IN MEMORIAM. ABIjAHAM BRODKINS GARDN u BORN SEPTEMBER 2, 1819. DIED NOVEMBER 23, 1881. E'DITED BY :^, l\ CHIL^DS^'^'^''''^ J IN MEMORIAM. ABRAHAM BROIINS GARDN '-^u BORN SEPTEMBER 2, 1819. DIED NOVEMBER, 23, 1881. ^^ \V r iMiaissiii l).-ri'.-i FU'njM^RED BY ROjW GEO. W. }1:>1RM:^1X, Citiaa.g- .^^-a-tliOxit^T- Tla.erefor. Abraham Brodkiiis Gardnur wa.s the oldest child of David and Eunice (Wright) Gardner. — J?. J, Gardner. He was horn in Pownal, Vt., Sept. 2d, 1811).— A. P. Chii i)s. He partly Htted for College at Union Academy in Bennington, and was noted for his close attention to and proficiency in his studies. — Isaiah Matti-:so-\. He was graduated from Union College in July, 1841. — E. L. SiBr.ioY. He studied law with Hon. Isaac T. Wright, at Castleton, Vt. — G. W. Harm AN. He was admitted to the Bar of Rutland Comity Courtatits April terni> 1844— Docket. He was admitted to the Bar of the Supreme Court at its February term, 1847, in Bennington county. — Docket. He was register of Probate the most of the tinje from Dec. 1, 1848, to Dec. 1, 1857 — about seven years. — Probate Uecohds. He was Bank Commissioner from about 1855 to 1867. He was State's Attorney from Dec. 1, 1855 to Dec. 1, 1857, two years. — Printed Docket. He represented the town of Bennington in the (ieneral Assend)ly from October, 1860, to October, 1865, five years. — House Journals. He was Speaker of the House of Representativesi from Ocfober, 1863, to October, 1865, two years. — Session Laws. He was Lieut.-Governor from October, 1865, to October, 1867, two years. — Session Laws. He was State Senator from October, 1870 to October, 1872, two years. — Session Laws. He was Judge Advocate General fnjm to He was President of tne Betmington and Rutland Railway, and coun- sel of the Troy and Boston 1?. R. Company. He died in Bennington, Nov. 23d, 1881.— A. P. Childs. ABRAHAM BRODKINS GARDNER ; His Life and Character. FROM THE REFORMER, DECEMBER. 2, 1881. No mere hoihIs can fully and clearly set forth a just estimate of this man of impressive bearing, of noble qualities, of great abilities. His pub- lic and private career was such that his bier was surrounded — last Satur- day — by a throng of mourners whose countenances betokened the deep and painful anguish of their sorrowing hearts. This was no momentary sem- blance of sadness — which comes and goes in a day — but it was profound, universal and enduring, over a loss that can never be repaired, for a coun- sellor, neighbor and friend, the like of whom a century will not replace- It may justly be affirmed that no other citizen of our county, in all the varied relations of life, filled so large a place in the hearts, homes and busi- ness life of our people. His seniors as well as juniors in years feel that the loss of his counsel and his friendship is irreparable. The life of Abraham Brodkins Gardner, though only a span of three score years, was crowded to repletion ; a busy, toilsome one; he performed four score years of labor within a score less of lifetime. Repose he seemed to have, yet it was the repose that comes to a student mind, filled with problems for solution requiring ceaseless activity of thought and analysis. To those who knew Mr. Gardner most intimately, the wonderful fertility of resources which he brought to the consideration and discussion of any cause or topic, evinced his great power, and confirmed the great and be- neficent influence of the man. As we have said, mere words are too un- meaning and insignificant to convey the measure and stature of such a life and character. His potential influence in community upon the masses of the people, however high or humble, was traceable to the sincerity and manly expression of intelligent convictions of duty. In his chosen profession he ever sought to prevail through the merits of his cause, rather than through a resort to legal quibbles or pettifogging stratagems. In his political aspirations and associations the same loyalty to earnest convictions led hira to often espouse the cause of the minority, striving to persuade his fellow citizens through manly argument and fair reasoning, never seeking to subvert tlie manhood of a voter by those subtle and degrading arts which too often appeal to the pocket i-ather than tin- intellect. He will long be missed among good and true men and women wherever he was known, because his ability and influence was ever exerted for good, never for evil; because all his methods and purposes were in the line of faithful and honorable service for his fellow men. The lessons of his val- uable life of industry, culture, sobriety and integrity upon those who are to follow ii) his honored pathway, who can imj>ress? Asagrandand vigorous oak, suddenly stiuck down by the lightning amid a clustered forest of trees, crushes and disfigures all its surroundings, so tile fall of this man lacerates the minds and hearts of the people. To many an aged man and woman he was the main staff, counsellor and comforter; to many in middle life he was a guide and inspiration ; to the young he was ever a shining example of manhood, temperance and nobil- ity of character. Though often estranged from kindred and friends in his political rela- tions, he never forfeited their confidence and admiration by an unmanly act or unworthy demeanor. Opposing public action never was allowed by him to degenerate into unfriendliness in private or business a.ssocia- tions. lie would meet a i)olitical opponent the day following an exciti no- canvass, with the same cordiality of greeting as though he was a most steadfast co-worker and supporter. Confiding in his nature, in his pro- fessional and political course he, too often, suffered through the success of those latent influences, which, like an insidious disease, covertly over- throw the wisest plans of the best of men. His life was so busy that he left many of his own tasks unfinished, through his steadfast devotion to the demands of the public, his clients and friends. The best monument that can be reared to his memory would be the cotiipletion of his unfinished tasks, notably the erection of a lasting monument to the heroes of 1777, near the resting place of one whose life was so interwoven with this momentous and patriotic project. Another enduring monument can be erected to the memory of Mr. Gardner by his fellow citizens and admirers, through practical resolves that the old church and society, at the center village, which he so revered, shall not suffer financial injury by reason of the withdrawal of his sup- port. In order that this imperfect sketch of his life and character may be as complete as possible in this issue of the Reformer, the announcement of his death, contained in our last issue, is herewith republished, and to fully illustrate the wide-spread nature of this afflictive bereavement, the obitua- ries published by our cotemporary, also that of the Troy Press, where de- ceased was so well known and esteemed, are included herein. 