IN MEMORY 
 
 OK 
 
 EDWflHi) wmiiifl|V[ pou. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE 3HR. 
 
 C6 
 
 Cop 5 
 
UNIVERSITY OF N.C. AT CHAPEL HILL 
 
 STEPHEN B. WEEKS 
 
 CLASS OF 1886: PH.D. THE JOHNS HOPKINS UNIVERSITY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 TTIE WEEKS COLnJECTION 
 
 
 3L 
 
 This book may be kept out one month unless a recaii 
 notice is sent to you. It must be brought to the North 
 Carolina Collection (in Wilson Library) for renewal. 
 
IN MEMORY 
 
 OF THE LATE 
 
 EDWARDWILLIAM POU. 
 
 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR OF THE COUNTY 
 OF JOHNSTON. 
 
 KAI.KICH, X. C: 
 
 KKWARTiS & HKoIT.HTON. l*0\Vi;k I'KINTKRS AND niNOKKS. 
 
 iSqj. 
 
PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR. 
 
 Al the I"\l)ruar\- Term of Johnston Connty Snperior 
 Court, his Honor Judge H. C. Connor presidino;, the fol- 
 lowiut; proceedings were had in memory of Kdward Wil- 
 liam Por, a member of said liar for twenty-five years, and 
 whose untimely death liad occurred on Monday of the pre 
 ceding term, being the i6th day of November, 1891. 
 
 When Court adjourned on Wednesday the 17th day of 
 February, at noon, his Honor announced that tli '^'^r■^^rn- 
 ment would be until the following morning out of respect 
 for the memory of the deceased. At three o'clock on the 
 same evening, at a meeting of the Bar, his Honor Judge 
 Connor presiding as chairman, Mr. P. T. IMassey and 
 Mr. L. R. Waddell, a committee having been previously 
 appointed for that purpose, reported the following resolu- 
 tions, which were ordered to be spread upon the minutes of 
 the Court, and which were adopted by a rising vote by all 
 present : 
 
 WiiEKKAS, in the dispensation of Divine Providence we 
 have been sorely stricken in the death of our esteemed and 
 worthy brother, PIdward W. Pou, of Smithfield, N. C, 
 
 AxD WHEREAS, we desire to give expression to our appre- 
 ciation of his faithful and efficient services as an honored 
 and trusted member of the legal profession, and of his noble 
 virtues in the social and private walks of life ; therefore 
 
 Rcso/z'cd^ That in the sudden and unexpected death of 
 brother Pou, w^e feel that the Bar of North Carolina and 
 the business community generally, have lost one of their 
 most useful and worthy members, and one whose past ser- 
 vices will long be remembered only to be revered and emu- 
 lated. 
 
4 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR OF 
 
 Resolved^ That the younger nieinbers of the Bar will 
 recall with pleasure his courteous bearing to them and the 
 delight it seemed to give him to render them assistance, 
 and the painstaking aid he so cheerful!}- bestowed when 
 his legal advice was solicited: and the older members will 
 long remember his quiet and dignified demeanor, his social 
 intercourse, his manliness of character, strict integrity, 
 merit and worth. 
 
 Resolved^ That as a man he was of kind heart, tender 
 sympathies and noble impulses ; a devoted husband and 
 indulgent father ; a true friend and one whose friendship was 
 valuable because it was sincere and unaffected. He leaves 
 a r- '^'^ .iiie, a reputation unspotted and untarnished — a 
 priceless legacy to posterity — and his example should inspire 
 those who follow to higher aims and more exalted ends. 
 
 Resolved^ That in all the trusts confided to him by the 
 people he was ever faithful and true to their interests, and 
 proved himself to be a true friend of liberty and the rights 
 of the people. He was truly a friend to the poor and the 
 oppressed, and was always ready to extend his aid in their 
 behalf when he believed their cause to be just. He was a 
 man of untiring industry, strong conscientious convictions, 
 and unfaltering in his determination to do the right and 
 oppose wrong in all his transactions both public and private. 
 Respectfully submitted, 
 
 P. T. MASSEY, 
 L. R. WADDELL, 
 
 Committee. 
 
