A. G. Olmsted, W. A. Williams and Charles Dolan. Charles H. Noyes was enrolled in September, 1875, and in December the contested election case-C. K. Sartwell vs. John R. Chadwick-in re office of prothonotary, was entered. B. A. Green was admitted to the bar at this time. In February, 1876, A. W. Barry, M. F. Elliott and George A. Berry were admitted attorneys, and H. N. Gardiner appointed stenographer. Eugene Mullin signed the roll in June, 1876, and Roger Sherman, C. J. Curtis and G. W. Kelly in December. During the year a number of divorce cases were presented, and the records of the court began to assume large proportions as the population increased. In February, 1877, Associate Judges Brownell and F. N. Burnham were present; among the members of the bar were *O. A. Hotchkiss, R. B. Stone, L. H. Cobb and C. H. Sherwood. Julius Byles was admitted a member. In September Sheridan Gorton, David Sterrett and H. McClure were admitted; in October H. C. Dornan, and in December D. E. Dufton, J. C. Sturgeon and C. L. Peck. In February, 1878, A. F. Bole was admitted and C. D. Longfellow was enrolled; in April J. C. Johnson, W. I. Lewis and W. B. Graves were enrolled as members, and E. B. McCleery was admitted. Edward McSweeney's name appears upon the records of 1876, and also that of W. B. Boggs. Andrew Tracy, a young lawyer of Smethport, was tried in February, 1879, for the murder of his cousin, Miss Mary Reilly, at Smethport. District Attorney S. W. Smith, M. F. Elliott and W. W. Brown represented the State, while C. B. Curtis, A. B. Richmond, George A. Jenks, A. G. Olmsted and N. McSweeney defended. He was found guilty of murder, and, in April, sentenced by Judge Williams to death. The Judge, in passing sentence, said: “The victim was a friend, not an enemy; a relative by blood; a modest and lovely woman, whose only offense was that she had struggled to overcome her affection for you, from a sense of duty toward the church to which she belonged, and toward her parents whom she honored.' Every effort was made to save this unfortunate man, but the board of pardons refusing to interfere with the sentence the law was carried into effect in December, 1879. This tragedy of September 18, 1878, may be said to have broken up one of the most hospitable homes of McKean county. The trial of Robert Butler for murder took place in March, 1880, resulting in a sentence of eight years solitary confinement. In December, 1886, the trial of John Thompson for the murder, on previous July 24, of John Yohe at Mount Jewett was heard. Messrs. Koester, Cotter, Mullin and McClure represented the State, while Morrison, Apple, Elliott and Hastings defended. He was found guilty of manslaughter and sentenced to imprisonment. Anthony Anderson Oaks, a Swede, was tried in May, 1889, for the murder of Henry Robinson, in Long Hollow, Annin township, February 12, 1889, Messrs. Sturgeon and P. R. Cotter prosecuting, and Messrs. Mullin and McClure defending.... In October, 1889, one of the heaviest cases ever brought before this court was presented-The McKean & Elk Land & Improvement Company vs. Elizabeth D. Kane. Plaintiffs originally owned 120,000 acres of land in this section of country, of which Gen. T. L. Kane was agent. The case involved the title to a large portion of this territory. A brilliant array of legal talent was employed in the litigation. F. B. Gowan and William W. Wilbank, both of Philadelphia, and R. B. Stone, of Bradford, were for the prosecution, and C. H. McCauley, of Ridgway, J. G. Johnson and E. W. Hanson, of Philadelphia, B. D. Hamlin, of Smethport, and M. F. Elliott, of Wellsboro, represented the defendant. Judgment was rendered in favor of Mrs. Kane, and the title to the lands and lots thereby settled. * Deceased. In February, 1890, a Salvation Army case was presented to the grand jury. Three of the bills, ignored by that body, were brought by Capt. Charles Lockyer, the commander of the Salvation Army in