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The Supreme Court of Kansas. V. Banks; W. C Webb, and A. M. Ran dolph. Preston B. Plumb resigned in Octo ber, 1862; Louis Carpenter was appointed in January, 1863, and was killed in the mas sacre at Lawrence August 21 of the same year, by the guerillas under the notorious Ouantrell. Elliot V. Banks succeeded him, who in turn was succeeded by W. C. Webb,

and he by A. M. Randolph, who is the pres ent Reporter. The " Opinions " of the Court are reported in forty-seven volumes. The first volume was published in 1864, the last volume early in 1892. The fortyeighth will appeal in a few months, and there are a sufficient number of " Opin ions " handed down to complete the fortyninth. The number of Clerks has been four : Andrew Stark; E. B. Fowler; A. Ham mat; and C. J. Brown, the incumbent. Under the provis ions of law, the Judges of the Supreme Court nominate to the Gov ernor a suitable person to act as Librarian. To this office there have been appointed three: D. Dickinson; Samuel A. Kingman; and H. J. Dennis, who now fills the position. Mr. Dennis is a gentleman of rare literary tastes, a fine writer, a lawyer, and a prince among books. The Library of the State, while it includes all that pertains strictly to the law, comprises a fine miscella neous collection, to which additions are made by legislative appropriations. Under the careful selections of Mr. Dennis, the Library is valuable, and rapidly taking rank with any of the relatively new States. 42

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Hon. Thomas Ewing, Kansas' first ChiefJustice, was born in Lancaster, Ohio, on the 7th of August, 1829. He is the third son of Hon. Thomas Ewing, of Ohio, whose fame as a great lawyer and statesman is part of the history of our country. His remote ances try were Scotch-Irish, and in the troublous times of 1688, under William of Orange, distinguished for their loyalty, bravery, and intelligence. George Ewing, the paternal grandfatherof Kansas' first Chief-Justice, was an officer in the Rev olutionary War, and served with honor un til the Independence of the United States was achieved. His maternal great-grand father was Niel Gil lespie, who emigrated from Ireland to Penn sylvania, and became a very prominent and influential citizen of that Commonwealth. This remarkable man was also the great grandfather of the Hon. James G. Blaine. General Ewing, as he is more familiarly known, was private Secretary to President Zachary Taylor, before he had attained his majority. Immediately after the sudden death of that Chief Magistrate, he entered Brown University, and was graduated in 1854. He was also graduated by the Cin cinnati Law School, and a year later emi grated to the then disturbed Territory of Kansas, settling in the embryo town of Leavenworth, where he opened a law office, and commenced the practice of his profes sion. The firm of which he was a member, "Ewing, Sherman & McCook," included the afterward immortal Gen. William T. Sher.