The Coshocton Tribune from Coshocton, Ohio • Page 5

SUNDAY MOHNINU. MAY 3. 1931 THE COS11OCTON TRIBUNE 8KC. H. I'AOE 3.

LAM MOVED AND ERECTED A HOME HERE Wai Successful as Hunter, Trapper, Trader and Indian Scort; Also Kept Tarern SETTLED ON DENMAN PRAIRIE Noted Coshocton Attorneys of Former Days Are Recalled 1 niOSt thC yCari kneW him Str nB nd thoroly I and in persuading them only to whom he to TM HAD CHARGE OF TROOPS WM lutrameotal in Starting Sale of C.unty'i Livestock at PitUburgh One of the most interesting chapters in Coshooton history is the one in which Charles Williams, the county's ftret settler, plays the leading He was born near Hagerstown, Washington Maryland, in 1764. and of Scotch- Irish descent. Iuring the Revolutionary war the family moved to Washington Pennsylvania. Alter the war they moved farther west to the vicinity of Wellsburg, Virginia, which was at that time the frontier. Here, amidst the perils of border warfare the most striking figure in Coshocton's early life grew to manhood.

At 21 young Williams left his! father's house and crossed the Ohio into what is now Jefferson Ohio. After changing his place of abode several times, living in different parts of this stale, Williams came to Muskingum where he manufactured salt for a while. Not succeeding there, he moved -to Coshocton in the spring of 1800. Accompanying him were his wife and two children, his brother-in-law, William Morrison, and Isaac and Henry with their wives and one or two children each. The company settled on what is known as Denman's prairie, an cs- An intimate glimpse into the lives of Coshocton formerly prbminent is riven in an article written by the late Judfe Samuel H.

in his Coshocton co. centennial history. The article follows. "To my mind," he wrote. T.

Spangler was quite the ideal lawyer of the old school. Slightly above medium height, dark hah- and eyes, with a face of faultless masculine beauty, carrying slightly more than a proper supply of flesh, but with a splendid pose of both head and body, scholarly and cultured, a Lord Chesterfield in manners, but absolutely free of cant, always dressed neatly and in excellent taste, his appearance in the courtroom was an inspiration to the members of the profession. "His deep voice was resonant, and tho he would have spumed to use it to charm his hearers, yet It did so by its matchless quality. His discussion of any legal question was interesting because of his logical, analytical muid, and his influence with a jury was always effective because of the purity and beauty of his English, richness of his voice and elegance of manners. "Associated with him during most of the ycari I knew him was Judge J.

C. Pomerene, very unlike opangler in most ways, but possessing many of the elements wanting in Spangler's composition. During the long years of their association ftpangler usually attended to matters in court while Judge Pomerene held in his mind every detail, large and small, in their large and varied practice. "Few men in practice, in his day. held in mind all the authorities accessible to this on so many and diverse subjects.

A tireless student, thoro- ly in love with his work, always conservative, never satisfied until he had read the last word on a subject, and even then temperate in his statement and claims of the law. "The semi-austerity of Spangler's nature was well compensated by the affability, urbanity and social impulsiveness of his partner, as was his disposition to depend upon the application of general principles balanced by Judge Pomerene's painstaking care in seeking the latest reported case. They always impressed me as an unusually well balanced combination. safe, strong and thoroly tent. "For a few years after leaving the bench before death I saw a little of Judge William Sample, but so little that I can give but a glimpse and that rather a boy's Impression.

Tall. slender, with gray hair, traveling in an ambling walk as if affected by approaching age. Is the distinct impression I carry of him. What had been his hardships or disappointments In early life, I do not know, but the lines of his face carried rather a forbidding aspect. My imagination could hardly picture to me Judge Sample's face breaking into a smile.

Hence. I am quite sure I have been harsh in judging him. for I can hardly conceive of such a picture being a true or fair one. That he was a splendid- lawyer of his time, dignified, honorable, conscientious, there can remain no doubt. Speaking with a halt in his voice, no musical note in it.

compelled rather by the force of his vigorous character than by artifice, he was a curious combination of power impeded by his own imperfections, but wonderfully successful in making his hearers pecially inviting spot of open prairie i land surrounded by dense several miles up the Walhonding river from Coshocton. Denman's prairie began at the mouth of what" has since been called Stone Creek and extended several miles up the I river, varying in width according! to the course of the stream. The settlers were unable, due to lack of man to erect cabins at once, so they dwelt for some, time in improvised tents. The cab-j ins. when built, stood away from; the river and at the foot of the! hills which bounded the prairie on the north.

The following year listen and in persuading them to follow. "I saw a great deal of another character Just before and for many years after I came to the bar. whom it Ls a grent pleasure in later years to remember, because I did not then realize how rare such characters are. I refer to Colonel Jnme.s Irvine. He and his brother John had been in practice when I was a child, but the brother I only remember seeing.

''As I have said. I saw much of the colonel the last 10 or 12 years of his life, and became very warmly attached to him. He was not so successful in the practice as his friends had prophesied for him. and this is readily accounted for by the fact that he was never in love with the profession or its learning. His taste was entirely outside of a law book or the law courts.

