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the Masonic Fairs; the World's Sixth Sunday School Convention of 1910, and many religious, civic and business conventions, and the last, and one of the most important uses for this famous hall, has been its occupancy by several bureaus of the United States Government, during and since the recent World War, by the Internal Revenue Bureau of the Treasury Department and later the Department of Vocational Education.

The market was put up at auction some years ago, there were but two bidders, and Mr. Stilson Hutchins being the highest bidder, came into possession of the property, and Northern Liberty Market is the property of the Hutchins estate at this time, but the memories of the name and neighborhood of Northern Liberty Market will long remain among the possessions of our citizens.

Mt. Vernon Square today is permanently improved and beautified, far beyond the vision and ambitious plans of Alexander R. Shepherd, who did so much to stimulate the patriotic pride of the American people, in seeking to make the nation's Capital an object of universal admiration.

The new Public Library building on Mt. Vernon Square, the gift of Mr. Andrew Carnegie, to Washington, was dedicated and formally presented to the people of the Capital on Wednesday, January 7, 1903.

President Roosevelt and Mr. Carnegie participating in the exercises, Mr. Theodore W. Noyes was its President, and accepted the building in behalf of the Trustees of the Public Library.

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CONVENTION HALL AND MARKET

SOME NOTABLE SUITS IN EARLY DISTRICT

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COURTS.

By F. REGIS NOEL, LL.B., Ph.D.

(Read before the Society, March 16, 1920.)

URING the first half century following the establish

ment of the District of Columbia, many law suits were instituted in and decided by its Courts, of which some were National in importance, some of great local interest, some valuable as precedents and others highly sensational. A few of these suits are known by many and regularly recalled whenever reference is made to the Courts, and it would not be entertaining for historians to recount those particular cases; but there are others, perhaps, which are not so commonly known. It is hoped that there may be at least a few cases among those noticed which are not known to one or another of the Society, and also that frequent changes of the cause of action, venue, Judges, attorneys, and litigants described, may so vary the paper that it will not become

monotonous.

During the period within which these cases occurred there were three Chief Judges of the Circuit Court of the District of Columbia. Thomas Johnson, of Maryland, presided from March 3, 1801, when the Court was created, until the 23d of the same month, when he resigned and was succeeded by William Kilty, also of Maryland. Judge Kilty resigned in 1806, to become Chancellor of his native State. William Cranch, who was appointed an Assistant Judge at the organization of the Court, was advanced to the Chief Judgeship, and occupied

that position until 1855, the time of his death. James M. Marshall, of Virginia, a brother of Chief Justice John Marshall, and Judge Cranch, were the first appointees as Assistant Judges. Nicholas Fitzhugh, of Virginia, was appointed to the bench upon the resignation of Judge Marshall, in 1803; and Allen B. Duckett, of Maryland, succeded Judge Cranch, in 1805, and died in 1809. Buckner Thruston, of Kentucky was selected to fill the vacancy caused by the death of Judge Duckett, and continued on the bench until his death, in 1845. In 1815, James S. Morsell, one of the first lawyers presenting themselves for admission to the Bar, succeeded Judge Fitzhugh, and was a member of the Court at its abolition in 1863.

The Criminal Court was organized in 1838, and its first Judge, Thomas F. Mason, of Virginia, served about six months, when he died. James Dunlop, of Georgetown, who succeeded him, was promoted to Assistant Judge in 1845, became Chief Judge in 1855 and was serving in that capacity when the Court was abolished.

The Judges of the Orphans' Court were William Hammond Dorsey, George Gilpin, Robert Brent, Robert Young, Richard Bland Lee, Philip R. Fendall, Samuel Chase, Christopher Neale and Nathaniel Pope Causin.

There were only two Clerks of the Court during this period; Uriah Forrest, serving from 1801 until 1805, and William Brent from 1805 until 1848.

John Thompson Mason, of Virginia, was the first United States Attorney. He served only a few months and was followed by Walter Jones, who occupied the office for twenty years. Thomas Swann, of the District of Columbia, his successor, prosecuted until 1833, when he was succeeded by Francis Scott Key.

David Lennox, of Pennsylvania, was the first United States Marshal, serving in a National as well as a local

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