6 FROM THE BENNINGTON BANNER. Mr. Gardner was sixty-two years old last September, and had Jived in town about thirty-five years. Tw® or three years of his professional life were passed in Pownal, his native town, before he removed to Benning- ton. He was the oldest son of the late David Gardner, of Pownal, and a brother, Samuel, and sister, Miss Lodusky, residents of that town, sur- vive of his fatlier's family. Mr. Gardner graduated at Union College at Sehenectady in early manhood, and afterwards studied law with his un- cle in Castleton, the late Isaac T. Wright. He was admitted to the bar and followed the law as a profession all his life, being absociated at the time of his decease with Henry A. Harman, Esq., under the firm style of Gardner & Harman. Mr. Gardner had been married three times. His first wife was Miss Jeannette Swift, daughter of Dr. Heman Swift, of Bennington Centre. She died after a short married life and lier child died also. The second wife was Miss Cynthia Brown, a step-daughter of the late J. L. Wilmarth of Stamford. Two children of this union survive — Miss M. Jennie Gard- ner, aged 18, now a student at Vassar College, and Arthur B., a lad of 13 years. The surviving wife was Martha Wilmarth, a daughter of the Mr. Wilmarth above mentioned. There is a little girl, aged about five vears the fruit of this union. Mr. Gardner was a man who thought everything of his family, and there was nothing too good for them that was in his power to provide. In all his public career he never lost his domestic life as is so often the case with public men and })oliticians. This was shown a few years ago when Mr. Gardner was thought of as a judge for the Su- preme Bench. The thoughts of the life away from home which the du- ties of circuit judge entailed, were so repugnant to his feeiings, that he gave the appointing power no encouragement of his probable acceptance, and Hon. Hoyt H. Wheeler, a man out of the district, was the one finally chosen. Mr. Gardner's public life has been known to his associates so long that very little is needed to be said. He has represented this town three times in the house of representatives, and was chosen Speaker and served two terms. In these relations he ably and creditably served the State of Vermont and represented his constituency. Elected to the State Senate he as satisfactorily served both the State and people, as he did in the more popular branch of the house. In the early years of the war, Mr. Gardner was this county's candidate for Member of Congress against the Addison county candidate, Hon. F. E. Woodbridge. It was nothing to Mr. Gardner's discredit that Bennington county was defeated in the^'district convention of that year. The county has been defeated in its candidate for that office each term since. It has alv>ays seemed to Mr. Gardner's Bennington friends that he should have been the successful man then. 7 But a majority of the First Congressional District Convention thought otherwise. The esteem, politically, in whicii he was held was shown a a few years afterward (in 1864-65, we think) when-he was elected to the office of Lieut.-Governor by a large majority of the people, after a flat- tering nomination by the State Convention of the Republican party, and thus called to preside over the State Senate, in which he was afterwards to be a member in 1870. Of other State offices held by the deceased we recall : Judge Advocate General, Bank Commissioner and State Prison Inspector. In the Republican party of the nation he represented the State in the National Convention of 1864, and served four years upon the executive committee of the National committee of that party. In all these relations Mr. Gardner ably represented the State. In town affairs he was auditor and moderator for many successive years and held one office at the time of his decease. As a lawyer Mr. Gardner ranked high and was employed chiefly on those cases, during his later life, where great legal acumen was necessary to win. He was an excellent counsel- lor, and us an advocate, the calm, dispassionate, clear and forcible pleas he made convinced his hearers that his ability was unquestioned. His temperament was such that it was almost impossible for him to make a plea except on the side he believed to be right. One trait of Mr. Gardner's character mp}' serve as a key whereby the public may now look back upon his life and understand something of the motives by which it was governed. He always maintained that the dignity of the public office should be recognized by the man holding the position. The Governor or President always received (as well as other stations) the courtesy due, no matter who was in the chair. Woe unto him, therefore, who degraded the office in Mr. Gardner's estimation — they were sure to estrange him from their support thereafter. This may ex- plain why he was a firm supporter of General Grant for the first term and not an adlierent of his cause for the second term in 1872. This is one of the reasons which led him to espouse the Greeley movement. Added to this was the fact that he had long been a supporter and believer in Horace Greeley, and ties thus formed were not easily l)roken in his case. These associations made him a Liberal Republican, and the union of that faction with the Democracy, the candidate for Governor of that fusion in 18/2. Since which time he has continued to act politically with the Democracy, though he gave the Hayes administration a cordial support. In early manhood he united with the I. O. 0. F., passed the chairs, and was a zealous member of that order until the lodge to which he be- longed was compelled to surrender its charter. The relation thus severed was not renewed when the order was revived in this state twenty years after. He was afterwards a member of Mt. Anthony Lodge, No. 13, F. & A. M., of this village. Mr. Gardner was a model man in his neighborly relations, always kind, and taking a deep interest in the welfare of those aasociated with him in this capacity. He will be greatly missed in Bennington Centre, where death has taken so many during the past tew years. Although not a church member he was a firm supporter of the old First Church, and worshipped with tliat congregation. He traced his descent from the Gardiner, one of the Pilgrim fathers who landed from the "May Flower," in 1620. FROM THE TROY AND NEW YORK PRESS. He was a Vice-president of the Bennington battle monument associa- tion. He was an influential member of the Bennington county bar. He took great delight in amateur farming and the cultivation of flowers and fruit. The cause of death was congestion of the lungs in connection with a heart trouble. He was thrice married. Mr. Gardner had become pos- essed of property worth from $6:),03:) to $75 OOQ. He had an insurance of more than $20,000 on his life. Mr. Gardner was a supporter of church work and a member of Mount Anthony l^odge, F. & A. M. He had practiced law 35 years in Bennington, and was formerly prom- inent in the political affairs of Vermont. He had held the offices of Judge Advocate General, Bank Examiner, Speaker of the Vermont House of Representatives, and other important s'ate, county and town offices. He was president of the Eagle Square Manufacturing Company of South Shaftsbury, and vice-president of the Bennington Battle Monument As- sociation. He was 62 years old. The Springfield Republican and Boston Journal also contained suitable notices of the life, character and death cf the departed. The following tribute written by ex-Cxovernor Hiland Hall to his son, John V. Hall, Esq., well expresses the grief and sympathy of the writer : "Annapolis, Md., Dec. 1, 1881. Being absent from my home in Bennington during the brief sickness and sudden death of the Hon. Abraham B. Gardner, I was unable to show my regard for him and my sympathy for his family and relatives by attending his funeral, which I greatly regret. Mr. Gardner was a distinguished citizen of our State, by which he was repeatedly