French Broad hustler. [volume] (Hendersonville, N.C.) 1916-1919, 1918-08-15
INTERESTING LETTER
ABOUT JUDGE PACE.

ltHustler an account OF a mass meeting
held at this place on August 5, hon
Ijoring Judge c. M. Pace on the 5Oth
anniversary of his election to the Of
h6ce of clerk of ffa Superior court Of
/ Henderson county. Many of Judge
! PAGES friends were on hand, but some
were not able to be present, instead
have written about him. Thelfollow-
| ing letter, which was taken from last
! Thursdays Asheville Citizen, will be
of interest to those who know the
Judge:
Editor of the Citizen
I have been very much gratified to
note the many favorable tributes
which have been paid to Judge G.. M.
Pace on the fftieth anniversary of his
election to the office of clerk of the
court IF Henderson county
by the bar of his county and also by
lawyers of other counties who have
practiced in his court. These n
comiums are especially appreciated
by his many friends for the reason
that they know the same are richly
deserved, and are not mere platitudes.
There is perhaps not a lawyer who
has practiced in the Superior court Of
Henderson county who is not under
I obligation to Judge Pace for some
! special courtesy or kindness, or some
official duty most efficiently performed.
I have known Judge Pace intimately
| since August or September 1872. 1
! went to Hendersonville at that time
to clerk in a store, and Judge Pace
! was then clerk of the Superior court
where I went to board. He treated
me, a young stranger with much kind
ness, and I became very greatly at
tached to him. While we were stay
ing at the same house and eating at
the table, he married Miss Leona AL
len, a schoolmate and friend of my
sister, and brought his young bride
there. I knew Miss LeOna we'll and
esteemed her very highly. She had
frequently visited at my fathers
house, and I had, in fact, gone to
school with her, though 1 must be al
lowed to state that 1 was younger than
she and not on equal terms with her
by any means, but l admired her from
Z distance. She was regarded as one
Of the most charming girls in the
school, bright, handsome and viva
cious, and had been regarded with the
same favor as a young lady. l thought
the clerk of the court must be "a heck
of a fellow to get her. Well, he was
clerk then, he has been clerk ever
since, and is clerk yet and he is clerk
because he ought to be clerk. His life
is an example for the young men OF
the country. He has done thoroughly
and efficiently the things about him
which were to do. He has not only
thoroughly mastered and familiarized
himself with every duty and detail of
his office, but he has given his best
attention to them. During the thirty
nine years I have been at the bar, |
have all the time had some business
of some kind in his court, and l have
never had anything neglected nor
treated as Indifferent or unimportant.
To illustrate the habits and character
istics of the man, I will relate a little
circumstance which occurred only a
few years ago. A foreign client Of
mine, a trust company, had come into
the ownership of some town lots in
HendersonvfIle, and wished to learn
the status and location of the lots. I
wrote to two or three officials Of the
county who I thought were in a posi-
ton to give me the information with
out much trouble, but could not get
any satisfactory information about the
lots, whether they had been sold for |
taxes, or even whether they could be
located. Judge Pace happened to be
in my Office in Asheville and I Incl
dentally mentioned to him the trouble
I had had about the lots. THAT is SIM
pie enough said the Judge, those
fellows are simply busy and negligent
1 will look after it for you" It was
not in the line of his duties and I did
not expect him to take any further In
terest in the matter. But within a very
few days I received a letter from
Judge Pace stating THAT he had gone
to the tax collectors Office and had J
examined the records in person, and
gave me all the desired information
about their exact location. That is
the reason Judge Pace has remained
clerk of the court for fifty years. He
has given intelligent and detailed at
tention to the business of the people.
He has not only looked after the
greater or more weighty matters, but
every minute Of his important office