Francis Scott Key as a Lawyer. lower courts and the Supreme Court. It was not until 1869 that the case was finally settled, but Mrs. Gaines recovered only a small portion of her father's immense for tune, the lawyers' fees and the costs having swept away the bulk of the property in litigation. Mr. Key was the intimate personal and confidential friend of President Jackson, as well as his trusted legal adviser. During the Nullification troubles in South Carolina, the President sent him on a confidential mis sion to Charleston, and it is said that his great tact, forbearance and diplomacy did much to avert an outbreak against the Government. In recognition of his legal ability and high standing at the bar. President Jackson, on June 29, 1833, appointed him United States Attorney for the District of Columbia; and -was so well pleased with the manner in which he discharged his duties that, on June 6, 1837, he reappointed him to the same office; and, at the expiration of his second term. President Van Buren renewed the appointment. It should be remembered that, during the thirty-three years Mr. Key practised before the Supreme Court, his contemporaries were Daniel Webster, Thomas Addis Em met, Walter Jones-, Rufus Choate. besides his illustrious Maryland contemporaries, al ready mentioned in the first paragraph of this article. It required a lawyer to be possessed of commanding talents and pro found legal learning to cope with such an tagonists. On the bench of our great tri bunal of justice in those days sat Chief Jus tice Marshall, Associate Justice Story, Chief Justice Taney, and other learned jurists. The legal battles fought in that great arena were battles of the giants. They were fought by men who were the Alexanders, the Caesars, the Napoleons of the American bar. Francis Scott Key occupied a high, but not the highest place among his contemporaries:
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he was not the peer, as a lawyer, of Webster, Pinkney, Wirt, Taney and Harper; but, as a man, he was not surpassed by any, and equalled by few men of his generation. Key enjoyed the advantage of attending the Court of Appeals of Maryland, while studying law at Annapolis. All the leading lawyers of the State practised in that court. In this way he gained much legal knowledge not found in the books—practical knowledge, which was of great use to him when he came to the bar. One of the judges of the Court of Appeals when he was admitted to practice was Judge Nicholson, his brother-in-law, who afterwards had the "Star Spangled Banner printed. Key was the master of many inherited slaves, and he was their true and generous friend, always keenly alive to their best interests, and doing everything to promote their happiness and comfort. He was the unpaid counsel of the colored people on all occasions. He knew their true interests better than they did themselves, and when one Dr. Trandall was indicted and tried for exciting the negroes to insurrection in the District of Columbia, Mr. Key wrote a pamphlet denouncing the wickedness of such incendiary conduct. A man named Lawrence attempted to shoot President Jackson at the Capitol. Fortunately, his pistol missed fire, and the brave old General advanced upon his wouldbe assassin, with cane uplifted, ready to strike him down, but the man was hurried away before the General could reach him. Mr. Key, as United States Attorney for the Dis trict of Columbia, had to investigate the matter. He was placed in a very delicate position, for some of the more excitable Democrats saw in the attempt upon the life of their idol a conspiracy of his political enemies to get him out of the way. Rut, after a thorough examination, the assassin was found to be insane, and was locked up. Kev was a Democrat, and, as alreaclv men