honored, and as a leading member of the bar he had the earnest respect and esteem of his professional associates and of the Bench before which he practiced, as well for his legal acquirements and talents, as for his uniform kindness and courtesy. I am very sorry it is out of my power to be present at a meeting of the bar, to express my own grief and sorrow in connection with his other protessional brethren, for his untimely decease, and our sympathy for his family in their bereavement. Again expressing my deep regret for my absence from home on this occasion, I am, Very truly yours, Hiland Hall." FUNERAL SERVICES FROM THE BENNINGTON COUNTY REFORMLR. .'''aturday, Nov. 26, 1881, the day of Mr. Gardner's funeral, was a day of universal mourning in Bennington. An informal meeting of the bar was held at the office of County Clerk John V. Hall in the morning, when it was resolved to attend the funeral in a body and to leave the formal ceremonies of tribute, eulogy and respect to their late associate to be held upon the opening of the count}- court, Dec. 6th proximo. The obsequies were at the late home o^ the deceased in the Centre village, at 12:30 p. m., where the Rev. Isa?ic Jennings offered a brief and eloquent prayer, making feeling allusion to the repeated summons to this house- hold upon similar sorrowful occasions. Among those present with the immediate relatives and neighbors were Messrs. Brayion, Tinker and A. C. Houghton, of North Adams, Mr. Jewett of Rutland and many others. Owing to the unfortunate running of the trains many were debarred from attending the obsequies. The solemn ceremonies were under the conduct of Mr. C. R. Sanford. The casket, an elegant one, was festooned with immortelles and laden with a beautiful floral cross, sickle, anchor and wreath, prepared by florist Goldsmith. The coffin-plate bore the in- scription, '"Abraham B. Gardner, died Nov. 23, 1881, aged 62 years. His mortal reniains bore no trace of his recent severe sufferings; his noble, attractive features bore that genial expression which in life never repelled the humblest or most exalted individual. In his coffin he looked the calm, dignified, heroic spirit that he was in life, and whose death has so shaken the strongest of his survivors. Shortly after 1 p. m. the sad rites were continued at the old church he so much revered. The bearers were Hons. Benj. R. Sears, Milo Pierce, Milo C. Huling, John V. Hall, \Vm. P. Mattison and A. P. ('hilds. After the solemn chanting by tlie church choir of "Cast thy burden on the Lord," Rev. Mr. Partridge read portions of the Scri|)tures, after which the choir sang, "Friend after friena departs, who hath not lost a friend?" in a subdued and tender manner, the be- loved pastor and friend of deceased, Rev. Mr. Jennings, paid a just and touching tribute to his memory, from which we extract the following : 10 REV. MR. JENNTNG'S TRIBUTE. " It is difficult with calinaess to approach the subject of the sad and to us all, the most unwelcome death which this day calls us together. We are convened to pay our last tribute of affectionate respect to the memory of one so profoundly missed by the community, but more sadly of all by his bereaved family to whom he was so much and who loved him so dearly, whose supreme interest in their welfare and happiness was so constantly in his thoughts. We come to bear and follow to the o-rave the remains of one who has long oi'cupied a large and important place among us. It is a solemn and very impressive event. Our sympa- thies are moved, our hearts are touched with tenderness. The occasion evokes a profound sensibility within us all, when we consider the cir- cumstances of his short and violent sickness and death in the very ripe- ness of his experience and h's attainments, his gentle spirit becoming more mellowed and chastened by the consciousness and the observation of the vanity of this transitory and earthly life and the uncertainty of continuance, and thus he departed and the places that knew him shall know him no more forever. The calamity that has befallen our people is similar to that vrhich afflicted the country in the removal of President Garfield. The features of Mr. Gardner's honorable and worthy private and public life have been so fully noticed by the local and metropolitan press that it is almost unnecessary again to rehearse these interesting and instructive particulars. Truthfully has it been said that the sorrow ot the people for whom he so long and zealously labored is general and unfeigned, while they realize the void his death has created. Without effort to seem ob- trusive or prominent, his advice and service was always in demand for the public vyelf;ire. As a leader and presiding officer he had few equals. Calm, unimpassioned, with none of those arts and affectations too com- mon among men. Self-poised, a man of few words save those of wisdom and judgment, spoken with felicitous and manly energy and unostenta- tion, ever urbane, yet dignified,^ never frivolous, though always access- ible, there was a singular unity and self-consistency in his bearing, his mien, his behavior, his deportment, his speech, his dress, his address, his surroundings, his life, all these bespoke the man. There were no idle words ; there was the reserve ot repose, of dignity, though he was never taciturn or unapproachable, rigid or censorious; he was human still, and in many ways he was one of you and one with you. Gifted with an intellect to grasp, he ever took original yet solid and fundamental views of things,which every year was strengthened by the aid of a liberal education, profound study, and constant intercourse with the best of his fellow men, while he never was misunderstood by the most untutored mind. Thus was his life filled up and crowded to repletion. n 111 your presence, gentlemen ot" the law, it does not become me to at- tempt to portray this representative m;in in the learned, responsible and laborious profession of his choice. In this sphere you were more con- vtM'sant with him tiian 1 liave Ixhmi, and your own t'eeliniis are a guaran- tee tli.it justice shall l)e done to his memory in tiiis resj^ect. To defer to his judgment, to wait till he had sj)oken, and then accept his position, was the experience of those associated with hinj, in matters requiring deliberation and great wisdom. And yet he was tlie least ob- trusive of men, always ready to listen, and willing that others should act according to their own best wisdom. Who can rightly estimate the amount of service that has been pressed into these forty years since he left college — his self-possession, sobriety of judgment and understand- ing, and so steadfast an eye to the highest types of character for indi- viilnals and institutions of government, education and religion. We must feel that he had a long life if we measure it by deeds, not years. It is not dittteidt to analyze his power, to distingush the factors in his character which influenced his fellow men in matters of counsel and lead- ership, whether in private, or while presiding at town or school district meetings, in the Senate or halls of our State Legislature. I wish every young !nan would draw lessons in life from his industry, sobriety, simplic- ity of equipage and address, his dignity of bearing, (and this too at a time when through fear of too rigid strictness the tendency toward frivol- ity and vanity are to the other extreme), his exemption from ilnnking, profanity, and all other