessing to win the
love Of one Of the purest, mildest and
best women, whose character has ever
been presented to the writer. He mar
ried Margaret Duff. I'm his worst
days, she never upbraided him by
word, look or gesture, but always met
him as If he was one Of the kindest
and best of husbands This course on
her part humbled him, and made him
weep like a child" This sentence, it
is hoped, will be remembered, was the
language of Judge Smith to the friend
already named and to those who knew
the stern, unbending public character
of the judge, it will teach a lesson OF
how much a patient woman's love can
accomplish. He was at last reformed
by an instance Of her patient love and
devotion, as he himself told it:
1.-The evening before the Return Day
of the Court Of Common Pleas for
York district, a client called with fifty
notes to put in suit. Mr.. Smith was
not in his office-he was on what Is
now fashionably called g. spree, then
frolic. Mrs Smith received the notes,
and sat down in the office to the work
of issuing the Writs and Processes.
She spent the night at work-Mr.
Smith in riotous living At daylight,
on his way home from his carousals,
he saw light in his office, and step
ped in, and to his great surprise saw
his amiable wife, who had just COM
pleted what ought to have been his
work with her head on the table and
asleep. His entry awoke her She
told him what she had done, and
showed him her nights work-fifty
Writs and Processes. This bowed the
strong man, he fell on his knees i'm
plored her pardon, and then and there
faithfully promised her never to drink
another drop while he lived This
promise" says my friend Col. Will
liams, "he faithfully kept" and said
the judge to him, from that day ev-
erything which l touched turned to
gold" His entire success in life,' says
Col. williams, "he sat down to his
faithful observance Of this noble
promise"
No better eulogy could be pronounc-
ed on Mrs. Smith than has just been
given in the words Of her distinguish
ed husband. The reformation of such
a man as William Smith Is chaplet
of glory which few women have been
permitted to wear To the people OF
South Carolina, and especially of York
district certainly no stronger argu-
ment in favor Of temperance, total abb
stinence, need be given.
Judge Smith was an able, but rather
tyrannical Judge. All stood in awe OF
him. He committed the captain OF
volunteer company in Charleston for
disturbing the court, by persisting to
cause his drum to be beat after he had
been ordered to desist. He quashed,
spring of 1914, every venire around the
southern circuit, because new jury
lists had not been made out within
three years, and from them the jurors
drawn and summoned. This was a
great legal blunder, and worked great
delay in the administration Of justice.
Still no one doubted rhe purity of the
judge, although Bench and Bar con-
demned the act as high-handed and
uncalled for.