Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 09.pdf/198

 The Supreme Coîirt of Wisconsin. portance of the place and its supplies made the responsibility of the colonel command ing among the most weighty that can give anxiety to the soldier. Returning north ward, the regiment wintered near Nashville, and the following summer saw arduous marching service and guarding at Claysville, Ala., at Stevenson again, at Huntsville, Ala., with a line of sixty miles of railroad to protect, at Brownsboro, and again at

Stevenson, during Hood's battles of Franklin and Nash ville. Later in the war the regiment, having "veteranized," was sent to Texas and there saw arduous service and endured much hardship. Colonel Lyon re mained in the service till the end of the war, and was serving in Texas in 1865 when at the judicial election held in the spring he was elected circuit judge of the southeastern judicial circuit of the State. WILUAM He entered upon the duties of the bench in 1865. He made an admirable nisi prias judge; and his popularity with the bar and suitors, jurymen and the public generally was matter of universal comment. His cir cuit embraced the counties of Racine, Kenosha, Walworth, Rock and Green, in the southeastern portion of the State. In his time the court week was an important event in the inland counties. The well-to-do farmers came in, visited, attended court, lis tened to the trials and arguments, and inva riably took sides early in the trial. At a sharp repartee of a lawyer or a good hit-

back of a witness to a badgering cross-ex aminer they were wont to laugh heartily, and were demonstrative to the eloquence of some gifted lawyer. Judge Lyon indulged them within reasonable limits; and his kind ness on the bench, blended with dignity and judicial ability, made him immensely popu lar with the people. His successor on that circuit was a man in some respects entire ly different. A good judge and a just, he tolerated no laughter or levity in court. If a man came in with squeaking boots, the judge would say, "Suspend! Mr. Sheriff, you will pro tect the court from the noise of squeak ing boots." If a titter ran through the court room at some witticism, the stern tones of the judge were heard : " Sus pend; Mr. Sheriff, arrest and bring to the bar all persons disturbing the pro ceedings by laugh ter." The old set P. l.YON. tlers soon found the restraint unendura ble, and gave up their custom of attend ance. " Judge Conger is too strict," they said. " It's a contempt in his court to sneeze or to smile. But it was mighty pleasant thar in Judge Lyon's time." The death of Byron Paine — narrated above — having created a vacancy, in Jan uary, 1871, Judge Lyon was appointed by Governor Lucius Fairchild as associate jus tice of the Supreme Court. In the follow ing spring judicial election, he was elected to the unexpired term and the full term; was re-elected without opposition, in 1877,