Asher B. Bates was a native of Boston. Massachusetts, and a graduate of Harvard. He came to Detroit in 1840, and to Jackson a few years later. He was a cultivated man and rather aristocratic in his tastes and tendencies. He did not succeed as well as he expected in Jackson on account of his strict church tendencies and extreme temperance views. In 1852 he emigrated to the Sandwich Islands. Two years after he landed in Honolulu he was appointed attorney general and later supreme justice of the islands. Later he was for years the premier or secretary of state of the Hawaiian kingdom.

Lewis M. Powell came to Jackson in 1852, and began the practice of law with Judge Johnson. He was a candid, hard working man and soon gained a good standing and a fair clientage. He was chosen prosecuting attorney in 1874, and judge of probate in 1876, and again in 1884. He was a man of excellent capacity and reputation, and always respected by the people of the city and county. He died in 1899.

Robert Haire came to Jackson county in 1840 and studied law with Judge Johnson. He was admitted to the bar in 1844 and was soon after chosen a justice of the peace, which office he held for twenty-four years. After retiring he was afflicted with deafness, which precluded him from active business. He had a son who was also a lawyer and held one term as circuit court commissioner. Both of them removed from Jackson, and the writer lost all trace of their later whereabouts.

Orson W. Bennett cast his lot in Jackson in 1847. He was a fine scholar and a brilliant orator as well as a capable lawyer. He was of a high, convivial type, an entertainer

of the royal order, and a tendency to take the world easy. These traits, of course, did not tend to the building up of a large practice, nor detract altogether from a successful one. But "Rough" was always a favorite at the bar and in social life. He was associated with a hardworking and careful partner, Mr. Enoch Banker, and the firm always stood high in the profession. Mr. Bennett was an alderman and served one term as prosecuting attorney. He had a large circle of personal friends and his death, after a long and distressing mental illness, was greatly regretted.

Jonathan L. Videto was one of those selfmade lawyers who are always admired for their persistence, honesty and conscientious fidelity to their clients as well as their conviction. Mr. Videto came to Jackson county in 1832 and was first a school teacher. In 1840 he was elected sheriff and later was a justice of the peace. He was chosen probate judge and filled the office for four years. He was a radical temperance man and a strong Republican: Few men were more noted for their courage and devotion to what they deemed right than Judge Videto.

James M. Gould joined the profession about the close of the Civil war and was an influential and popular citizen and lawyer. He was prosecuting attorney in 1872, and probate judge from 1880 to 1884. He died soon after going out of office.

Victor M. Bostwick was a promising young attorney who joined the bar in 1860. He was elected prosecuting attorney in 1864, but later made a business of real estate and insurance more than law. He died at an early age, regretted by all who knew him.

George Proudfit entered the profession in 1860, but in 1861 entered the army as

a captain, and served three years. He returned to practice after the war and continued his residence in Jackson until his death. He was elected circuit court commissioner in 1878, which was the only office he held in the county.

Frank Hewlitt was a bright young lawyer, who commenced practice in 1870. He was elected court commissioner in 1878 and prosecuting attorney in 1882. He died while still holding the office, a victim of consumption.

William T. Howell was one of the old time lawyers of the state, having begun practice in Hillsdale county in 1840. He served in the state senate two terms from that county, and removed to Jackson in 1850. He was circuit court commissioner in 1854, removed to Newaygo county in 1860, and was prosecuting attorney, and served several terms in the legislature from that county, and died there in 1882. His son, E. H. Howell, still resides in Jackson, and is the veteran supervisor from the fifth ward.

Hiram C. Hodge was born at Stamford, Bennington county, Vermont, February 22, 1821, son of Warner I. and Sarah (Chesebro) Hodge, natives of Adams, Berkshire county, Massachusetts; their ancestors were English in the main, with French and Welsh blood intermixed. They removed from Vermont to Adams, Massachusetts, when H. C. was but two years old and remained there until 1836, giving their ten children a common-school education; eight of the children lived to maturity. Those who were old enough, including the subject, worked in a cotton factory several years, their father being the clerk of the firm known as Anthony & Hoxie. In 1836 the family left

Massachusetts for Michigan, where the father had the year previous entered a quarter section of land in Pulaski, Jackson county. Mr. Hodge commenced teaching school at fifteen years of age, devoting all his spare time to study, preparatory to the study of the law. He commenced his law studies with the Hon. Fidus Livermore, of Jackson, and completed the same in the office of Messrs. Tallman & Dean, of Poughkeepsie, New York, in 1848. March 28, 1849, he left Michigan for the newly discovered eldorado

California. Here he took an active part in advocating the adoption of a free-state constitution; held several offices of trust while there in the county of Nevada, which he helped to organize. Mr. Hodge was quite an explorer and traveler, having visited and written up for the press most parts of the continent. His travels extended through every state and territory of the Union except Alaska, and also Mexico and Central America. He was a member of both houses of the Michigan legislature, and served with credit to himself and satisfaction to his constituents.

There were quite a number of young lawyers belonging to the Jackson county har from 1870 to the present time, who have died or removed from the county, among them James W. Bennett, J. A. Townsend, W. S. Gridley, Homer A. Curţis, Walter Johnson, James Hammill, George A. Armstrong, Volney B. Merwin, Reuben E. Clark, Robert Haire and James E. Goss. Several of them were prominent in their day, but did not live or remain in practice to acquire more than a local reputation. The sketches we have given comprise most of the men who have marked the ancient and ablest

periods of the profession. The present bar is equally able with the periods that have preceded it.