bad habits and vices, his appreciation of the re- sponsibilities of ottice, his reverence for the house of God, and the truth of God's word, his kindly bearing to those in need or want of advice, whether the rich or lowly. He had his own views with respect to public proceedings or institu- tions, being very earnest and decided in condemning everything superfic- ial in the education of the young, emphatically commending thorough- ness m pursuit of any study or subject, fully appreciating the old and trite saying, "What is worth doing at all is worth doing well." This is a remarkable instance of a death in wliich none can be found to say, " It is best he shoidd have been taken.'' All would imite in sayino- Mr. Gardner should have lived for many years — for Ins family, for the commui^ily ; live for the need in his profession of his emiiuuit mental and moral qualifications, live for the Church of God. It is plain in this case, *' (iod's ways are not our ways, nor his thoughts our thoughts, for as the heavens are high above the earth, so are his wavs higher than our ways and his thoughts higher than our thoughts." I can but recall his manliness, his deep and sincere sense of the siginfi- cance of death, in connection with numerous family bereavements, and the extent to which he accorded to religion its exalted claims, as most touching of all I remember bis course with regard to the step the sec- 12 ond Mrs. Gardner took in uniting with our church. She presented a written statement in her own writing of her views and experience, and when at his request the address at her funeral was to be printed, he es- pecially desired that that statement might be added. Though he had made no public profession of religion, it was one form of manifesting a trait which was ever prominent in him, of realizing deeply the sacred and supreme propriety of such a step, (in all), and that each one should be enabled and brought to do it in sincerity and truth. I am sure at this hour all must feel the unspeakable"preciousness of a hope in Christ, and all the power of these heavenly consolations in sick- ness and sorrow. Let us remember that we are partakers of this great salvation not through our own worth, but after that the kindness and love of God our Saviour toward man appeared. Not by works of righteous- ness which we have done, but according to his mercy He saved us, by the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Ghost. Rev. Mr. Jennings then closed with prayer, beginning with the Lord's prayer, and closing with, "0 God, the protector of all who trust in Thee, without whom nothing is strong, nothing is holy, increase and multiply upon us Thy mercy that though being our Ruler and Guide, we may so pass through things temporal, that we finally lose not the things eternal. Grant this, O heavenly Father, for Jesus Christ's sake, our Lord. Amen." The choir tlien sung, "One sweetly solemn thought comes o'er me every hour. Every passing hour," "Nearer my God, to Thee." etc. A final view of the remains was held by the large concourse of people present, including the Bar and employes of the Eagie Square Manufacturing Co., who attended in a body. Then the solemn funeral procession wended its silent way to the old cemetery, in near proximity to the old church where the remains were deposited and an afflicted pastor and people bade adieu to all that was mortal of Abraham B. Gardner, the friend and champion of the people. In his sermon the next day, Sunday, Mr. .Jennings alluded to his fun- erBl in these words : " I cannot but refer to the closing scenes of the funeral yesterday ; the tender and plaintive cadences of sacred song ; those beautiful flowers on the coftin ; that touching spectacle of tears as the cottin-lid was shut down on that noble head ; the coffin lowered into the grave — all surrounded by graves the mementoes of bereavments reaching back to almost the earliest period of our friend's residence amongst us, and following in almost uninterrupted succession ; thai, beau- tiful monument standing in the midst of them, the rarest monument we have for chasteness and simplicity and beauty combined, bespeaking the pure taste, and the domestic loyalty and affection of him who caused it to be reared, and whose remains now repose at its base. You did well to lay beautiful flowers upon his coftin. There was no man of purer taste among us ; to weep tears as you were taking your last look of him, in what re- 13 mained of earth — there was no one among us more worthy to be lament- ed as a brother and a friend." OTHER NEWSPAPER TRIBUTES. FROM THE REFORMER, NOV. 25, 1881. By the death of Abraham B. Gardner, at his Bennin^iton Centre residence Wednesday, one of Bennington's bes-t and ablest citizens is removed. The 'ad in- teligence was carried into nearly every houst hold of the town Wednesday even- ing, whi'e the wires flashed it to neighboring towns and dii^tant states. The sor- row of the people for whom he has so long and zealously labored, is general and nnfeigned, while they realize the void that his death has created. Mr. Gardner was born at Pownal, Bennington county, Sept. 2d, 1819, and had paa^ed his sixty-second birthday. He was the son of David Gardner, a long-time resident of that town. Graduating at Union College about 1844. he entered the Ca«;tleton law oiiice of h s uncle, Isaac T. Wright, and, after being admitted to th e bar pr. cti( ed a whilt^, we think, in Rutland county l)efore opening an ofh( e at Pow- nal. from whence he removed to Bennington. He married Jeannette Swift, from one of Bennington's best families, and a sister of Mr. Charles W. Swift, t^e well- known deputy clerk of the Bennington county court. CalU.d to mourn her loss, he subsequently re-m«rried, and at t'e time of his decease was living with his third wife, formerly Miss Mi ttie Wilma;th, sister of A. W. AVilmarth. He has for moie than twenty-five years been one of the foremos-t lawyers and business men of his county and state. A man of strong and vigorous intellect — a rlos.' student of men and books— a well-trained lawyer, conscientious and faithful in all his relations to his clients, h's fam ly, his friends and to tlie community in which he wi s born and lived— his sudden and unexpected death remove-* one who could not well be spared. He was in the front rank of the Vermont bar. In his earlier professional life he was prominent in politics. He was a member of the lowt r branch of the legislature for several years, and for two years speaker. He was a'so a member of the senate, ard for two years Lieut.