•nil". CDlXTV ()!• JOIIXSTOX. 
 
 REMARKS OF HON F. H. BUSBEE. 
 
 The rcsolulions luuiti^- been read, Hon. 1^\ II. I>usbee, 
 of Raleigh, aro.^e and .said : 
 
 MR. CHAIRMAN: 
 
 The reputation of a North Carolina lawyer is at best short- 
 lived. While actively engaged in practice he fills a com- 
 paratively large space in the limited field of his labors, but 
 when the last brief is laid aside, and "dust to dust" falls 
 in solemn accents, his name and his virtues soon fade from 
 the recollection of mankind. vSo it will be with Edward 
 W. Pou, and so, my brethren, it will be with you and me. 
 To-day, while the dockets bear his name on every page, 
 and the court-house seems dreary for the lack of his cordial 
 greeting, in accordance with the well-known custom of our 
 profes.sion it is well that his brethren should lay aside the 
 contentions of the legal forum and assemble together to do 
 honor to the memory of their friend and brother. 
 
 It is as far from my intention, as it would be foreign to 
 his inclination, to indulge in language of unmeasured 
 panegyric. Concerning a life like his, the simple truth is 
 the most fitting eulogy. It is m}- purpose to-day to pay a 
 brief tribute to the character of a man whom in life I hon- 
 ored, and whose memory I shall forever cherish. ]\Iy hand- 
 clasp of sympathy is at least warm from the heart, 
 
 Edward W. Pou was born in Orangeburg, South Caro- 
 lina, on October 26th, 1830. His father, Joseph Pou, was 
 of French ancestry, and during his long life of usefulness 
 attained considerable distinction as a lawyer. The family 
 removed to Talbotton, Georgia, in the year 1834, and the 
 early life of our friend was passed in that State. At eigh- 
 teen years of age he entered the University of Georgia and 
 at once gave evidence of his intellectual powers. During 
 
6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR OK 
 
 his whole college career he took high rank in that institu- 
 tion, and graduated in 185 1 with the highest distinction of 
 his class. In fact, up to that time no student had equaled 
 his general average in the University classes. He always 
 retained his fondness for and familiarity with the classics. 
 Upon leaving college he married very early in life, his wife 
 who was Miss Carter, of Talbotton, living but a short time. 
 Some years afterwards, by his happy marriage to Miss 
 Annie M. Smith, he became parth- identified with North 
 Carolina and with Johnston County. In later years this 
 identification was to become complete. Having obtained a 
 license, and recognizing the great promise of the future 
 metropolis of Georgia, he removed to Atlanta to enter upon 
 the practice of his profession. The clouds of war were 
 already gathering dark upon the horizon. His attachment 
 to the Union was intense, and was the dominant influence 
 in his political life. In the great political campaign of 
 i860 he gave his adhesion and his personal services to the 
 cause of the Little Giant of Illinois, Stephen A. Douglas, 
 and Herschel V. Johnston, the Georgia candidate for Vice- 
 President. He knew the hopelessness of the outlook and 
 felt the chill waters of the rising tide of sectionalism, but 
 he was determined to go down with the ship, and be faith- 
 ful to his convictions as long as fidelity to the Union was 
 not want of faith to Georgia. But when the inevitable 
 issue came, and the shot at Sumpter called a nation to arms, 
 he hesitated not a moment. Among the first to volunteer, 
 he was commissioned as First Lieutenant and entered the 
 field with bright prospects of promotion. His army expe- 
 rience was short. Stricken with disease at Yorktown he 
 w^as compelled to abandon the life of the camp, and after 
 that he uncomplainingly gave his services to the Confed- 
 eracy in aiding to manufacture the munitions of war. 
 
