GEORGE SEWALL BOUTWELL. II 



buildings, and in a word did what no other authority in the 

 county or State had a right to do. Mr. Butler was a Whig, 

 and after a time his politics lost him the office of postmaster 

 and the office of commissioner. 



With Bradford Russell I commenced the study of law, or 

 rather I entered my name with him and gave some night work 

 to the study of books bearing upon the profession. His office 

 was over the store in which I became a clerk in December, 

 1835, Russell was a graduate of Harvard, of the class of 

 1818. For many years two other members of that class re- 

 sided at Groton — Dr. Joshua Green, and the Rev. Charles 

 Robinson, pastor of the old society, then ranked as Unitarian. 

 Mr. Russell had studied his profession with Judge James 

 Prescott, who was impeached and removed from the office of 

 Judge of Probate for the county of Middlesex in the year 

 1 82 1. Judge Prescott, whom I never saw, was a good lawyer 

 in his time, especially in the department of special pleading. 

 That branch of the profession was then passing away, but 

 there were lawyers who lived by their skill in preparing an- 

 swers, rejoinders, sur-rejoinders, rebutters, and sur-rebutters. 

 Russell had acquired a large amount of special learning in the 

 law, but he had not capacity to comprehend principles, nor 

 could he see the application of old decisions to new cases. In 

 argument he was weak and inconclusive, but he was confident 

 in his own powers, and favored as he was at times by the acci- 

 dents and hazards of the profession, he gained some victories. 

 In the final trials at the county court he usually secured the 

 services of senior counsel who could meet Farley, his usual 

 antagonist, upon an equality of standing. Most frequently he 

 secured the services of Sam Mann of Lowell, as he was called. 

 The name of the town was affixed generally, as though the 

 advocate had been so christened. 



Mann was able, confident, and bold. He died young, after 

 a brilliant career. In many cases Mann and Farley were as- 

 sociated. When this combination appeared, the opposing 

 counsel were hard-pressed, usually. In those days a story was 

 set afloat which, though false, gave voice to the popular notion. 

 When the court was held at Cambridge, Farley and Mann 



