Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 07.pdf/257

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228
The Green Bag.

learned Bostonians who immigrate to the West. They all get rich. I suppose Mr. Walker made his wealth by the practice of the law? ' Judge. — " No, not by a great deal. Law yers don't make money by the practice of the law. My friend, Mr. Walker, made his money by investing in matter o' money with a lady."

Boston. — " Aha! Yes, yes. Aha!" Exit Boston. Judge Wright was very intimate with Grandpa Harrison, being, with Judge Burnett, called the conscience keeper of the General. Judge Wright would some times say that it was better to be a keeper of the good con science of the Gene ral than the hunterup of the conscience of Martin Van Buren. Judge Wright was a very small man, not very attractive, had a very large head, prominent face, and not handsome feat MOSES M. ures. A story is re lated by the quaint Judge Carter about Judge Wright, while in Congress, where he had the reputation of being a very able but ill-looking Congress man. On one occasion, one Davy Crockett, a fellow-representative, was visiting a mena gerie of animals; coming to a cage of mon keys, there was one large, grinning, full-faced monkey, and as Crockett looked at him, he observed to his companion, " Why, that monkey looks just like our friend, Judge Wright from Ohio." Upon turning around, Davy Crockett found Congressman Wright

himself, when he said : " I beg pardon, Judge Wright, I beg pardon; an apology is cer tainly due somewhere, but for the life of me, I cannot tell whether it is to you, or to the monkey." Joshua Collett. This distinguished lawyer and judge was born in Berkeley County, Va. (now West Virginia), Novem ber 20, 178 1. Having obtained a good English education, he studied law at Martinsburgh, in his na tive county. About the time he reached the age of twenty-one he emigrated to the Northwest Territory, and stopped tempo rarily at Cincinnati, where he remained about a year. While he was at Cincinnati, the first Constitution of Ohio was adopted, and Warren was cre ated a county, with a temporary seat of justice at Lebanon. In June, 1803, before the first court had been held in Warren County, he estab lished himself at GRANGER. Lebanon for the practice of law, and was the first resident lawyer in the place. Here it may be said he commenced the practice of his profession, in which he after ward became distinguished, both at the bar and on the bench. Modest, diffident, unas suming and unpretending to a degree sel dom met with, he had great difficulties to overcome. He traveled the whole of the first judicial circuit, comprising the counties of Hamilton, Butler, Warren, Clermont, Montgomery, Miami, Greene and Cham paign, and was thus brought into competi