 In 1867 he removed to North Carolina, and, settling upon 
 the lands inherited by his wife, devoted his attention to 
 
THK COrXTV OK JOHNSTON. 7 
 
 agriculluro. In 1S6S he was t-lccled to the House of Repre- 
 sentatives iVoni Joliiiston Connt\- as a Republican. This 
 is not the time to characterize the profli<;ate corrnption of 
 the General Assembly of which he was a member. It is a 
 part of the history of the State upon which no one will 
 willino;ly dwell. It is enonj^h to say that Edward W. Pou 
 was found anion<j the ranks of the feuthful few who opposed 
 the extravagant appropriations by every means in their 
 power. As to his ow^i per diem, believing that the amount 
 paid was excessive, upon his return to the county he devo- 
 ted a considerable part of it to a work of public improve- 
 ment. The causeway across the low-grounds of Neuse 
 river, affording the only access to Smithfield from that 
 direction in high water, was constructed from this money. 
 Though he had not practiced law in the courts of the State, 
 when the question of the legality of the issue of special 
 tax-bonds was before the Supreme Court, he thought it a 
 matter of public duty to appear before that tribunal and 
 represent the cause of the endangered taxpa)ers. He was 
 successful as to a small portion of the bonds, and his argu- 
 ment, which voices the present settled policy of the State, 
 is highly complimented in the opinion of the Court. This 
 was his last important public office. 
 
 In 1872 he warmly espoused the cause of the Liberal 
 Republicans, and in the memorable Greeley campaign he 
 was nominated by both the Liberal Republican and the 
 Democratic Conventions as a candidate for Elector-at-Large, 
 and made a partial canvass of the State. 
 
 For some years after his removal to North Carolina his 
 sole occupation was that of a farmer, and in that great pro- 
 fession, the foundation stone of the State's existence, he 
 attained much success. His close identification with the 
 soil, which is perhaps more frequently the case with North 
 Carolina lawvers than with those of anv other State, o-ave 
 him great familiarity with all the phases of agricultural 
 
8 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR OF 
 
 questions when they came before the courts. It also inten- 
 sified the love of Nature which seemed to be interwoven in 
 his very constitution. He loved the solitude of unbroken 
 woods, the sweet springtime odor of freshly turned earth ; 
 the low murmur of the river, the red gleam of the cardinal 
 bird among the reeds, the whistle of the thrush in the 
 thicket. He loved to walk 
 
 "Along gray roads that run between deep woods 
 Murmurous and cool, through hallowed slopes of pine." 
 
 About the year 1875 he began regularly the practice of 
 law in the courts of Johnston County, and he continued 
 in the labor of his profession up to the day of his sudden 
 death. Returning to the bar after so long an interval, he 
 always had a profound distrust of his own abilities, and 
 his modesty was frequently carried to such an extreme that 
 it became a fault. Yet, moderate as was his estimate of 
 his own powers, he was quick to appreciate and free to 
 admire the abilities of others. 
 
 "And who could blame the generous weakness, 
 Which, only to thyself unjust. 
 So overprized the worth of others 
 
 And dwarfed thj' own with self-distrust." 
 
 He did not profess to be a profound jurist, but he was a 
 good lawyer, a safe counsellor. As an advocate he had 
 considerable power, and some of his arguments within 
 these walls were well worthy to rank with those of the 
 distinguished lawyers who have adorned the history of the 
 Bar of Johnston County. Practical, logical, earnest, filled 
 with apt illustration and classical phrase, his arguments 
 always gained additional weight by the personality of the 
 man. The jury always believed that Mr. Pou was saying 
 what he believed himself. Notably, I remember his con- 
 cluding speech in the great mill case of Sanders against 
 Avera, which won from a reluctant jury a verdict upon the 
 first issue. 
 
