I voted against him--in which
I made a mistake--not because I doubted his eminent integrity
and ability, but because I thought that he had little professional
experience and no judicial experience, and that his health--
he was then beginning to show signs of the disease which
ended his life shortly after--was not sufficient for undertaking
the great study and the labor which the new office would require.
He was not long on the Bench, and was not greatly distinguished
as a Judge. But he wrote a few opinions which showed his
great intellectual capacity for dealing with the most complicated
legal questions, especially such are apt to arise in patent
cases.
He was a delightful man in ordinary conversation. He had
an infinite wit and great sense of humor. He used to tell
delightful stories of queer characters and events that had
come within his own observation. My relations to him for a
good while were entirely antagonistic. We had some very
sharp controversies. He would never tolerate any expression,
in his presence, of disrespect to Jefferson Davis. He would
always meet the statement that Mr.
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