Bradford. He charged two boys with disturbing one of the meetings at their barracks. In addition to ignoring the bills the grand jury placed the costs upon the prosecutor. The costs of the three cases amounted to $93.88. Neither the captain nor the members of his army who were present in court had the money, and the captain was committed to jail in default thereof. The parting scene between the captain and his followers was an emotional one. He kissed the weeping sisters amid a chorus of "God bless you," and the prison door closed. The inmates of the jail, upon seeing the badge of their new comrade, welcomed him with a shout and a rapturous medley of "war cry war cry" choruses. Another bill was presented to this jury asking an indictment for assault against G. W. Kelly. This indictment was the outcome of the trouble between the members of the W. V. R. U. which the national president, Mrs. Campbell, attempted to adjust, and whom Kelly had arrested for the larceny of a charter. Kelly had the costs to pay in that case, when Mrs. Campbell was discharged. The grand jury in ignoring the bill against Kelly placed the costs on the county. The attorneys admitted to practice here since the May term of 1878 are named as follows: George A. Allen, 1878; James Addle, 1877; George W. Allen, 1879; Isaac Ash and Harrison Allen, 1880; John N. Apple, 1882, and Fred L. Armstrong, 1884. John B. Brawley, 1877; Lewis F. Barger, W. D. Brown, C. L. Baker, R. C. Beach, F. L. Blackman, David Ball, W. E. Burdick and M. H. Byles, 1879; James C. Boyce, H. W. Blakeslee and Eben Brewer, 1880; B. T. Ball and W. C. Brown, 1881; Joseph W. Bouton and C. Benedict, 1885; George H. Bemis and Charles E. Boyle, 1887. W. B. Chapman, 1877; S. E. Cheeseman, E. Crossman, A. A. Craig, F. J. Corbin* and C. L. Covell, 1878; John B. Chapman, S. M. Crosby and J. H. Cunningham, 1879; Mahlon J. Colcord and David Cameron, 1883; A. L. Cole and James Cable, 1889. M. E. Dunlap and W. M. Dame, 1878; John W. Dunkle, 1881; Joshua Douglass, 1883; · W. F. Doyle, 1887, and S. M. Decker, 1889. Thomas F. Emmens and M. T. H. Elliott, 1880. John Forrest, 1879; W. L. Foster, 1883; G. N. Frazier, 1886. W. B. Graves, 1878; James George, F. F. Guthrie and J. T. Gealy, 1879; S. S. Geisinger, 1880; Henry N. Gardner, 1882; Sam. Trumbine, 1885, and S. B. Griffith, 1886. D. S. Herron, 1878; P. T. Hallock, William C. Holahan and C. A. Hitchcock, 1879; H. D. Hancock, M. J. Heywang, A. P. Huey and George H. Higgins, 1880; Watson I. Hinckley, F. W. Hastings, Jacob Hockley, 1881; T. B. Hoover, 1882; H. J. Hammond, -; J. D. Hancock, 1885, and C. Heydrick, 1889. H. C. Johns, 1878: David H. Jack. 1880; Charles E. Judd, 1884; A. L. Kinkead, 1878; E. Koester, J. L. Kinkead and E. L. Keenan, 1879; W. C. Kerr, 1880; H. O. Kline, 1881; George C. King, 1882. W. J. Lewis, 1878; A. H. Low, 1879; William L. Lillibridge, 1881; W. H. Latham, 1884; J. W. Lee, 1886, and George A. Lukehart, 1888. *B. S. McAllister, A. M. Metzger and C. H. McCauley, 1877; *E. B. McCleery, E. R. Mayo, G. B. McCalmont, H. N. McIntyre and William McSweeney, 1878; W. M. Meredith, Samuel Minor, Graham McFarlane, W. A. Mason, C. H. McKee, H. J. Muse, Henry McSweeney, T. A. Morrison, Robert Mackwood, William E. Marsh, Joseph M. McClure and J. O. Marshall, 1879; J. C. Metzger, Miles S. Plummer and J. V. McIntyre, 1880; Joseph A. McDonald, 1881; H. C. McCormack and J. P. McNarney, 1883; James J. McCarthy, 1884; Charles McCandless, 1885; T. F. Mullin, 1886; J. B. McAllister and R. M. Magee, 1888. Herman H. North, 1880; Samuel T. Neill, February, 1890. N. M. Orr and *Omer Osmer, 1878; John Omerod, 1882; J. H. Osmer, 1883; George M. Orr, 1887. Louis K. Purviance and H. S. Payson, 1879; M. J. Peck, 1887. A. B. Richmond, 1878; F. D. Reaves, 1879; George L. Roberts, 1880; L. Rosenzweig and Hamlet E. Rossell, 1881; Thomas F. Richmond, 1882; J. E. Rounseville, 1888, and W. E. Rice, October 15, 1889. G. F. Stone, N. B. Smiley* and