Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1928-01-09
TRIBUTE BY COURTS
To JAMES TANNER
D. C. Justices Hold Service m
Memory of Late Register =
" OF Wills.

The justices Of the supr~me Court
Of the District Of Columbia today
held special session Of memorial
TO "CorporaF' James Tanner. register
OF wills for mote than 20 years, for.
NOR commissioner Of pensions and
onetime comma nder-in-chief ot the
Grand Army Of the Republic. who
died October ..
Members Of the bar. former com.
rades and members Of his family and
friends crowded the general term
room OF the court and listened TO a
euiogy Of the veteran ofticial by JUS
tice Wendell Phillips Stafford, who
was appointed 10 the bench only few
weeks after Corporal" Tanner mad
taken the oath as register 81 wills.
Justice Stafford said that while
some of Tanners friends called him
general" because OF his command Of
the Grand Army. most Of them and
the man himself preferred the appel
lstion Of corporal" as did the great
Napoleon. We loved 20 call him
corporal" said Justice Stafford. 'be-
cause II brought to mind the plucICy
lad who was az fine a type Of Amer.
lean loyalty as the outstanding sixties
had brought forth"
His War Injuries Cited.
The Justice referred 70 the serious
injuries suffered BY Corp. Tanner IN
the Civil War. mis- survival OF the hHr-
rors Of A crude surgery 10 nanSied,
but useful and heroic life for ~ years
He had seen all the great figures.
said the justice. and heard all the
great voices Of his, time. He had
known Grant and Sherman and Sher!-
dan. He mad watched By the side o.
tina dying lincoln: and heard stan
TOMS prophetic wRhs. Now he be-
longs to the ages. when the labored
breathing % the martyr had grown
still
In the course Of his Grafton Justice
Stafford said:
This court had been honored by his
presence for three and twenty years;
and no stronger. more efficient arm. in
his department, r could have wished.
To that large family he gathered
round him in the Orphans Court tfor
under him the old name seemed the
true onel he vas wise and tencer
father took my seat upon this
bench only a few weeks after he came
into his Office.
In those days the justice hearing
probate matters went into the probate
room each morning to hold court: and
I cannot forget now he would strugse
to stand Up when the proclamation
was made that the court was now IN
session. I tried 20 have him keep his
seat. but he always managed 10 go
on his heroic stunps- We were Wli'
A. - So
accomplishing contest To hi osd
friend Bishop Ireland he once said.
find consolation in the thought tina; Z
your church Is RICH, and men nus
90 through purgatory. l may be sOicg
through my pursaiory here l Feed
not speak OF his eloqusnCs. mis- Ha;-se
power OF speech. which made him a.
most il no, quite the bcsl imprompiu
sneaker I have ever heard IL VAS
part Of the man tie could not SPEAK
except from the heart. the word o.
the moment Mas the nord for the Inp-
menr but there was N him atso q
hard headed reason. and a sense % Is
:!ce ,ha, would have made him
comma nding figure on the bench II q
political Iern had NOT cheated hins out
Of that appointment Is a Federal Cis-
trsct indye. which Grant VAS on the
poshk OF SiNlns nsI1s
Taps" Sounded in Farewell
I'VE shall not hook upon his IKE
again. When We laid him TO res N
Arlington We heard Taps soGirded
over his grave and we seemed TO hear
them sounded for the generation intc
which he had been born
AS q Federal court a, the SEAT ~
Government in the Capita, % I've
country he served and suffered tsg.
not unto death bur ua;o >ogDs,h'2<
worse than death. We ulsSAc well VaUss
10 pay this brief tribute, even Z re
had not been 50 closely relaisSi 20 Is
for 50 many years He sas gore ID:
he has Soae where there are rrcSs 20
welcome him than there were - ~
Socd-ey,"