THE COINTV OI" JoIIXSToX. 9 
 
 All! when we recall the incidents and j^ersons connected 
 with that trial, we are bronj^ht face to face with the brevity 
 of hnnian life, the vanit\- of hnman hopes. Plaintiff and 
 defendant; many of the witnesses; Mr. Dortch, the vener- 
 able father of the bar, whose nienior}- we will e\er keep 
 green within our heart of hearts; Mr. Abell, the Clerk of 
 the Conrt at that time; and Mr. Pon — all have (^one before 
 into the land of shadows. 
 
 Of late years it has been, and is, a cheap and common 
 fashion in many places to inculcate a prejudice against 
 lawyers. It is such a convenient way to play the dema- 
 gogue, so easy to become a stirrer-up of strife, that many 
 there be who in that manner seek to attain a notoriety 
 otherwise beyond their hopes. I am glad to say that such 
 has not been the case in this county. The lawyers of 
 North Carolina need no defence at my hands. Bad men 
 among them there doubtless are; men who cast discredit 
 upon the profession they disgrace, and wdio are enabled, by 
 the very power of the profession itself, to do much harm. 
 But as a class, lawyers may safely challenge the verdict of 
 the history of the State. They have been in times of 
 danger the foremost defenders of liberty — the faithful 
 guardians of the law. When the great highways are 
 broken up, they constitute one of the essential, conserva- 
 tive forces that give tone and stability to the Common- 
 wealth. Over the dead body of my friend, I can safely 
 ask if any man can point to the evil he failed to combat, 
 to the citizen he ever wronged, to the friendless he ever 
 failed to champion, to the falsehood he ever supported? It 
 was in the performance of the daily duties of the office 
 lawyer that the good qualities of Edward W. Pou were 
 most apparent. His qualifications were his unswerving 
 integrity, his devotion to his clients' interests, his caution 
 in giving advice, his correct knowledge of the statute and 
 common law, and his thoughtful industry. I think he 
 
lO PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR OF 
 
 regarded, as I do, the cases which he was enabled to keep off 
 the docket as of more credit to him as a lawyer than those 
 he brought. He was largely intrusted with the investment 
 of money for non-residents, and in that way was often 
 enabled to be of much service to his people. As an attor- 
 ney and as a man, he had the confidence of citizens and of 
 his brother lawyers in a preeminent degree. That eminent 
 and noble lawyer of whom I have already spoken, Mr. 
 William T. Dortch, often expressed to me his high appre- 
 ciation of the many virtues of our dead friend. 
 
 One distinguishing trait Mr. Pou always exhibited — one I 
 can recommend to your imitation as well as my own — was 
 the great deference shown by him to the Presiding Judge. 
 Never, by an act or word, did he indicate his personal dis- 
 satisfaction with the ruling of the Court, but invariably 
 yielded to adverse decisions with dignity and courtesy. 
 
 And thus, in the faithful performance of the duties of 
 his profession, passed the life of an honest, tender-hearted 
 gentleman, loved most by those who knew him best. Of 
 the sudden and terrible accident which terminated his life 
 I cannot trust myself to speak. His last words were of 
 thoughful provision for the comfort of the animals under 
 his charge. Throughout his entire life he never proved 
 unfaithful to a friend or false to a principle. Upon his 
 soul at death's sudden summons there rested the calm that 
 of right belonged to one who had never knowingly wronged 
 a fellow-being. He felt an infinite charity for every suffer- 
 ing heart. He believed — 
 
 "That not oue life shall be destroj^ed, 
 Or cast as rubbish to the void, 
 When God has made the pile complete." 
 
 From his youth he was an unflinching advocate of liberty. 
 Fettered not by iron-clad dogma, he accepted the sacred 
 mystery of the Atonement, and reverenced God as the ten- 
 der Father, not as the dread Avenger. He was a man 
 
THK COUNTY OF JOIIXSTON. II 
 
 whom dninl) animals tnistcd, and in wliosr arms little 
 children instinctively clnno;. In him the weak always 
 found a defender, and no friendless snitor sono^ht his aid 
 in vain. 
 