-Governor. While the Republican party upheld the principles and doctrines of constitutional liberty, .Mr. Gardner was a vigorous supporter of its men and measures. After the death of Lircoln, I e, with Sumner, Chase, Greeley, Trumbull and others, being the purest and best of the party, saw his duty to oppose the men who had obtained control of the organization of their party to promote their private ends. For the last ten years Mr. Gardner has been an independent in politics, more often perhaps voting with the Democrats. He was not a member of any church,' but a man who believed in the funda- mental doctrines of the Christian religion andjived in accord with them. He was f'f a most kindly and tender disposition, without malice and 'full of charity. An affectionate husband, a most devoted father, a faithful^and reliable friend. His stricken wife, the' children he so tenderly loved, the frienHsand clients whose con- fidence he never betrayed, will miss him and mourn forthim. He had been in failing health for a few.months and fully [realized that he ,had but a short time to live. To one at least of his intimate friends, just two weeks be- fore his death, he disclosed his condition and made known his conviction that he must soon die. It is some con.solation to his family to know that the burden of his later thoughts concerned them^and their welfare, >nd, while death had no ter- rors for him, he would gladly have lived loni-er for them. 14 It was in August, 1880, that he first complained of trouble in his chest, an'I to several, outside liis immediate relatives, expressi d apprehengion that h'S remain- ing days were few. Although the immediate cause of his death was pneumonia, with whii-h he was attacked on Monday, Nov. 14, there is little doubt that heart troubJe complicated the fatal malady. FROM THE SPRINGFIELD REPUBLICAN. Vermont loses one of her most valuable citizens in the death of Abraham Brod- kins Gardner of Bennington. The Green Mountain state is not famous for the political independence of her son?, while she has a good percentage of wel -inten- ti(jned men ; and A. B. Gardner waspromirientin that small body of citizens, who, with firm convictions not regulated by mistaken loyalty to parly, voted for Horace Greeley, worked for his election and labored always for cleaner government and wiser men in office Had he Leen willinir to coddle persons of power or drift along with public opinion when his good tense told him that it was in error, he could have held any office in the gift of his .-tate. As it was he rose from represen- tative to lieutenant-governor, and, as the liberal candidate for the governorship, drew as large a vote as any independent man could poll. As speaker of the House, and later of the Senate, he was ready, fair and wise ; in private life he was ht.nor- ed and loved, and as the undisputed leader of the Bennington county bar he left impressions which will be long remembered. He was quick to see and act and wise to manage; and the success of the Bennington ceninenial cetebratii n was perhaps due more lary;tly to his generosity and his tftbrts than to any other man. Mr. Gardner was a man of rarest personal presence, with features that told his strength of mind and body. There are many outside of his state who mourn to- day that he is dead in the full development of his powers. FROM THE HOOSICK VALLEY NEWS, NORTH ADAMS, MAI-S. Hon. A. B. Gardner, well known in this village and vicinity, and for many years a l)ronnueut figure in his native State, died at his home in Bennington Centre, Vt , on the 28d of Novemher after a brief illness, of congestion of the lungs. His health had not been good for a considerable time, and it was while m Albany for the pnrp(ise of secur- ing medical advice that he was attacked with what proved his last sickness. Mr. Ganlnor was born at Pownal, Vt., in 1819, and passed his early life^ there, re- moving to Bennington Centre about thirty-five years ago where he has since resided, gaining by an upright lilt' and sterling business qualities a wide and enviable reputa- tion thronghi>ut the slate which he served repeatedly in honored and responsible posi- tions. He was a lawyer by piofession and achieved a success in his chosen field that might well gratify the highest ambition. Mr. Gardner was married three times. His first wife was Miss Jeannetle Swift of Bennington Centre, Vt. The second was Miss Cynthia Brown, step-daughter of J. L. Wilmarthof Stamford, Vt.. who left two children, M. Jennie, now a young lady of 18 years, and a student at Vassar College, and Arthur B., a lad of 13 years. His third wife who survives^him, was Miss Martha Wilmarlh, daughter of the above mentioned J. L. Wilmarth. He also leaves a little daughter five years old. In his domestic 'ife he was a kind and indulgent husband and fathei and his greatest pleasure was taken in the bosom of his family for whom he was ever willing and anxious to do all that love could suggest and liberal means provide. His profeosional and public duties could never for a moment blind him to the more sacred duties he owed to those dependent on him, and thus it was that during a long and conspicuous career as lawyer and poll 16 tician he never lost sight of the beacon light of home iior parted with those refinements which are best appreci$ted in the hoaie circle. Mr. Gardner was called repeatedly to serve his fellow citizens in positions requiring keen judgment and sound practical knowledge, and in no instance did he ever disap- point their highest e.xpectations He represented his town three times in the Legisla- ture and was once elected Speaker of the House. He was also elected to the State Sehate where his great abilities found room for congenial and useful effort, and in that capacity he did creditable service to the State and more than met the expectations of his constituency. During the war of the rebellion he was the county's candidate for Member of Congress, but was defeated by Hon. F. E. Woodbridge of Addison county in the district convention. He was afterwards elected Lieut. -Governor of the state l)y ajarge maioiity, after a flattering nomination by the Republican State convention, and in that capacity presided over the State Senate to the entire acceptance and satisfaction of all. He also held at dilTerent times the offices of Judge Advocate General, Bank Commissioner and State Prison Inspector, and represented the State in the Republican National convention in IbG-f, and also served four years as a member of the executive committee of the national committee of that party. In all of these positions Mr. Gard ner ably and satisfactorily represented the state. In town atl'airs he was also called to bear a prominent part and he served as moderator and auditor for years in succession. As a lawyer he ranked with the foremost of the State and was chiefly employed in cases where great legal acumen and foren ic ability were necessary to success. As an advo- cate and counsellor he was unsurpassed, and his pleas were always calm, but forcible and eloquent, and seldom delivered on the side he did not believe to bt right. Mr. Gardner was associated with the Eagle Sciuare Manufacturing company South Shaftsbury, as its president, and owned and carried on a large farm in the to vii of Shattsbury. In the Ba tie Monument Association he took a deep interest, was one of the earliest promoters of the project t3 celebrate the centennial of the battle of Bennington and to build a suitable monument, and his place in the Board of Directors it will be difficult to fill. He was a model man in his neighborly relations, always kind and taking a deep interest in the welfare of those associated with him in this capacity. He will be greatly missed in Bennington Centre where death has taken so many within the past f( w years. Al- tliough not a church member he was a firm supporter of the Old First Church, and worshipped with that congregation. He traced his descent from one of the Pilgrim Fathers who landed from the "May Flower," in 1620. His funeral was attended from the Old First Church last Saturday afternoon at one o'clock, many of the prominent professional men of the State being present. His mem- ory will long be cherished by the people of Vermont as that of a dutiful, honored and respected friend and citizen. Exercises by Bennington County Court. At four o'clock, Dec. 8, 1881, the bar assembled, while