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 resided
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 1821. 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 answers, 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 accidents and
hazards of the profession, he gained some victories.
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