 The eommnnilN- in whose midst his ni)ris4ht life was 
 passed honored him with their unshaken confidence, and 
 never once was that confidence misplaced. 
 
 This is hardly the occasion to portray his beautiful home- 
 life. .\ husband who i^ave his helpmeet perfect confidence 
 and unfailino- love; a father devoted to his children, pre- 
 ferring their advancement to his own; always just and 
 always tender. And now he rests forever. 
 
 "The doubts we vainly seek to solve, 
 
 The truths we know are one: 
 The known and nameless stars revolve 
 
 Around the Central Sun. 
 And if we reap as we have sown, 
 
 And take the dole we deal, 
 The law of pain is love alone, 
 
 The wounding is to heal." 
 
 LETTER OF HON. HENRY PERSONS. 
 
 Mr. L. R. Waddell, by request, read the following com- 
 munication from Hon. Henry Persons, of Talbotton, 
 Georgia: 
 
 "I confidently believe that a few lines from a Georgia 
 village in which the late Edward William Pou passed 
 thirty years of the morning of his life, and written within 
 an easy stone-throw of the homestead which claimed him 
 as an inmate from letterless childhood to scholarly man- 
 hood, need importune no greeting from those who have 
 met to honor his memory. 
 
12 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR OF 
 
 Indeed, it seems to the writer that a view looking for- 
 ward from his cradle and compassing the forraativ^e period 
 of his life career, and another looking backward from his 
 grave and surveying the same in its ample maturity, are 
 alike needful for a just estimate of him, who in promise 
 and performance secured the love of man}' and the respect 
 of all. 
 
 Edward William Pou was but true to his lineage in 
 having been fully honorable, and his eminent ability was 
 surely an inheritance. His father was thoroughly sensible 
 and strictly honest. He virtuously v, ithstood countless 
 temptations through ninety years, and apparently without 
 effort conserved an unsullied character, which was at all 
 times above criticism and beyond vicissitude. His mother 
 was easily first among all her associates in mental and 
 moral equipment, and infinitely excelled in all those graces 
 and accomplishments which made her a prime social force 
 and a benign example. Hers was, in truth, the best type 
 of exalted womanhood. From such auspicious parentage 
 the lamented deceased had origin, and the high expecta- 
 tion incident thereto never abated from disappointment, 
 but confidently rose with his successive achievements. 
 
 His mind proved to be both sagacious and truthful, his 
 powers of analysis acute and accurate, his diligence unflag- 
 ging, his temper calm, and the goal of his ambition was 
 excellence and not triumph. 
 
 Whether at school or college, he stood at the head of 
 his classes, and not even briefly did vexing problems con- 
 found him with mystery. He trod the arch of the sciences 
 with an easy and uniform pace, nor once stumbled, nor 
 was strain evidenced by any fatigue. 
 
 I followed him at his Alma Matcr^ and he had left behind 
 him the reputation of having attained the most thorough 
 scholarship of any of its long list of graduates. 
 
TiiK corxTV OF jonxsTON. 13 
 
 lie was \ct nouuil;- in professional life when he (juiUed 
 lis for his Carolina home land, alas! forever), but his eon- 
 leniporaries at the bar even then reckoned him a ^ood 
 law\cr and well on the way to certain distinction. 
 
 His popularity was not limited to ai^e, or sex, or color, 
 but old and \oun.t;, men and women, wliite and color^fd, 
 held him in afFectionate regard. 
 
 He lacked no trait of character that endeared; he pos- 
 sessed none that estranged; he was, indeed, a charming 
 companion and an inestimable friend. 
 
 His humanity was world-wide, his charity boundless and 
 exhanstless, his urbanity perennial — these won the love, 
 and his bright intellect and his sturdy manhood the admi- 
 ration of all whose fortune it was to know him intimately. 
 
 "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are hon- 
 est, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are pure, 
 whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good 
 report'' — these things he thought on. 
 
