Eulogy To The Dog
Sir Edward Marshall Hall KC. English Barrister 1858 – 1927
George Graham Vest. Politician and Lawyer. 1830 – 1904
If you are in a court of law you pin your hopes on the quality of the advocate that represents you. As in any profession, there are good, not so good and some who are exceptional and they, in turn, can become famous, not necessarily because they are the best lawyers but because they are the most extraordinary orators.
In the UK one example was Edward Marshall Hall who was not generally considered to be a brilliant lawyer, but an incredible orator who was responsible for saving many from the gallows and became known as The Great Defender. Edward Marshall Hall proved that despite the weight of evidence a passionate final address to the jury could change the verdict.
In the USA one such man was George Graham Vest a Missouri Congressman who was a highly skilled debater and orator.
The Case
The court case was very simple. The plaintiff Charles Burden was the owner of a dog called Old Drum who was allegedly shot by the defendant Leonidas Hornsby. This occurred on the sheep farm of Hornsby who had lost a number of sheep to wolves and stray dogs. He was on record as saying he would shoot the next dog he found on his property. Charles Burden then sued Leonidas Hornsby for the sun of $50 the maximum allowed at the time. The dispute resulted in four separate trials and even reached the Missouri Supreme Court.
During the trial that featured the famous speech, George Graham Vest is quoted as saying he would “win the case or apologise to every dog in Missouri”
George Graham Vest will forever be known for his final address to the jury where he made no mention of the evidence, totally ignored the testimony of the witnesses, did not mention Old Drum and proceeded to give what is now known as the Eulogy To The Dog. His address to the jury that day has guaranteed his place in history and the admiration of animal lovers worldwide.
September 23rd 1870
The Courthouse
Warrensburg, Missouri
Gentlemen of the jury;
The best friend a man has in this world may turn against him and become his enemy. His son or daughter that he has reared with loving care may prove ungrateful. Those who are nearest and dearest to us, those whom we trust with our happiness and our good name, may become traitors to their faith. The money a man has, he may lose. It flies away from him, perhaps when he needs it the most. A man’s reputation may be sacrificed in a moment of ill-considered action. The people who are prone to fall on their knees to do us honour when success is with us may be the first to throw the stone of malice when failure settles its cloud upon our heads. The one absolutely unselfish friend that a man can have in this selfish world, the one that never deserts him and the one that never proves ungrateful or treacherous is his dog.Gentlemen of the jury;
A man’s dog stands by him in prosperity and poverty, in health and in sickness. He will sleep on the cold ground, where the wintry winds blow and the snow drives fiercely if only he can be by his master’s side. He will kiss the hand that has no food to offer, he will lick the wounds and sores that come in encounters with the roughness of the world. He guards the sleep of his pauper master as if he were a prince. When all other friends desert, he remains. When riches take wings and reputation falls to pieces, he is as constant in his love as the sun in its journey through the heavens.
If fortune drives the master forth an outcast in the world, friendless and homeless, the faithful dog asks no higher privilege than that accompanying him to guard against danger, to fight against his enemies and when the last scene of all comes and death takes the master in its embrace and his body is laid away in the cold ground, no matter if all other friends pursue their way, there by the graveside will be the noble dog be found, his head between his paws, his eyes sad but open in alert watchfulness, faithful and true even to death”.
Further Information
For those who would like to know more about Edward Marshall Hall, there is a TV series called “In The Shadow Of The Noose”. Edward Marshall Hall is portrayed by Jonathon Hyde.
For the television buffs amongst you. In a 1964 episode of the American TV series Death Valley Days, George Graham Vest is portrayed by Ronald Reagan, who recites the speech. It is available on YouTube here.
And my opinion?
As someone who has seen first-hand the catastrophic consequences of a loose dog on a sheep farm without the presence of the owner, my sympathies would be with the farmer.
Despite this, I can only admire the eloquence of George Graham Vest in his address to the jury, particularly as I cannot find any reliable reference to the man ever owning a dog!
“In a perfect world all dogs would have a home and every home would have a dog.”
Anon
Related Tails
