CONTAINING BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCHES OF NEARLY ALL OF THE JUDGES AND LAW-
YERS WHO HAVE PASSED AWAY, TOGETHER WITH MANY INTERESTING AND
VALUABLE LETTERS NEVER BEFORE PUBLISHED OF WASHINGTON,
JEFFERSON, BURR, GRANGER, CLINTON, AND OTHERS,

SOME OF WHICH THROW ADDITIONAL LIGHT

UPON THE FAMOUS BURR CONSPIRACY.

Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1878, by W. V. N. BAY,

In the Office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington.

St. Louis: Press of G. I. Jones and Company.

「

ΤΟ

HON. WILLARD P. HALL,

Late Provisional Governor of Missouri,

WHOSE VARIED LEARNING AND PROFOUND KNOWLEDGE OF THE LAW HAVE

GREATLY ADORNED THE LEGAL PROFESSION, AND WHOSE EMINENT

AND VALUABLE SERVICES IN THE COUNCILS OF THE NATION

HAVE ENDEARED HIM TO THE PEOPLE OF MISSOURI,

THIS WORK IS RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED

BY HIS FRIEND,

THE AUTHOR.

225781

INTRODUCTION.

The fact that the territory of Louisiana, out of which the state of Missouri was carved, was once under the dominion of Spain, and subsequently under that of France, rendered it indispensable to professional success that the early lawyers should become familiar with the Spanish and Civil law, and a want of knowledge of either unfitted the claimant to legal honors to cope with those who had devoted years of laborious study to their acquirement; hence most of the lawyers who became permanent residents were not only well versed in both, but, by persistent effort to become so, formed habits of study and application which gave them well-deserved eminence in their profession.

It is not the purpose of the author to furnish a complete biography of the members of the profession who contributed so much to frame and establish our local jurisprudence, but to give the reader a partial idea of the difficulties and privations they encountered, and to preserve some recollection of their professional career, and some of the incidents and anecdotes connected with their professional lives, which ought not to be suffered to pass into oblivion.

That lawyers as a class have exerted a most salutary influence upon the morals and liberties of mankind, from the beginning of the world, no one can question who is conversant with ancient and modern history.

Take, for example, our own country. What could we have accomplished in our Revolution without the aid of such