of her father's eye. Years afterward he said the "happiest hours of his life were passed in the little brick house on Third Street, holding Lucy on his knee while Mary prepared the meals."

During the year 1841 he astonished the profession by clearing John Gaddis, who was charged with uxorcide. Mrs. Gaddis was found mortally wounded from the blows of a jagged brick. Although horribly mangled, she is said to have rallied sufficiently to say that the wounds were made by her husband. Gaddis employed Stanton to defend him. Having no money he contracted to deed over his home in lieu of a cash fee. The trial came on and, greatly to the surprise of the community, resulted in acquittal. Having regained his freedom, Gaddis demurred to the terms made for his defense, observing that he might as well have been hanged as "deprived of his property and left to starve." "You deserve to starve, since I have saved you from hanging, for you are guilty," retorted Stanton, and retained the property, which he sold for five hundred dollars.

In December, 1841, he was elected delegate to the Democratic State convention to be held at Columbus on January 7, 1842, and attended, serving on the committee on platform and to prepare an "address to the people," writing the resolution on banks.*

On March 7, 1842, the legislature of Ohio elected him to be "Reporter for the supreme court in banc for the term of three years," and, with the help of his students, he reported and edited volumes XI., XII., and XIII.; compensation three hundred dollars per annum.

In April, 1842, although a Democrat, he went over into Virginia to aid his brother Darwin to secure the nomination for the House of Delegates on the Whig ticket; also took part in the campaign which resulted in his brother's election in a district which was Democratic. The next spring Darwin was the Democratic nominee for the same office, and with his brother's help was elected.

To Stanton, blood was thicker than politics, if not thicker than water.

*RESOLVED, That the true policy of the United States is to collect no revenue whatsoever beyond the sum actually necessary to conduct, upon principles of strict economy, the legitimate concerns of the general Government; that this collection shall be made no further than the public welfare demands, and, when collected, the money shall remain in the Treasury without being loaned, speculated upon, used or employed in banking, until paid to the public creditors. We, therefore, regard the repeal of the Act establishing an Independent Treasury, as an error in principle which should be disapproved by all parties.

CHAPTER VII.

DEATH OF HIS IDOLS.

In the meantime Stanton had received his first taste of real sorrow in the death of his darling Lucy. "My friend Stanton," says W. S. Buchanan,* "idolized Lucy. After she had been buried about a year he exhumed the tiny remains, placed the ashes in a metal box made for the purpose, and had a brazier (Samuel Wilson of Steubenville) solder it up. This precious box he kept in his own room; but when his wife died a year later, it was buried by her side-both in the same grave."

August 11, 1842, brought a son-a bright, healthy, and active child, which was christened Edwin Lamson Stanton, and again Stanton was happy.

For the third time in succession he represented his district in the Democratic State convention, which met at Columbus on January 8, 1844, to open the presidential campaign. He was again a member of the committee on platform and "address to the people," and on the committee to select presidential electors and delegates to the national convention.

Being present solely in the interest of Martin Van Buren, the personal friend of his partner (Judge Tappan), he subordinated everything to securing "sure" Van Buren delegates to the national convention, and succeeded. He drafted the resolution on bankst

*First a student and then a partner in Stanton's office.

†RESOLVED, That the power to incorporate a bank is not one of the powers granted to the Federal Government by the constitution; that such an institution is neither "necessary" nor "proper," within the meaning of the constitution, to carry into effect any powers granted, nor is it incidental to any of them; that it was the design of the framers of the constitution to create a Government which should avoid the evils of a system of Government paper money, by denying it the right to create a paper currency; that we regard the chartering of a bank by Congress not only as a direct assumption of power not authorized by the constitution, but as an infringe

and that on the tariff, but did not participate in composing the "address to the people," which, like previous Ohio Democratic enunciations, declared practically for free trade, and which, he said, was "absurd and a tendency toward direct taxation, and direct taxation would break any party bringing it about."

By far the sorest affliction of his life came a few weeks later in the sudden death in child-birth of his wife Mary, on March 13, 1844. He had sold his dwelling on Third Street and leased for a long term of years and moved into the largest and finest house in the city-the new Andrews residence. He had an increasing business, an expanding reputation, and great prosperity, and was full of life and hope.

"Although not thirty when Mary died, Stanton was king of Steubenville," says the Reverend Joseph Buchanan; "acknowledged to have the best and most lucrative practise in the locality. Being thus buoyant and satisfied, the death of his wife seemed particularly unexpected and hard to bear. In fact it rendered him thoroughly irresponsible. He threw her wedding rings and other jewels into the coffin and wanted her letters buried with her, too. My mother removed them repeatedly, only to find them again returned to the casket. She was unable to pacify him, and it was only by exercising good judgment that she finally prevented the burial of Mary's valuable rings and trinkets."

Ann Elliot, a seamstress, made Mrs. Stanton's grave clothes, and was compelled to alter the garments several times to suit Stanton. "He wanted his wife to look," said Miss Elliot, "when dressed for the grave, just as she did seven years before at the marriage altar. 'She is my bride and shall be dressed and buried like a bride,' said he, as he sat by her side moaning and weeping."

"I can hardly speak adequately of the death of Mary," says William Stanton Buchanan, "which occurred two days before the meeting of the March term of the supreme court. As Stanton was engaged in every case, no court was held in Jefferson County for that term. He could not work and could not be consoled. He walked the floor incessantly, crying and moaning. At night he placed her night-cap and gown on his pillow and cried and cried for his dear Mary. After her burial he himself put white stones around

ment on the right of the States, dangerous to the just independence and integrity of the Government, and fraught with perils to the rights and liberties of the people.