J. W. Shaw, 1878; H. C. Scoville, G. A. Sturgeon, * Removed by death or emigration. William Swanson, F. L. Seeley, William A. Stone and G. J. Stranahan, 1879; O. L. Snyder and M. Sullivan, 1880; H. N. Snyder, 1881, and W. R. Scott, 1884. E. E. Tait, 1883; C. C. Thompson, 1885. J. K. Wilson, J. K. Wallace and C. L. Wescott, 1878; W. P. Weston, 1879; O. H. Wheeler, A. Leo Weil, George J. Wolfe, 1880; Irvine Watson, 1882; M. A. K. Werdner, 1883; S. C. White, 1887. In the history of Smethport the first night's experience of the pioneer lawyer. Orlo J. Hamlin, at the Willard House is described. Next morning Paul E. Scull and Judge Sartwell, then the only merchants at the county seat, invited him to visit the court-house. Accepting, the trio had to creep along the fence to escape the quagmire then occupying the present main street. To ameliorate matters, the merchants offered the young lawyer a retaining fee of $50, and immediately the cloud of disappointment vanished, and Smethport seemed clad in sunshine. He decided to stay, and was permitted to occupy the west wing of the brick court-house, then completed. Obtaining some rough furniture he ranged "Blackstone, "Peak's Evidence and a borrowed volume of "Pardonis Digest" on the cross-legged pine table, and in December, 1826, opened the first law office in McKean county. Practice was very primitive then. Prior to his coming a justice of the peace, afterward an associate judge here, rendered a judgment against the defendant for "six yards of calico (enough then to dress a woman), and in another case for "twenty-five hemlock saw logs." The constable did not know how to execute the judgments legally, and time alone canceled them. The first case in which Mr. Hamlin participated here was tried in the Willard tavern. An employe of a saw-mill owner sued his employer for assault and battery with intent to kill. Hamlin was retained for the defense, while Counselor T- prosecuted. The counselor was athletic and illiterate, but naturally a speaker and full of assurance. The bar-room was crowded, and the young lawyer determined to prove his professional training. He was very technical, and the justice was there to listen. Eleek Hall, equally powerful as a counselor, was then bar-tender, and while the case proceeded, he helped the audience to what drinks were called for. Mr. Hamlin, knowing the physical character of his opponent, called Hall to assist him, and when Hamlin had examined and cross-examined the witnesses and badgered the counselor, he would wink to Hall to answer Counselor T—. Eleek would step forward, smacking his lips and foaming with vehemence, and continue a doggerel speech until exhausted. The sun had set, and the jus tice had sent the case to quarter sessions, holding the mill owner under bonds. The latter soon drove away his employe, holding his wife as hostage for a small debt. At quarter sessions the banished employe did not appear nor did he ever come to claim the wife he left as a hostage. About the third week in December, 1826, John W. Howe came to Smethport, ostensibly to seek employment as a school-teacher. His baggage was a small wooden box, which proved to contain only law books. The people soon learned that he was a lawyer and not a teacher. He was something of a wag, eccentric, sensible, honorable and energetic. After a stay of six years he moved to Franklin, Penn, and thence to Meadville. In May, 1827, Thomas Fuller came hither to settle, but after a few months returned to Bethany, N. Y. In the spring of this year Counselor Tfell into a hornets' nest. It appears Hamlin, Howe and Fuller determined to oust this individual, and their determination succeeded; for the counselor, being unable to make war against the trio, became irritable and sat down, exhausted. Leaving Smethport at once, he never returned to practice here. No doubt he felt like the physician in the drama of Macbeth: Were I from Dunsinane away and clear, |