The Manchester journal. [volume] (Manchester, Vt.) 1861-current, 1922-01-26

latter part Of the time BY reason Of ths
axe and failing health Of Mr. Burton
the work Of the firm fell mostly to Mr.
Munsou.
H. addition TO his law practice. dur
ling six years Of the partnership. he
was Judge u Probate for the District
u Manchester, and he gave 10 the dis
charge Of the duties Of that Office the
full measure Of his knowledge and
ability. Believing as he did, that the
Office was a public trust, he felt that
its business must not be neglected or
put of for any other.
II Probate business interfered with
his Law practice well and good; but
the law practice must not interfere
with the duties Of that office, and he
never let IL. So the people Of that
district trusted and believed in him,
for they knew that however small an
estate might be, II would have the
same careful attention that the larger
ones did; knew that he would give to
IL the best he had TO give. And he was
well qualified for the position. for he
had been Register for the ten years
before he was Judge Of Probate.
/ do not think that Judge Munson
really enjoyed the practice OF law in
all its phases.
His firm always had a docket of
very good cases, but not a large one.
II had a good Office practice, and that
part Of the law business he enjoyed.
But the trial Of cases, especially
trials by jury, the give and take, the
quick retort, the sharp cross-examina-
tion, figuratively speaking, the rough
and tumble OF trial j1were not to his
liking; not in accord with his quiet,
unassuming nature.
His cases were usually fully pre-
pared, both as TO the law and facts,
and he tried them well. / cannot say
brilliantly; he would not wish me to,
for he knew his own limitation in that
regard. He was never exalted by VIC
tory, never cast down by defeat. The
most he would say was, "The right
has prevailed" or il defeated, "The
jury were perhaps right, there are
usually two sides to case, and we
don't always know which is right till
the trial"
This philosophy Of his came from a
deep-rooted belief that courts Of jus
tice are instituted to administer the
law and maintain the right against
wrong, and that it was the duty Of
the lawyer to aid, not impede, the
Courts, and that as lawyer he should
not seek personal ACKNOWLEDGEMENT at
the expense Of right and justice. This
was not merely theory 1--WE all have
that at least), with him it was a con-
an abiding principle interwov-
en- with his very nature. 1t remained
with him at all times, not only as
lawyer and judge, but in all the walks
of life.
recall an incident in his life that
illustrates this. / trust / am not
,respassing too far on your time in
to it. It is thus:--
While at the Seminary he did not
DIN in the games Of the other boys, |
It least not while / was there, due, !
10 doubt, to the fact that he was in J
lelicate health and that he lived at {
lome. 9
But soon after he was admitted to I
he bar a base ball club was organized {
t Manchester and he Joined it, and
ook an active part in the games. The =
anne of the club was the 0ndawa {
Tub. Il
Mr. Munson soon became its pitcher, q
nd more than good one he was,-the $
est pitcher not only in Manchester, 1
ut, at the time | refer to, the best in d
he Battenkill Valley. He was inter- c
sted in the game, and it was just the
xercise he needed. II was said he r
sed TO practice at home, pitching the b
all through a ring that he might !;
sarn to get control Of II and speed. S
The Arlington Club, named the il
than Allen Club, played the ondawas
ute often, and each year at the close n
Z the season the Ondawa boys were at {,
.ast one game ahead until the third h
earl think II was the third. That q
ear the clubs broke even near the
ose Of the season, and it was agreed Il
lat they should play it Oft on a GER o.
lin day at Manchester, and on that q
az the clubs met as agreed. n
II was an exciting game; sometimes Il
ne club had the advantage. and then d
,e other. But at the end Of the u
phth inning the 0ndawas were one u
Hv ahead; and they claimed that Il Z.
as 10 late in The day to play the Al
nth inning and that the game should