the case in hand was suspended for the time being, ana the chairman of the bar committee presented the resolutions with these felicitous words : REMARKS OF HON. JAS. K. BATCHELDER. Your Honors :— Smce the last term of this court it is well known to all that one of the most honored memb(;rs of this bar has been taken away from us by death. In view of this fact, upon the assembling of the court Tuesday, the bar called a meeting and ap- pointed a committee to draft resolutions to be presented before this court. Pursuant to that order of the bar the committee would now respectfully report the following resolu- tions : Whereas, A lawyer of eminent ability, a citizen without reproach, has fallen from our ranks in the midst of a career of great usefulness to the public and the profession ; therefore : Resolved, That in the death of Abraham B. Gardner tl'.e bar lias sustained the loss of one foremost in its ranks, whose high attainments, exalted character, unsullied lif» and reputation well qualified him for that distinguished leadership wherein he adorned the profession and honored the State. Resolved, That we tender to his family our profound sympathy in this hour of their great sorrow iuul desolation, with the assuiance that the remembrance of the virtues of our departed friend and brother shall ever inspire our solicitude for their highest welfare. Resolved, That these resolutions be inscribed upon the records of the court, and that a copy be furnished to the family of our deceased brother. In offering these resolutions, your Honors, I cannot refrain froni a moments' remarks about our brother who is gone. Although older in years by far than uiyseif, I have known him well ever since ray practice at the bar. His courtesy and ability as a lawyer was only equaled by his virtu- ous and high character as a citizen. How well do I recollect when I commenced the thorny road of my profession, how nmcli I hooked to him for guidance and advice, and how readily it was given me. Never did I ask him for a favor that he did not readily grant if it was not against the interests of his clients. I think I can say truthfully of him that during all the time I hive known Mr. Gard- ner 1 have never known hi'U to do an uiiprofeBsi'>nal act. Few men liieru arc in this county, coniniunity or State who have passed through so varied scenes of life as he, and who in its long and eventful course, have been so truth- ful, so upright, and so lionest as Abraham B. Gardner. 17 REMARKS OF HON. GEO. W. HARMAN. May il please -he Court :— A few days since a meeting of the bar wk.s railed, and, from the action then taken, I did not suppose I should be called upon to make any remarks at this time. In seconding the motion tor the adoption of the resolutions, I will say that I eordiaiiy ai;iee with everything contained in them, and in the remarks made by my brother Batchelder. It was niv good fortune to make the icquaintauce of Mr. Gardner inhis early life. He had been graduated from Union College and was in the law office of his uucle, the late Hon. Isaac Tichenor Wright in (Jastleton, Rutland county, when I formed his ac- quaintance. It was his custom to attend the courts, both county and supreme, at Rut- land, and it was my good fortune to room with him during all thai lime, and the ac- quaintance and intimacy thus formed, has never been marred in the leawt. Mr. Gardner, after the completion of his studies, was admitted to the bar in Rutland county, and then came to this county ; and as I used to attend the courts here our ac- quaintance was continued until 1 moved to this town about thirty-four years ago ; and ever since our relations have been of the same intimate and pleasant character. Mr. Gardner was a gentleman who never, to my knowledge, allowed himself to be ruffled. If things were said and done that would raise the "fur" upon the backs of ^some of us, they never ruffled him in the least. Mr. Gardner was a gentleman who always kept his word. I have known of his mak- ing promises, not only to the members of the bar, but to others of what he would do — ' promises involving pecuniary loss or liability, and he always made them ood. As his homely expression was at one time, "I'll do it if it takes a leg.'' Mr. Gardner wvs not the most polished in his English or erudite in his profession, but he was very fair in both, and he possessed one gift which it woulil be well if uU the bar of the whole State had it in an equal degree. He had the deepest common sense per vading his mind. He was one of the must practical men I ever saw. He had a solid, abiding judgment, so that when he had gotten the facts of a case, that innate common- sense or judgment which he had, enabled him to come to vey correct conclusions. I have often remarked, during his life time, that 1 had rather have his opinion upon a point of law than that of a great many others whom I knew, who were greatly above him in legal attainments. That quality was what raised him to the exalted position he had attained and occupied for so many years. Mr. Gardner, in his domestic relations, was very nmch afflicted. At one lime he said to me that he had had— I don't know how many children — but the number went up into the teens, and they were nearly all dead. He said that when a member of his fam- ily was sick he always intendetl to do all he could, and if the result was unfavorable he did not indulge in vain lamentations. This was true philosophy. But he loved his family and was deeply affected when a death occurred among them. 1 well remember the occasion of tiic funeral of his daughter Estelle, an accomplished and blooming maiden, when his grief was intense. I was out of town when Brother Gardner died, and I deeply regret that circumstances rendered it inexpedient for me to attend his funeral. 1 would that I could have taken a last view of his face — pleasant in death — mingled my sympathy with his sorrowing friends and laid upon his bier a token of my tender regard. REMARKS OF HON. C. N. DAVENPORT. May it phase Your Soriors: — Although not a member of this bar, it has been my 18 good fortune to be associated for the last twenty-six years with the Bennington County bar, and I have had the pleasure of meeting my professional brethren in this county as they have lived and moved, two or three times at least a year. As I look over my brethren here, I see in this bar but two men who were in practice here at the time I commenced to attend this court. Uncertain is human life, how soon it is that all are gathered to their fathers! My brother Harman was here in the county at the time I came, but he had left, for the time being, the profession he had al- ways loved and never dishonored ; because, I suppose, the material returns were not so great as outside of it; but he has come back to his first love now as every man ought to. Brothei Lyman, who still lives, was engaged in outside business. Gov. RoMnson, A. L. Miner, A. B. Gardner, Harman Cantield and others — a strong bar, and composed of as able members as there ever was of its size in the State — were here. I have been most intimately associated with Mr. Gardner. For fifteen years outside of my own family, he was my best friend. Uur clientage happened to be quite largely in this section of the country identical. For many years we were often associated together as couLsel for the same persons. Our business often took us away from tlie State, and oftentimes our families, or mem- bers of our families went with