Hon. P. L. Hubbard, of Atchison, succeeded Judge Price on the bench March 2, 1872, and served until January 8, 1877, and following Judge Hubbard, Hon. Alfred G. Otis was elected judge of the second judicial district January 8, 1877, and served until January, 1881. Judge Otis was born in Cortland county, New York, December 13, 1828, and came to Kansas in October, 1855, and immediately became engaged in land litigation, which at that time was very active here. During the early career of Judge Otis in Atchison county, and for many years thereafter, land litigation was the chief source of revenue for lawyers. There were no great corporations then as now; no railroads for clients, and aside from land litigation and a general practice of the law, including criminal cases, there was but little business for lawyers. At that time the criminal practice was not looked upon with the same disapprobation on the part of the profession as it is in these days. A good criminal lawyer then was an ornament to the profession, and a good criminal advocate was in constant demand and his services brought him large remuneration. Judge Otis was a Democrat, but a Union man, and in addition to his activities in his profession, he was also prominent in the business affairs of the town, and for a long time took an active part in the management of the Atchison Savings Bank, of which he was for many years president. Judge Otis died in Atchison May 7, 1912.
Judge Otis was succeeded by Hon. David Martin in January, 1881. Judge Martin served until April, 1887, and was one of the eminent members of the Atchison county bar. In personal appearance he was unique among his fellows, and in physical appearance was the counterpart of Dickens’ famous Mr. Pickwick. He was a partner of B. P. Waggener for a number of years, and was subsequently elected to the position of chief justice of the supreme court of Kansas, where he served with great distinction. He was a thorough lawyer and a scholar. He died at Atchison March 2, 1901.
It was between the terms of Judge Price and Judge David Martin that the bar of Atchison county reached its greatest eminence, and, while there have been good lawyers here since that time, there never has been a period in the history of the county when there were so many brilliant practitioners at the bar. During several years following Judge Martin, the second judicial district, which constituted Atchison county alone, was torn by internal dissension, and upon the resignation of Judge Martin, Hon. H. M. Jackson was elected to the bench, April 1, 1887, and served until January, 1888. There never was a more conscientious or painstaking lawyer a resident of Atchison than Judge Jackson. He was not only a fine lawyer, but he was a good citizen, useful to clients and the public alike. At his death, May 7, 1912, he left a large practice, which has since been conducted by his son, Z. E. Jackson. Following a bitter contest, Hon. W. D. Gilbert succeeded Judge Jackson in January, 1888, and served until 1889, and then came Hon. Robert N. Eaton, whose term began in January, 1889, and ended in January, 1893. Judge Eaton was succeeded by Hon. W. D. Webb, who in turn was succeeded by Hon. W. T. Bland, who served from January, 1897, to January, 1902, and resigned to go into the wholesale drug business. Hon. Benjamin F. Hudson, one of the oldest practitioners at the bar, succeeded Judge Bland and served until October 11, 1909, and was succeeded by Hon. William A. Jackson, the present judge, a sketch of whose career appears in another part of this history.
During the turbulent years that followed the organization of the second judicial district, down to 1916, there was no greater lawyer at the Atchison county bar than B. P. Waggener, about whom there appears an historical sketch in another part of this history. Mr. Waggener, in addition to being a native genius, inherited or acquired a faculty for unremitting toil. These qualifications make him stand out in 1916 as a brilliant leader of his profession in Atchison county. He has been associated as a partner with many men who have been preëminent in their profession at different periods in his career, Horton, Martin and Doster, all of whom served as chief justices of the State, were his partners, and in addition to these, Aaron S. Everest was at one time a partner under the firm name of Everest & Waggener. In January, 1876, this firm was appointed general attorneys for northern Kansas of the Missouri Pacific and the Central Branch railroads, and from that date to 1916 Mr. Waggener has been in the constant service of this road, first as general attorney and later as general counsel for the states of Kansas, Nebraska and Colorado.
Col. Aaron S. Everest was an interesting member of this bar. He was a native of Plattsburg, N. Y., and located in Kansas in 1871. His first partner was A. G. Otis, and when he and Mr. Waggener were associated, they were not only attorneys for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company, but for the Pacific Express Company, the Western Union Telegraph Company, three Atchison banks, the Atchison Bridge Company, and the firm was also connected with the Union Pacific Railroad Company. Mr. Everest retired from active practice a number of years before his death, having acquired a comfortable fortune in the practice of law and in business operations. He died in St. Louis a number of years ago.
The present membership of the Atchison county bar is composed of lawyers of fine abilities, and the active members are as follows: James W. Orr, for many years a partner of Mr. Waggener, and now special counsel for the Government in important litigation against the Central Pacific railroad; W. P. Waggener, general attorney for the Missouri Pacific Railway Company in Kansas; J. M. Challiss, former county attorney, and a member of the firm of Waggener, Challiss & Crane, of which A. E. Crane is the other member; W. A. Jackson, district judge; Charles J. Conlon, county attorney, C. D. Walker and T. A. Moxcey, both of whom were former county attorneys; W. E. Brown, city attorney; Z. E. Jackson, of the firm of Jackson & Jackson; Judge J. L. Berry. P. Hayes, Hugo Orlopp, E. W. Clausen, Ralph U. Pfouts, Charles T. Gundy, judge of the city court, George L. Brown, William Q. Cain, and Andrew Deduall.
CHAPTER XIX
MEDICAL PROFESSION.
FIRST PHYSICIANS—EARLY PRACTICE—PIONEER REMEDIES—MODERN MEDICINE AND SURGERY—PROMINENT PHYSICIANS AND SURGEONS—ATCHISON COUNTY MEDICAL SOCIETY.
Any history of this county would be incomplete did it not dwell at some length upon the activities of the splendid service rendered the community by the physicians and surgeons who were among the earliest arrivals upon the frontier, and have presided at the births and administered to the sick and dying for the past sixty years.
It was peculiarly fitting and appropriate when Atchison was born, that a prominent physician of those days was on hand to assist in the delivery. In truth, Dr. J. H. Stringfellow was not only the physician in charge, but he also was one of the parents, and from that time to the present the medical profession has been active in the affairs of the county. There have been many splendid representatives of the profession here since the days of Dr. Stringfellow, and the vicissitudes and trials and hardships they went through make up a romantic chapter in our history. The oldest physician in the city of Atchison in 1916 in point of service is Dr. E. T. Shelly, and it might be said, without disparagement to others, he is not only the oldest, but he is perhaps held in as high esteem and respect as any other physician who ever practiced here. Dr. Shelly combines the qualities that make for good citizenship. He treats his profession as a good Christian treats his religion. He is a man of ideals, of vision, of integrity, and his life rings true. Yet, withal, Dr. Shelly is not a professional hermit. While his profession comes first, he does not allow it to exclude him from an active interest and participation in the affairs of life. He is a student of political and economic questions, an essayist, and a vigorous advocate of a liberal democracy. His views on these questions are wholesome and instructive, but it is to the profession of medicine that Dr. Shelly addressed himself in a recent interview the author of this history had with him, and his views were expressed as follows: