A SKETCH OF THE SUPREME COURT OF OHIO.
II.
By Edgar B. Kinkead, of the Columbus Bar.
THE JUDGES UNDER TERRITORIAL GOVERNMENT.
IN all there were nine judges named under
the territorial government, only eight of
whom served, John Armstrong and Wm.
Barton never having accepted. Sketches of
Samuel Holden Parsons, James Mitchell
Varnum, John C. Symmes, Gen. Rufus R.
Putnam, Return J. Meigs and Joseph Gilman only are given.
James Mitchell Varnum, one of the
territorial judges to whom the saying " and
we shall not soon look upon his like again"
is particularly applicable, was, as his biog
rapher said, " a man made on a gigantic
scale," and we shall find in the course of
this article no man whose character and at
tainments are more worthy of emulation,
from which more fruitful lessons can be
gathered. Too great an honor could not
have been bestowed upon such a 'man in the
present age. We cannot but reflect, how
ever, that in the now crowded condition of
ambitions a man seldom attains the distinc
tion won by General Varnum at his age.
He was born in 1749 in Dracut, Mass.,
graduated from Rhode Island College, now
Brown University, at the age of twenty, with
first honors; was admitted to the bar at
twenty-two; entered the army at twentyseven, was a member of Congress at thirtyone, resumed the practice of law at thirtythree; again elected to Congress at thirtyseven; came to the great northwest at
thirty -nine, and died at forty. General
Varnum had many attainments, being par
ticularly fond of military service, though we
are more interested in his legal life. He
engaged in many very important suits in the
State of Rhode Island, displaying wonderful
ability as an orator. He came in contact
with such men as Jesse Root, afterward I
Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Con necticut, and compiler of Root's Reports, William Channing of Rhode Island, and Dr. Johnson of Stratford, compelling his adver saries to say of him " that he was a man of uncommon talents, and of the most brilliant eloquence." The fashion of those days re quired members of the bar to be elegantly dressed. " General Varnum appeared with a brick-colored coat, trimmed with gold lace; buckskin small clothes, with gold lace bands; silk stockings and boots; a high, delicate and white forehead; eyes prominent, and of a dark hue; somewhat corpulent; well pro portioned, and finely formed for strength and agility; a profuse head of hair, short on the forehead, turned up some, and deeply powdered and clubbed. When he took off his cocked hat, he would lightly brush his hair forward, and with a fascinating smile lighting up his countenance, take his seat in court." When the Ohio Land Company was or ganized in Boston, General Varnum was made a director and appointed with Samuel H. Parsons and John Cleves Symmes, judge of the Supreme Court of the Northwest Terri tory, emigrating to Marietta early in June, 1787. On the 4th of July next the pioneers celebrated the day, and of course Varnum the orator was selected for an address. Upon the historical rolls of Ohio no more patriotic nor beautiful literary gem can be found. The taking off of General Varnum was particularly sad. He was taken with consumption, and being unable to return to his native land, then far away, where he had left his life-partner, he bid farewell to his wife in a most matter-of-fact letter, and yet full of beautiful sentiment, in which he said : " Dry
