Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1931-03-22
JUSTICE STAFFORD
BECOMES ELIGIBLE
TO RETIRE ON MAY
Continued From First page)

Der of the court, as then constituted,
to remain on the bench. Daniel Thew
Wright, then on the bench, has resigned
and is now practicing law. ALI the
others, Chief Justice Harry M. Ga
baugh, Justice Job Barnard, Justice
Thomas H. Anderson and Justice Ash
ley M. Gould, are dead.
1t viii be nearly four years before
another justice of the court is eligible
to retire. Justice Frederick L. Sid
dons was born November 81, 1864, and
will be 10 years old November 81, 1884
During his 81 years on the bench
here Justice Stafford has presided in
all the various branches of the court.
He has the distinction of trying the
two longest criminal cases in the courts
hfstory-the Hyde = Benson Dimond-
Schneider Government land fraud case.
which occupied three months and in
which two men were convicted and
their conviction sustained by the United
States Supreme Court, and the Morse
conspiracy case, growing out of war
time ship building contracts, which ran
for is weeks. The latter case dragged
so long that Clifford K Bergman, The
Stars cartoonist, cartooned the Jury
climbing the Court House steps after
growing long whiskers and an old-time
bystander remarking IT remember when
that jury was sworn Justice Stafford
treasures an autographed copy of the
cartoon.
The jurist also presided at the trial
Of the Terra Gotta railroad disaster
case and any number of other Criminal
cases.
Under Pistol Fire.
While on the criminal bench the
justice had the experience of being
prominently placed while bullets were
recklessly flying in the court room. On
this occasion, he disregarded judicial
dignity and reverted to the first rriT-
ciple of self preservation, when he
lodged under the bench. The example
Of the court was followed by the district
attorney and the clerk Of the court.
both OF whom sought safety under their
desks.
A young man had been called before
the court for sentence and had asked
for probation. Justice Stafford had
deferred action on the request for a
week, when the prisoner whipped out
pistol from his pocket and began
firing A large man sitting in fhe
front row Of the spectators spranR on
the prisoner, and, grabbing him by the
throat, subdued him. The court had
TO be adjourned because all its dignity
had gone out with the spectators. who
crowded every exit while the firing was
in progress
Justice Stafford heard the Potomac
Electric Power Co. case which finally
resulted IN the consent decree concern
ing the participation of the public in
the company'S profits and which now
is the bone Of contention between the
Public Utilities Commission and the
company. Peoples Counsel Richmond
B. Keech Is seeking to have the COM
mission ignore the decree. He heard
numerous other equity and law proceed
ings.
Native Of Vermont.
When Chief Justice Walter I. Mccoy
resigned in December, 1929, the Bar
Association unanimously recommended
to the Attorney General the appoint
ment OF Justice Stafford to that position
to round out his service to the court. It
considered it would be a fitting appre-
citation of his services to the District.
The Attorney General decided on an
other candidate.
Justice Stafford was born at Barre.
VT, May /, 1861, the son of Frank and
Sarah (Noyes) Stafford, and was grad
uated from Barre Academy and st.
Johnsbury Academy. He took his de-
gree of LII. B. (cum laude) at Boston
University In 1883 and practiced law
at st. Johnsbury. He married Florence
S. Goss of st. Johnsbury February "a.
1885, and has one son, Edward.
practicing lawyer here. He was a MEM
Der of the Vermont House of Repre-
sentatives in 1892 and editor of the
decisions OF the Supreme Court of
Vermont from 1896 to 1900 and was a
justice of that court until 1904.
He is the author of North Flowers"
(poems), Dorian Days." Speeches"
Voices" dramatic ode; 1.-The Land
We Love" (poems) and War Poems"
For 81 years Justice Stafford was pro-
fessor of equity Jurisprudence at George
Washington University and has lectured
in Vermont and in Boston
and New York Amid all his activities !
he has found time to contribute poems |
and articles to magazines.