us. In all the affairs of Mr. Gardner's life I feel that these resolutions, although couched in the usual language, do not do more than justice to his memory. It is one of the good qualities of our nature that prompts us, when our friends pass away, to forget their failings and remember their virtues, and it is to our credit that we do so, and that our natural inclination is not only not to speak evil of the dead, but to say of them good. It would not be fair to say that A. B. Gardner had no weaknesses, because he had ^hem ; but he had as few weaknesses as often falls to the lot of man, and more virtues. Afliicted though he often was, there never was a kinder husband or a kinder father ; and your Honors, the best test we have of a man here on earth is to find out how those near and dear to him regard him. And the next best test — especially in regard to a lawyer— is to find out liow his clients, who have placed their interests and their all in l:is hands regard him. Now if you will look over the clients of Mr. Gardner you will find the men who were his clients a quarter of a century ago, were his clients, so far as living, when he died ; and when the fathers died the children still went to him. He lived up to the oath he took, "to do no falsehood," he was ever faithful to that oath ; he never deceived your Honors ; he acted with good faith to the court as well as to his clients. What more could be said, or ought to be said of any man ? I want to say one thing more. He was a man that looked upon the profession to which we brethren belong and to which your Honor balongs, also — he looked upon it as a high and honorable profession. He never regarded it as a trade to make money. Faithful as he was to his clients he had rather lose his cause than have injustice done. I don't know but there are men of larger legal information than Mr. Gardner. There are men who have had better opportunities. He followed in his early life, as niany oth er men have done to their loss, the idea of political honor and preferment. Had he de- voted his whole life, as he did the last fifteen years of it, to his profession, he would have had few, if any, superiors. For the last fifteen years he has been growing as a lawyer, and before, he was a good lawyer. If the young lawyers of Bennington county will take A. B. Gardner as their example and their guide, they will never dishonor their profession or themselves. 19 REMARKS OF HON. TARRANT SJBLEY. 1 cannot let this occasion puss your Honore without apeakintr a won! hen- in comec- tion with these resolutions. A irrcat deal has already been said and very well said in behalf of our late brother. miuI 1 fully endorse all that has been said licic. I fully endorse these resolutions as tiiey are drawn up and signed. My experience, perhaps my social and professional relations, with my brother ante- date those of any member of the bar here present. Our relations have always been the m»st intimate, social and professional, witliout interruption or jar, from the time we were a Iniitted to the bar until the time he was removed by death. My first acquaintance with Mr. Gardner was in college life, and after that we were admitted to the bar at-about the same time. We located in Benniniiton village, where the court house and the pul)lic business of the court was then being done. We have been associated together a great many tiiues, and we have in our professional life been pitted against each other. We have fought the battle (o'er and o'er) over this table and at Manchester, and during all this time there has never been a particle of discord in our social life. We have lived near together and in all our r<;lalions soc^iHlly we have stood together. We had both arrived to over three-score years, and to have our associations thus sua- deuly broken has for me cast a pall over this bar, and it casts a shadow not only over his professional brethren, but over the village, over the town and .'ver the State ; wherever he was known he was everywhere respected. It is a sad loss, not only to the professional brethren of this bar, but to the public at large. Stricken down when his sun was almost in the meridian — in the heighth of his useful- ness I Stricken down in the way he was, it gave a shock to all his friends. There is a vacant chair ! and that chair will be vacant while I am allowed still to re- main and carry on the profession of the law. His memory is cherished. I never shall attend a term of court without missing the friend of my youth, the man who has stood by me, shoulder to shoulder, and worked in the harness with me for more than forty years. 1 will close by saying " Peace to his ashes.'" REMARKS OF HON. H. K. FOWLER. May it please your Honojs :— l\Ir. Gardner was by a few months my junior and as we were admitted to the bar about the same time we may be said to belong to the same class. We were indeed boys together, I well reiuember the time when my brother Tarrant Sibley and Mr. Gardner of Bennington, and Hun. E. li. Burton and myself of Manchester, were called "the boys. '" We were all admitted about the same time and age, Mr. Gardner being the youngest. The men, the lawyers at that time were my friend Hon. A. L. Miner and his veuerable partner Gov. Sargeaut, Gov. Hall and his partner A. P. Lyman, Gov. John S. Robinson, Judge Pierpont Isham, Wm. S. South- worth, Uel M. Robinson, Henry Kellogg, Harmon Cantield and Daniel Roberts — the latter then quite a youngerly man. They composed a strong and efficient bar. But most of these veterans have preceded Mr. Gardner to the grave. A few only remain as reminiscences of ;j8 years agt). It reminds us that boys become men, that men grow old, and that we all — both young and '^Id— must soon pass away. I feel that I must adtl a few more words as a tribute of respect to my deceased con- temporary and friend. Mr. Gardner possessed a happy blending of those peculiar traits and characteristics essential to worth and greatness. He was always social, genial, gen- 20 erous, kind and courteous. He had a dignified, gentlemanly bearing, yet was free from arrogance and ostentation. He was a man of easy approach and acquaintance and of lasting friendships. He was the friend of all — the emmy of none. The history of his professional life and care.r — could it be written in detail — would aflford us a befitting commentary to study, a profitable example to follow. His un- questioned integrity, his inflexible fidelity and his unblemished character secured the confidence of all; his studious habits and great attainments enabled him to render effi- cient aid to his employers, while his generosity and moderate charges placed his distin- guished abilities within the reach of the poor as well as the rich, and gave him a wide- spread professional popularity and resulted in his building up a large and lucrative prac- tice. He was a success. He attained an eminence to which, however much we may strive, we cannot all expect to reach — the leadership of the bar. But he has gone — stricken down in the midst of his usefulness, at the zenith of an honorable and successful career. Yes, the youngest of "the boys" has left us. His seat among us is vacant. We miss him and deplore the loss. This bar is smitten with grief. The village in which he lived, the town and county of Bennington, nay the State of Vermont, has had a sad bereavement. The occasion leads us to inquire who next will be the subject of an obituary bar meeting? I know it is not a pleasant