John Baker possessed deeper
cunning than any other attorney ever a resident of the
county. He was not well educated, being wholly self-made, and
had studied under Mr. Simpson, from whom he obtained his
early tactics. He had fine natural ability, was deep minded,
and this fact, coupled with his singular cunning, made him
eminent in his profession. His penetration and comprehension
made him an excellent real estate counselor, and his craft
and skill gave him success where the merits of his case were
obscure or altogether missing. Clients with improper claims,
unjust demands, with little or no law or equity for them,
went to him, and were often repaid by far greater success
than they had hoped. He practiced about fifteen years in
Orange County, and during that period edited a small
newspaper for a short time early in the fifties at Orleans.
He is yet living in Vincennes. John W. Payne, who lived at
Corydon and enjoyed a large practice in Orange County, was in
many essential respects just the reverse of Baker. He was
tall, slender, auburn-haired, possessed a fine brain and a
good education, and was, perhaps, the most high-minded and
conscientious lawyer of southern Indiana. A client pressing
an unjust claim was discountenanced by him. He was neither
tricky nor unscrupulous. The moral sentiments predominated.
He was deep, skillful and thoroughly reliable, plausible,
graceful, eloquent, and a jury lawyer of great power. Men saw
from his manner that he could be depended upon. He was one of
the ablest men of his day in the south end of the State. He
was a Whig. Thomas J. Throop, also a Whig, was tall, rather
fleshy, smooth-faced, rather dark complexioned, and had the
nervous bilious temperament. His brain was large, and his
judgment rarely excelled. His mind was judicial. He was
successful in practice. He was plausible and effective with a
jury, and was one of the best advocates, possessing wit,
mirth and conversational powers of a high order. He was a
good citizen, moral, upright and enterprising. He lived many
years in the county, and enjoyed a large practice and the
respect of all who knew him.
SLAVERY
IN ORANGE COUNTY
In 1858 W. A. Bowles was
indicted for bringing seven slaves into Indiana and
maintaining them there, in violation of the Constitution, in
a state of slavery. He pleaded that the slaves were the
property of his wife, and were only temporarily at the French
Lick Springs, having been brought from Louisville for a short
time for their health. The case went against him, however, he
being fined $40 in the Common Pleas Court; but he appealed to
the Supreme Court. There were seven separate indictments for
the seven negroes, only one, as a precedent, being tried.
While the case was pending in the Supreme Court Dr. Bowles
appeared in court and announced, in answer to charges on the
other indictments, that should the Supreme Court decide
adversely to him he would plead guilty to the other six
indictments. Proceedings on these indictments were then
deferred until the decision of the Supreme Court was
received, which decision being against him he accordingly
plead guilty to the indictments and was fined a nominal sum
and costs. This case attracted much interest at the time, as
a revolution on the subject of slavery was ensuing. The
hostile attitude of the North and the South, the Kansas war,
the John Brown insurrection and the Dred Scott case, gave
prominence to the Bowles case. Severe comments were made by
the New York Tribune on the conduct of Dr. Bowles in
endeavoring to establish slavery on the soil of Indiana.
Other papers, far and near, commented on the case, making
much more out of it than facts warranted.
CHARACTER
OF THORNTON, THE COXES, ET AL.
Thomas V. Thornton, son of
H. P., was Deputy Clerk under John McVey, and while thus
engaged studied law. He was tall, dark, slender,
aristocratic, pompous, walked with a cane and a cigar, was
well-educated, a good lawyer, a better counselor than an
advocate and was cunning without unscrupulousness. He was
County Clerk for fourteen years, though a Whig, but was
turned out early in the forties, chiefly by the efforts of
Comingore, Albert, et al., who determined that none but a
Democrat in a Democratic county should occupy that office.
Harris Flanagan lived for a short time early at Paoli. He was
a fiery Irish advocate and soon moved to the northern part of
the State. T. B. Kinder practiced a short time before he went
to the Mexican war. Jesse T. and Joseph Cox lived and
practiced law at Paoli. They were quite successful in law,
but their immoral proclivities were too preponderant for
general popularity. Thomas Collins was admitted to the bar
during the fifties. He was a good student, able of brain,
plausible, effective, deep, even when a young man, but far
more so in maturer years. He became Judge of the Jackson
County District. A. M. Black also practiced law, but did not
get far beyond probate matters. In this branch he became
experienced, and secured a fair practice. Gideon Putnam,
Thomas Clark, Simeon K. Wolf, G. W. Friedly and many other
attorneys of surrounding counties practiced here.
THE
HAMPTON-HENLEY MURDER
In 1860 a murder occurred in
Northeast Township, the circumstances being, briefly, as
follows: John Hampton, a young unmarried man, had been paying
his address to a young lady about whom the murdered man,
Henley, had made observations, which roused Hampton to the
determination to kill him at the first opportunity. He
accordingly procured a shot-gun, and without any effort of
secrecy sought Henley and coolly shot him dead. He was
indicted for murder, and convicted of that crime in the first
degree, his attorney being James Collins, the prosecutor
being R. M. Weir. The trial took place in Floyd County upon a
change of venue, and resulted in conviction as above stated,
and a sentence of imprisonment in State's prison for
life. It was there, after the lapse of about four months,
that Hampton died. Other attorneys than those mentioned
assisted in the case.
THE
McCART MURDER CASE
In 1864, when the
Twenty-fourth Regiment was at home on veteran furlough, a
murder occurred in Orleans, which was soon followed by
another. Considerable trouble had occurred during a portion
of one day between a squad of soldiers and several men at
Orleans, of whom John McCart was perhaps the principal. As
the soldiers boarded the train to go to Mitchell, McCart made
some remark, which so roused one of them, named Parish, that
he jumped from the train and came back, and in the encounter
which followed was stabbed by McCart and soon died from the
effects of the wound. The comrades of the soldier were wired
the news, and all, to the number of about twenty. came back
by the next train, no doubt to wreak vengeance upon McCart,
who was found by them in a store in Orleans. They attacked
him, striking him so with clubs and otherwise that death
resulted. When the boys came back from the army some half
dozen of them were indicted for killing McCart, the
prosecution of only two, Columbus Brown and John F. Moore,
coming to trial. Both were tried and acquitted and further
action on the remaining indictments was dropped.