 It was the privilege of none, not even one of the num- 
 berless friends of the period of which I write, to shed a 
 tear at his funeral, or to drop a flower on his grave; but 
 dying among a people with whom he had lived for nearly 
 a quarter of a century, perhaps other hearts as loving as 
 theirs throbbed with pain, and they trustfully assume that 
 neither tears nor flowers were wanting to attest the worth 
 
 of the man. 
 
 HENRY PERSONS. 
 Talhotton, Georgia. 
 
14 PROCEKDIXGS OF THE BAR OF 
 
 REMARKS OF MR L. R. WADDELL. 
 
 After reading the communication, ]\Ir. Waddell said: 
 
 MR. CHAIRMAN: 
 
 It was my privilege to know Edward W. Pou for 
 the last twenty-five years of his life. My acquaintance 
 with him began immediately after the war. He had 
 removed from the State of Georgia with his family, and 
 came to Johnston County and settled on a farm within 
 sight of the town of Smithfield. He opened a law office 
 in the town and carried on his farm at the same time. 
 
 When I first knew him he was in the prime of his man- 
 hood, Nature had bestowed on him a vigorous, clear and 
 logical mind, and his conclusions upon any subject pre- 
 sented to him were arrived at logically and with great 
 accuracy of reasoning; and when he had satisfied himself 
 that he was right, whether on questions of law, politics or 
 religion, he was tenacious of his opinions; but if, upon 
 maturer reflections and better reasons, he found himself in 
 error, no man yielded his opinions more promptly and 
 gracefully. As a lawyer, he held a high station at our bar, 
 arguing his cases with great ability, and at no time 
 indulging in unseemly exultation at his triumphs and vic- 
 tories. He displayed all the qualities of a refined and cul- 
 tivated nature; he had read much and remembered well, 
 and was at all times the most amiable, genial and pleasant 
 of companions; there was no asperity or bitterness in his 
 soul. He loved Nature, and saw the beautiful everywhere, 
 especially did he love his fellow-man. I remember hearing 
 him repeat, with suppressed emotion and with soft, earnest, 
 pathetic voice, this beautiful little poem: 
 
TIM' cor.N'rv oi- joiiNsrox. 15 
 
 Aliiui Itfii Atlhtiii I may his liil)i' increase I, 
 
 Awoke one iiiyht from a deep dream dI" ])eace. 
 
 And saw. witliin the nioonlii^hl in his room, 
 
 M tkiiii; it rieh, and liki- a litv in hloom, 
 
 An anjijel writiii.ii in a Ixiok of K'>1'1- 
 
 P^xceedini^ jieace had made U-ii Adhem hold. 
 
 And to ilie presence in the room he saiil, 
 ■'What wrilest then"?. Tlie visit)n raised its heail 
 
 And with a look made of all sweet accord, 
 
 Anskvered, "The names of those who love the Lord." 
 "And is mine one?" said Abon. " Xay, not so," 
 
 Replieil the anj^el. Abou spoke more low. 
 
 But cheerily still, and said, " I pray thee then 
 
 Write me as one who loves his fellow-men." 
 
 The angel wrote and vanished. The next night 
 
 It came again with a great wakening light 
 
 And showed the names whom love of God had blessed — 
 
 And lo I Hen .Vdliein's name led all the rest. 
 
 I thoiitrht then, and have frequently thought .since, liow 
 well the poet had delineated Edward W. Pou in the sen- 
 timent of this poem; few men possessed a higher classical 
 education, and few finer literary tastes — he was the soul 
 of honesty and truth, and perfectly sincere; his friend- 
 ship was to be hi^^hly valued, for it was deep and abid- 
 ino^. His honesty was of that character that would do 
 himself an injury rather than another should be sufferer 
 from any act of his. He was a man of the greatest purit\' 
 of character and morals, and the force of his example will 
 be long felt in the community in which he lived for twenty- 
 five years. 
 
