Evening capital and Maryland gazette. (Annapolis, Md.) 1910-1922, 1915-05-20
REM|N|SCENCESOF
THIRTY-TWO YEARS AGO
Changes in Bench and Bar, Wrought
by Death.
3 OF LARGE COTERIE LEFT.
MIR. George I. Melvin Recalls Changes
in Court Personnel and At
taches.

At the April term of the Court of
Appeals in 1883. just thirty-two years
ago. Mr.. George T. Melvin, President
of the Annapolis Water Company, was
attorney in case before that Court,
and the pending Water Company liti-
cation which is expected TO be decided
in few days led Mr.. Mevin TO speak
reminiscently today of the great
changes in the personnel of the Court
and its attaches since 1888
Col Spencer G.. Jones, then Clerk of
the Court, died about two months ago,
and his death had been preceded by the
death of every member of the Court of
Appeals. Mr.. Melvin. then practicing
law at Denton. was attorney for the
plaintiff in the suit of Thomas Ben
scooter VS.. Miles W. Green and wife,
residents of Caroline county, involving
question of trust. and his associate
counsel were Col Joshua w. Bryant. of
Denton. and Gen Bradley T. Johnson,
of Baltimore city.
For the defendants Marshall S.
Mutchler and Col George M. Rossum
appeared. and the case was argued be-
fore Judges Miller Yelott. Robinson
and Irving in the Court ofAppeals.
Mr. Melvin said today:
"Of the five lawyers in the case, 1
am the only survivor; Chief Judge Jas
L. Bartol of Baltimore city and Judges
Levin Thomas Henry irwin, of Somer-
set county. John Mitchell Robinson. of
Queen Anne's county. George Yellott
of Baltimore county, Richard II. Alvey,
of Washington county, Oliver Miller,
of Howard county, John Richie, of
Frederick. Frederick Stone. of Charles,
then composing the Court ofAppeals
bench, have since died. as has Col.
Spencer c. Jones. the Clerk, Charles j.
NJ. Gwynn. the Attorney General, and
the reporter j. Shaaf Stockett, and
the only person connected with the
Court at the April term of 1888, who is
still an attache of il. is Mr.. John
Wilmington then messenger and now
crier
AT the trial of the suit below, the
Circuit Court of Caroline county was
composed of Chief Judge Robinson. of
Queen Anne's, and Associate Judges
Joseph A. wicks of Kent, and Fred
erick Stump, of Cecil
This was the only circuit bench in
Maryland that. remained unbroken
from the election in 1867 until 1896.
when Judge Robinson who had then
become the Chief Judge of the Court
of Appeals, died. Judges Wickes and
Stump served out their second term
when the former retired under the age
limit. Judge Stump was reelected for
third term, but died after few
years. Judge Wickes died at his home
in Chestertown on Tuesday last i'm the
| SSth year of his age
The Clerk of the Circuit Court for
Caroline county when the Benscoter-
Green case was tried in that Court was
Col. Luther H. Gadd. now Chief Deputy
Clerk of the Court of Appeals. Col
onel Russum, one of the counsel in the
case, was appointed Chief Judge of the
Second Circuit and member of the
Court of Appeals by Governor LLOYD
Lowndes upon JudgeRobinson's death.
but was succeeded in 1897 by Judge
James Alfred Pearce
Chief Judge Bartol left the Court of
Appeals in October, 1888 because of ill
health, and was succeeded by the late
William Sheppard Bryan, Judge Alvey
becoming Chief Judge Judge Miller
was Chief Judge. of this judicial
circuit
THE change wrought by thirty
two years in the bench and bar of
Maryland is instanced by my recollec-
ton of the April terms of 1888 and
1915. Every one connected officially
with the Caroline appeal of thirty-two
years ago has passed away, with the
exception of Mr.. Wilmington. Colonel