"The most brilliant conversationalist and versatile entertainer without outside help this section of the country has over known, he possessed the pungent wit, broad humor, exhaustless vocabulary, warm sympathetic nature that has made many men and women great, but it made him beloved by only those to whom he chose to exhibit this side of his nature. He possessed no deceit and if thrown among men with whom he did not care to exhibit the richness of his talents, no sort of subterfuge could call him out. He became positively prosy, but when with those whom he en- Joyed he became a fountain of sparkling wit. repartee, Illustration and charm. "Judge John T.

Simmons was also a member of tho Coshocton bar when I was admitted, but he had about retired and I had but little opportunity to form an estimate of him. "Captain G. H. Burger was another, but before he became fully identified with the bar he removed to Columbus and 1 know personally but little of him after that. "Of the firm of Nicholas fe James I feel some diffidence In speaking.

I read law with them and was always while they were together, more or less about their office. "The preparation of a law suit for trial in their office was worth going to see and hear. Every scrap of known testimony was analyzed in advance, apprised, properly tabulated and made thoroly familiar; then the law was chased in its elusive flight thru the books, criticised, applauded or condemned. "Differences of opinion were encountered by the partners at every turn, but never abandoned until they agreed, and when all this was done they were ready to enter court, and I Can truly say that I have never seen cases so well prepared. Try as I mipht.

I never could do it myself. Their cases were always so well prepared that they could devote most of their time to small things, and In Jury cases the experienced lawyer knows what this means. "The firm was not a balanced firm in any sense of the word. They were litigating lawyers and gave but little heed to anything else in the profession. In the days they spent together in the practice they worked almost ceaselessly, yet I never heard either of them speak of hard work.

Indeed, they both enjoyed it. The advance of age, however, had its inevitable effect and the life of neither reached the goal which had been set. "I shall not speak of the living members of the profession, but shall content myself witli these few words concerning those who have passed to higher and juster judge, except to say that my acquaintance with the bar of the present day has not lessened my appreciation of the noble and honorable profession to which we belong: that while a business has risen from the ashes of a profession yet the men, who have assumed the responsibility of that new business are of the same class and character as their predecessors, and it behooves us all to see that the quality is ever kept at that high standard. "The first term of court held in the county was In an old log building which stood until the beginning of the 20th century near the northeast corner of Water or First st. and Chestnut.

This court convened on April 1, 1811. The judge, Honorable William Wilson of Newark, failing to appear, his associate justices, Isaac Evans, Peter Casey and William. Mitchell, organized the court with impressive solemnity, appointed justices of the peace in Washington, Tuscarawas. New Castle and Franklin and adjourned. After that the courts started off with the usual dignity and have continued ever since." 15,000 OBJECTS OF ART TO BE DISPLAYED IN COSHOCTON MUSEUM All Coshocton County SHOULD BE PROUD TO HONOR THE Johnson Brothers IN MAKING POSSIBLE THE FINE MUSEUM FOR COSHOCTON We Invite All to Join in Honoring the Memory of These Noble Men.

LORENZ HUNTER CO. Colonel Williams moved to Coshoc- Thc life of Colonel Williams was! intimately associated -with the early I life of Coshocton. He was a sac-1 cessful hunter, trapper. trarr and I Indian SCOUT, and constantly) connected with thr pioneer of Coshocton. wry office from road to member of the state legislature.

Tho his fame rested on his ity as a tavern ous other TV.J- iar. Cicvrr. r.vvr.ii:;, shrewd. ind.f:r:r.y:, not. o' his day.

and shown thru or The Cownabus DS.W.C.V the 400 and wr.h most tone" Chinese Curios Includes Clock; 13 the Time TM carr and ir, no-a- are Iwo of the local pic who worked unccaslncly secure and bouse ths Johnson brothers' collection of art cnrloi fcr Coshocton; lh: two Johnson brathers. John H. and David who spent the irreatcr part of their lives in buildin; op this collection, and a few of the 15.000 included I in what is rnc of the most com; plrlr cf kind in the country. 1- A few of tSV coanCciw Indian ha.kfts on display at the tnnsrarn. ThU Is considerrd equal to anr roKrrtinn in thr rncntri" and ail the tribes of who were arc r-prtsrnt'd.

II. Ra-hcrt. the C'oshfK-ton man who much of his titnr In Shr mu.vf-i:m dcrinj the past yrzr. It rhivfly thru Jlis rfTorts that rol- iTtv-'H was finally bro'. h'rr.

n. -n. David M. of i 1 of of him in w-i-r 1 bravrs, Therr an r-v-i 'n n-ar n-ith hlic hf o-j- on The ar.d of ar.a era; olhT of top pas-n-: .1,1 S. 1 "5d U'f n-th Third TT.IS i rm'Tlv hy tntr i.f of 3i co.

-roo; ih'-m ovr roordcd that on 'XT. Cn: 10 and fro on 1 not knarwn. "iinli'-NS confmnt- i'l Uir 1 4 on and l.T.in; i1 hTr. A 4 of jhc. 221 The 33th abo-jl 4 ,1 Of the fir-St Jla n- inch 0 V( A.

is orw workmanf.h:p 1 r. in thr tt. i lack of t-on of tr.r\*\ -y. of 1 i -1 tirU thr life. in lEWSFAPESr EW SPA PES..