theme to contemplate, yet it is an important matter. It is a crisis that lies in the pathway of us all — a crisis 1 hope we may all be prepared to meet with the record of a life as pure and as well spent as he for whom we mouru. REMARKS OF H. A. HARM AN, ESQ. May it please the Court : — While there is no member of the bar here present, whose recollections of the deceased are not of the most pleasant nature possible, yet it was my privilege to sustain toward him a peculiar and intimate relation, since during the past six years and more he has been my my constant companion and my friend. As I have been Ustening to the reminiscences which others have here detailed, it has seemed to me that I could do little more, perhaps, than strew upon his grave some of the hum- ble flowers I might pick up from the walks of daily life. Mr. Gardner, in his daily life, was the same man that he has been described in his public career. Those admirable traits, which we have heard commended and which so endeared him to the public, became thus admirable because they were merely the outcome of his ordinary life and thought. And if there were any one feature of his life I would especially dwell on — aay one lesson I would teach to those who are to come after him — it was this fidelity to his clients which has been here alluded to. While Mr. Gardner never did injustice to any, in or out of court, yet if any one principle were peculiarly marked about him, it was iiis faithfulness under all cir- cumstances to those who had employed him. No concern of his own personal inter- ests, no matter of importance to his friends was ever allowed to intrude between him- self and his sacred professional duty ; so that always the thought in his mind and the question upon his lips, in his private consultations as well as in his public efforts, was ''What is for the best interests of the client whom I now represent in the matter under consideration?" Mr. Gardner was not only all that has been said of him as a man of common sense and of excellent judgment; he was even more than has been said of him; he was a lawyer. When I first became interested with him as a partner, I know it was a mat- ter of continual surprise to me to observe how familiar he was, not only with the great principles of ihe law, but with the decisions of the courts. And while perhaps during 21 the last yea'" or two he was inclined, as every such man is, to repose a little upon the laurels he had won before, yet I have found that whenever I went to him for consulta- tion I received good counsel. But he is no more ; there is, as has just been said, a vacant chair amonfj; us which S&u never be tilled wltiiin any of our lifetimes. The least I can say is that I have lost a friend whose place earth can never supply ; that no matter how aged 1 may come to be, 1 shall look back, to my connection with him as one of the greenest spots in the vis- ta of my life, and one which I can never hope to find repeated. REMARKS OF A. P. CHILDS, ESQ. Your Honors : — In the sorrow that pervades the hearts of the bar and which invades the homes and hearts of theen.ire community, is Letokened a deep and enduring sense of personal loss and bereavement, seldom so universally felt by the people. Were the one whom we so deeply lament not my friend — the friend of humanity — I wou (I refrain from placing my humble tribute upon his bier. I knew Abraham B. Gardner well and intimately, and during the past ten years I was at his fireside nearly every week, and during all our cordial relations I never knew him to suggest an unworthy thought or act. We have met amid the scenes of sorrow and joy, sickness and health, and 1 mourn his untimely death as a separation from a con- stant, sincere and devoted friend. It is difficult to measure in words the perfect and complete stature of such a chiracter as the departed. Young men like myself, per- liaps, are apt to render the tribute impelled by the bestowal of favors from their sen- iors, rather than to accord careful and just estimate of character ; but there need be no fear of over-praise in honormg the memory of our fallen brother. He was an unselfish man : as far above duplicity as are the heavens above the earth, while his character and life was as remote from hypocrisy as are foreign climes from our own country. His wonderful fertility of thought and breadth of mind caused him ever to take broad and conservative views of men and affairs. His life was replete with all that is faithful, true and ennobling, while liis generosity and sobriety were prominent attributes of his exalted demeanor. No one in need or distress ever found a braver or truer champion, a wiser or better counsellor and friend. He ever extended the hand of aid and fellowship to his juniors at the bar, ever encouraged, never ob- structed their progress. The multitude of sorrows that came to his own family and home mellowed his tender heart to pity II in affliction, causing manly tears and worthy deeds of love and sympathy. But this man of great worth and ability has gone in the very zenith of his honor and fame, leaving us in sadness and mourning. He did not fear death, though long forewarned of the approach of the grim messenger, his great, though gentle spirit, was calm and impprturhed. The flowers of praise which we scatter above his bier will wither, and fade, and die, but the fragrance of his memory, his man- ly, dignified bearing, his illustrious example will survive long years after the lips and heart.s that now bespeak his worth are as mute as his whom we so deeply lament. REMARKS OF HON. LOVELAND MUNSON. FourJE^onora.-— It so liaj)pe ed th it a short time before Mr. G.irdner died I rode with him from Pownal across tlie hillsto Bennington. Our road led through a. sect i >n en irely new to me, but familiar to Mr. Gardner from his earliest years. An in- quiry or two of mine soon directed bis attention to surrounding obj^'Cts, and dur- ini: (he whole ride his conversation was full of pleasant reminiscencfs, family an- ecdote.s and scraps of local hii^toiy. He pointed out to to me tlie house where he was b Tn, the field- familiar to hi'u in childhood, the tree, now urrown to lar^e pro- 22 portions, which when a boy he carried on his shouhler to the place of it^ trans- l>laMting. He showed me the p'aces where he liad b^en a frequent and delighted visitor in his boyhood, and told of the people wh i lived and labor t-d there a half century ago. H, as present information leads me to believe may have been the case, he was thus leviewiiig "he scenes and associations of early life under a con- viction that his e trthly career Wiis near its end, it was done so ch^ erfuUv and un- reservedly that I had no susp'cion "f the fac'. Subdued and tender in tone but entirely free from aiy tinge of sa'lnes< or regret, it seemed to me only the natural expression of one who had carried a youthful heart into the fulness of years, and retained in the i lianged relations of a hnsy and successful life, a strong affection for his early friends ■,^ud ids native town. I esteem niyselt fortunate that among the latest recoUe'tions of our deceased brother, I have the memory of an occasion free from the deman'ls of biisines«, where he was simply the genial friend and companion — kindl5% charital)'e and ope -hearted. A few days Inter his ca- reer of activiiy was brou'jht t > a su. deii and, as it seemed to me, untimely end. But in the yeus of life allotted him how much there was of kindly a sist