never delivered an opinion while on the bench? He was a Kentuckian, and an ad vocate of the institution of slavery. Near, if not at the beginning of the present century, he settled at Vincennes, and at once entered on the practice of law. He was elected to the territorial legislature, and with John Rice Jones, revised the laws of 1807. In 1809, when John Randolph, the pet of the Harrison faction and a rabid slavery advo cate, was pitted against Jonathan Jennings, the antislavery candidate for Congress, Johnson was the third candidate, and it is said at the instance of Jennings. The latter was strong in the eastern part of the State, and Randolph in the western. When the vote was counted, it was found that Jennings had four hundred and twenty-eight votes, re ceiving nearly every eastern elector's ballot, while Randolph had four hundred and two, and Johnson eighty-one. Thus it was that Johnson drew from Randolph, and Jennings was elected by a bare plurality. Whether Johnson was a candidate at the suggestion of Jennings or his friends or not, yet it is evident that Jennings did not forget Johnson when he had the appointment of three judges of the Supreme Court. John son was a man of ability, was a member of the first constitutional convention, serving on at least three important committees. He died, as we have seen, in 18 17.
from the stack of straw, and say, holding it up to the parties, without discussing the chaff, ' It is my opinion that this is a grain of wheat.'" Jesse L. Holman.
Jesse L. Holman was born Oct. 24, 1784, at Danville, Ky. While an infant his father was killed by the Indians. Under dis couraging difficulties he received a commonschool education. Under the encouragement and auspices of Henry Clay, he published, before his majority, a novel entitled " The Errors of Education," in two volumes. Af terwards, becoming dissatisfied with the work, he burned all the copies he could secure. He studied law under Clay, at Lex ington, and commenced to practise at Carrollton. Previous to 1810 he moved to Indiana, and settled near Aurora on a farm which he called "Veraestan." He brought with him a large family of slaves, descended to him, which he emancipated. In 1811 he was appointed prosecuting attorney of Dearborn County; in 1814 he was elected a member of the legislature, and the same year was ap pointed judge of the second judicial district. As we have seen, he was appointed judge of the Supreme Court in 18 16, and served fourteen years. In 1831 he came within one vote of being elected to the United States Senate, being defeated by General Tipton. On the death of Benjamin Parke, he was James Scott. appointed judge of the United States Court James Scott resided in Clarke County, at for the District of Indiana, the second judge Jeffersonville, and represented that county of that court, and held the position until his in the constitutional convention of 1816. He death, March 28, 1842. He was a Baptist minister, and for years served as pastor of had previously served as Speaker of the ter ritorial House of Representatives. He served the Aurora Baptist Church. He was one of fourteen years upon the bench. 'He was a several who laid out the town of Aurora; Pennsylvanian, — "one of the purest men," and he not only manifested a deep interest in says Oliver H. Smith, " in the State, a the schools of his native town and county, scholar, and a fine lawyer. The opinions of but took a deep interest in the organization Of him Justice no judge of our Supreme Court up to the of Indiana University. present day [1857] are, I think, entitled to McLean said : " His mind was sound and stand higher with the profession than his. discriminating. Of his legal record and A strong common-sense view of the case acumen, he has left enduring evidence; but enabled him to select the grain of wheat what most excited my admiration was his