 There has gone forth from the members of this Bar the 
 sound, well-equipped, honest lawyer; from the home and 
 social circle has gone the high-toned, amiable, genial com- 
 panion, the gentle, tender, devoted husband and father; 
 and from the public the wisest and truest of advisers and 
 counsellors. Life is a narrow strip between the vast ocean 
 of the past and the vast ocean of the future. We crowd 
 and press each other on this narrow shoal; the dead are 
 buried bv the living, who in their turn are buried bv the 
 
l6 PROCEEDINGS OF THE BAR OF 
 
 living, and what is it all at last with our bodies but ^' earth 
 to earth, ashes to ashes, dust to dust;" but the true man, 
 the spirit, indestructible, immortal, untainted, rises bri_ohtl\- 
 and gloriously from the body, and passes onward and 
 onward to the light, meeting only and at last in the smile 
 of an approving God. 
 
 REMARKS OF MR. P. T. MASSEY. 
 
 Mr. p. T. Massey said : 
 
 MR. CHAIRMAN: 
 
 A sense of duty impels me to say a few words in support 
 of the resolutions — not that I consider them needful to the 
 passage of the resolutions, for I take it for granted that 
 nearly everyone present, and especially every member of 
 the Bar, knew Mr. Pou sufficiently well to know that every 
 statement contained in the resolutions is emphatically true, 
 and they might be expressed in much stronger terms than 
 set forth in the resolutions. I knew Mr. Pou intimately 
 for twenty-five years, and was associated with him in 
 the practice of the profession for about fourteen years, 
 and consequently I feel that I knew the man doubtless 
 as well as anyone in the community, save his imme- 
 diate family, and I have no hesitation in saying that he 
 was by nature one of the best men I ever knew — yes, I 
 may say the best — for in all our intercourse and associa- 
 tions together I never heard him speak to the detriment or 
 injury of a single individual in any spirit of enmity or ill- 
 will toward that individual. Of course I have heard him 
 speak of the faults and shortcomings of individuals wherein 
 they did wrong, failed to perform their promises, etc., but 
 it was always in a spirit of pity or sympathy for them, 
 rather than in any spirit of ill-will or unkindness for them. 
 And in all the tratisactions between Mr. Pou and myself 
 
■pHlv CoCNTV OF loIINS'POX. I7 
 
 diiriui^ the whole of our association toj^vthor, tlieiv was 
 iK'xcr the least difTerence or unkind tVelin<i; between ns, 
 but, on the contrary, our relations were most agreeable, 
 pleasant and niutuallv confiding in each other. And as 
 I have said before, I will say again now, that I would 
 have trusted him further in every particular than anv man 
 living at the time of his death. He was one that was 
 worthy of trust and that you could rely upon to perform 
 the trust in good faith — as a fact he was worthy of tlie most 
 responsible trust or position that could have been conferred 
 upon liim and he would have discharged the duties thereof 
 with the utmost fidelity, and in a manner that would have 
 reflected credit and honor upon such position or trust. 
 
 As stated in the resolutions, he w'as unfaltering in his 
 determination to do what he conceived to be right, while, 
 on the other hand, he was just as unfaltering in his deter- 
 mination to do nothing he believed to be wrong. In fact. 
 I do not believe he could have been induced to do a thing 
 he conscientiously believed to be wrong under anv reason- 
 able circumstances. And in the practice of the profession 
 he always wanted to be on the side he believed to be right. 
 I have often noticed him when clients would come to con- 
 sult him about their cases. He would first make a strict 
 inquiry as to all the facts and surrounding circumstances, 
 endeavoring to have them state the facts against them as 
 well as tho.se in their favor, and after a thorough investiga- 
 tion, if he arrived at the conclusion they were in the wrong, 
 or their cause was not strictly just, although the law might 
 be to some extent in their favor, if suit had been brought 
 and then pending he would advi.se them to settle the 
 matter by compromise or in .some way; and if suit had not 
 already been brought, he would advise against bringing 
 suit. Although he was a lawyer, he was not a man to 
 encourage litigation unless it was imperatively neces.sary to 
 enforce justice and equity. In fact, it was very unplea.sant 
 
