much effort he succeeded in gaining the mastery over this feeling to a great extent. Naturally quick of temper, he was always on the alert to keep it under subjection and to keep his mind calm and free from prejudice. He was the kindest of men, at all times, to every one, young and old, white or black. Poor and struggling young lawyers always found in him a kind friend, never too busy to advise and assist them in their efforts to rise in their profession. In 1799 he was elected to the Legislature, and although a very young man, took a prom inent part in all of the most important de bates. Mr. Taney's tastes were simple. He was very fond of rural life; the fields and flowers were a never-failing source of pleasure to him during the whole of his long life. In 1801 Mr. Taney removed to Frederick City, and made his first speech in the March term of Court. He soon showed marked ability and rose rapidly into prominence. Here he spent much time in the study of ancient history and letters. The notes which he took at Dickinson, on moral philosophy, the dead languages and classical education, the character of the prin cipal classic authors, beginning with Homer and endingwith Seneca, covering 360 closely written pages, those on criticism and logic, 483 pages, were now to bear good fruit. On these solid foundations he built his future greatness. Five years after his removal to Frederick his practice was becoming quite lucrative, and he was enabled to marry his first love, Miss Ellen Key, a sister of Francis Scott Key, author of the " Star-Spangled Banner." During his residence in Frederick he held many offices of trust from her people. In 1 8 16 he was elected to the State Senate, serving with marked ability throughout his term of five years. In 1811, General Wil kinson, then commander-in-chief of the United States Army, was tried at Frederick, for supposed complicity with Aaron Burr.
Gen. Wilkinson selected Mr. Taney to de fend him. Mr. Taney threw every energy of his mind into the case, and after several months of hard work, and opposed by Walter Jones of Washington, one of the ablest lawyers of his time, had the satisfac tion of seeing General Wilkinson acquitted, and his sword restored to him. Mr. Taney's defence of one Gruber, a Methodist minister from Pennsylvania, who came over to Mary land and preached an incendiary sermon to several hundred slaves, throws light on his whole after-life, and shows how wrong the opinions in regard to his views on the ques tion have been. In many other cases he gave his services unasked in defence of crim inal slaves and abolitionists, always without pecuniary compensation. The Chief-Justice has been so often maliciously misquoted in the Dred Scott case, that I cannot refrain from here giving the exact words. Mr. Taney merely asserted "that the legislation of every civilized country, at the time of the formation of our Constitu tion, was of such a character as not to recog nize that the negro had any rights that the white man was bound to respect." It was not his decision, nor that of the Supreme Court. Mr. Taney in early life manumitted all the slaves he had inherited, and the old ones were pensioners on his bounty as long as they lived. In 1860 Mr. Taney had some large-sized photographs of himself taken; two of these he ordered to be put into gilt frames, one for his old negro servant-woman, and one for his old negro man-servant. At the bottom of one picture was written, " To Martha Hill, as a mark of my esteem, R. B. Taney, February 14th, 1860, Washington;" on the other, "To Madison Franklin, as a mark of my esteem, R. B. Taney, February 14th, 1860." Mr. Taney's reputation for skill and pru dence in handling the law had so extended, that he argued cases before the Court of Appeals from every county in the State. It