The following is a list of the members as now carried on the roster of the circuit court:

Hon. Erastus Peck, circuit judge; Walter A. Cunningham, county clerk; Clifton H. Vedder, deputy county clerk; Forrest C. Badgley, prosecuting attorney; James J. Noon, assistant prosecuting attorney; Adedbert W. Dwelle, sheriff; Robert A. Smith, Albert O. Reece, circuit court commissioners; T. I. Daniel, reporter; William D. Wheat, court officer; Eugene Pringle, Erastus Peck, Melville McGee, Grove H. Wolcott, Enoch Bancker, of Jackson: Nathan G. King, of Brooklyn; Thomas A. Wilson, John C. Sharp, James A. Parkinson, Charles H. Smith, Robert D. Knowles, J. T. Hammond, Thomas E. Barkworth, Charles A. Blair, John McDevitt, Cassius M. Jenks, A. E. Hewitt, Jackson; Dora L. Ball, Grass

Lake; George S. Wilson, W. S. Cobb, Richard Price, H. E. Edwards, Michael Kenny, Jay J. Calkins, Elmer Kirkby, Thomas J. Birney, D. P. Sagendorph, C. K. Perrine, R. S. Woodliff, Forrest C. Badgley, Lewis D. Campbell, John E. Shekell, William E. Ware, John W. Miner, Lyman B. Trumbull, John F. Henigan, Robert Campbell, George O. Payne, John I. Breck, Rudolph Worch, Wm. K. Sagendorph, W. H. L. McCourtie, George J. Genebach, Harry L. Stearns, Christie A. Stearns, J. H. Zuver, Fred A. Kies, Charles E. Townsend, Walter S. Wilson, Byron E. Linnabury, James M. Adams, W. E. Bellows, George E. Bailey, of Jackson; E. J. McKay, of Hanover; Jno. C. Boughan, Benjamin Williams, James J. Noon, of Jackson; H. J. Cortright, of Springport; Robert A. Smith, Albert O. Reece, Verne W. Badgley, Adam Cooper, Geo. H. Curtice, Leroy Northrup, Arthur W. Taylor, Verner Taylor, Claude L. Tarbox, Nathan D. Bailey, of Jackson.

OUR PIONEER DOCTORS.

Samson Stoddard was the first physician to settle in Jackson. The occasion of his visit was the accouchement of Mrs. E. B. Chapman, at the birth of her daughter, Sarah, the first white child born in the county. He came here from Ann Arbor, where he had just began to practice, and at the request of

the people here concluded to remain in Jackson. Dr. Stoddard was a pleasant and kindly dispositioned man, and was soon a favorite. He not only followed his profession, but filled many official positions in township and county. He located a fine farm in the town of Concord, and removed to it in 1840. One of his sons, J. Blake Stoddard, now owns it. At a late period of his life he

moved to Albion, where he died at an advanced age, a few years since, beloved and respected by all who knew him.

Dr. Oliver Russ was the next physician to settle in Jackson. He came from Rutland, Vermont, in the fall of 1831. He was a man of stalwart physique, a brainy man, and old-style doctor, who used the lancet quite freely, and prescribed heroic doses of calomel, jallap and quinine, and whose jovial disposition and frank ways and speech not only made him a favorite but a reputation that has long survived him. Some of the stories told of Dr. Russ are true and some are fiction, but they are all to a good extent typical of the man. One of the stories was that one day when he was returning from looking after a patient across the woods environing the prison, in a clump of bushes he found two men butchering a hog. Rightly concluding they had stolen the porker, he blurted out in well simulated indignation, "You scoundrels, you have stolen one of my hogs and here you are butchering it!" As everybody's hogs run at large in those days and they had really stolen it, they had no word to say in defense. The Doctor, who had never seen the hog before, was of course in a terrible rage. "But." he foamed. "of course, nothing can be done now you have killed it, and I will let you off if you will take one hind and one fore quarter to my house and one hind quarter to Widow Blank. The other fore quarter you may have for your trouble, but if you ever touch another hog of mine I'll see that you are jailed." The Doctor's wishes were carried out in every particular, if tradition is to be credited. Doctor Russ was very fond of giving instructions to the young people in hygiene, and when one of the boys had a

polypus in the nose, he explained it to some of his companions. It pleased the boys to hear him, and they managed to have him repeat it two or three times. One day a lot of boys were playing on the square, and the Doctor came sauntering up towards them when one of the crowd called out, "See. there comes Dr. Russ; let's get him to tell about Polly Anderson in Bill's nose." The Doctor was fond of using technical terms and words. One day after the big boys had had a scrap, he came into the tavern, where sat Jim Finn, one of the noted scrappers of the village, and said, "Jim, you got a bad laceration of the cuticle of your nasal protuberance in the scrap last night." Jim jumped up and replied, "See yere, Doc, if you don't stop your blackguarding I'll plant one on your old snot gob that'll make it look worser than mine." The Doctor did not indulge in any more "blackguarding." One time a man came up just at dark from the "Portage woods," who said his wife was very sick with bowel trouble. It was dark and rainy and the Doctor did not relish a six-mile walk, so he gave him a dose of physic and a bottle of liniment (as he supposed), which was to be applied freely, and said he would be down next morning, if necessary. Just after daylight the man came back with the story that his wife's bowels were mortified. Russ made all possible haste, on foot, to see the patient. Puffing and blowing from the long, muddy walk. he arrived. The pulse was rather hard and wiry, and he out with his lance and took two or three pints of blood to start with. Binding up the arm, he next turned his attention to the seat of disease. On examining the woman's person, he turned to the husband and said in a tone of vexation and