Memorial Addresses on the Life and Character of Oliver P. Morton (a Senator from Indiana, ); Delivered in the Senate and House of Representatives, Jan

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1878. Excerpt: ... Parker, James Rariden, Jehu T. Elliott, Charles H. Test, and John S. Newman. In 1855 it was my fortune to go on the circuit as prosecuting attorney, and during the five succeeding years, the last and most active years of his professional life, I had frequent opportunities of witnessing his management of causes in court. He presented a legal question with great force and clearness. With a mind at once robust and critical, he was able to grasp the whole scope of his subject, to fathom its profoundest depths and master its minutest details. With a quickness that was notable he seized upon the strong point in his case and centered upon it every power of his mind, fortified it with facts, intrenched it behind precedents, environed it about with illustrations, until his position seemed impregnable. While he chose with unerring certainty the strong point in his own cause, with equal readiness and accuracy he discovered the weak one in that of his adversary. No man was better versed in the art of putting facts to the court or jury. He brought with a singular skill the favorable points of his client's case in prominence, and exhibited a like dexterity and acuteness in suppressing that which was prejudicial to his interests. He readily detected a sophistry, and would break it into fragments as the spray is broken upon the rocks. Without any eloquence other than the talent of giving force to reason, he was a most successful and formidablo jury-lawyer. He had a keen insight into human nature and possessed an extraordinary influence over men. With a dominion that was absolute he seized upon the sympathy of the jury and poured the resistless tide of his own earnest emotions and convictions into their hearts. In the trial of a cause he never lost faith, but worked r...