1 8 PROCEKDINGS OF THE BAR OF 
 
 to him to see strife and contention between parties, but he 
 alvvavs rejoiced to see pleasant and friendly relations exist- 
 ing between all mankind. His convictions were such that 
 he could not work with true eneroy and vigor when his 
 conscience intimated to him that the cause for which he 
 was contending was not strict!)- just; but, on the contrar\\ 
 when he felt that the cause for which he was contending 
 was right, I never saw an attorney that would exert him- 
 self more, or that was more zealous for the success of his 
 client's cause than he was. He put liis whole soul and 
 strength in the cause, and nothing that he could do, in a 
 legitimate way, was left undone. I have often known him 
 to go miles in the country to assist his client in getting up 
 points of evidence to be used in his case. And at the final 
 determination of the suit, if his client was defeated, I have 
 often thought that it really hurt him worse than it did his 
 client, and actually, if he had been a man of means and 
 felt able to do so, I am satisfied he would have paid the 
 costs himself rather than have his client do it; and although 
 he was so much mortified at the result, you never heard 
 him say a harsh word against a single individual concerned 
 in the case — not even a witness — he abided the result like 
 a true philosopher, or quietly took an appeal if he saw hopes 
 of success in the higher court. 
 
 He was a man that intended to do right toward all, and 
 to give no one any grounds, not the slightest, to blame or 
 distrust him as to any of his dealings or transactions. I 
 have often heard him quote the scriptural injunction, 
 "Therefore, in all things whatsoever ye would that men 
 should do to you do ye even so to them" ; and in my 
 honest opinion no man ever carried out this injunction in 
 its true spirit nearer than brother Pou did. But I have 
 often thought that he carried it too far — that is, that he 
 would do more in the way of favors for others than he 
 would have permitted them to have done for him under 
 
rin-; corx'i'N oi' johnstox. 19 
 
 the same or similar circumslaiices. I could cite instances 
 where he has paid money to clients and others when lie 
 was not lei^all\- or moralh' bonnd to pa\' it, and which 
 could not witli any deijree ol" reason have been demanded 
 by the parties ; but rather than liave the most remote ques- 
 tion as to his diligence or want of attention to the matter, 
 he would pay it. I know of some claims lie held for col- 
 lection just in this situation, which he paid himself, and 
 wliicli never have been collected, and, in fact, never could 
 have been collected. Herein is where I say he went beyond 
 the injunction I have just quoted. He was so constituted 
 that he could not allow the least intimation of blame to be 
 attributed to him about any of his transactions. 
 
 .Mr. Chairman, it is with no little degree of diffidence 
 that I have attempted to sa\- anything whatever on this 
 occasion — feeling conscious of my weakness and inability 
 to do justice to the cause — but, under the circumstances, I 
 felt that I could not refrain from sa\ing a few words b\' 
 way of tribute to the memory of one I admired so much 
 and loved so well, and one that had been such a true and 
 valued friend to me; and he was not only a friend to me 
 and others individually, but he was also a friend to 
 humanity generally, in upholding and maintaining those 
 virtues which elevate and adorn society; in teaching them 
 lessons of industry, honesty, integrity and fair and upright 
 dealings in all their transactions and associations. And 
 Mr. Pou was not only a good man, as all those best 
 acquainted with him will testif\-, but he was also in reality 
 a great man — not by wa\' of show and demonstration — 
 for he was alwa\s plain and modest in all his dealings; but 
 he was great in the possession of those virtues which con- 
 stitute true greatness — ever contending for the right, with 
 kind and tender feelings for all, and imparting valuable and 
 useful information and words of wisdom to all he came in 
 contact or association with. 
 
 S&uN-. ECT