| OCR Text |
Show Land Fraud Cases Hasten Judge's Death Judpe. Bellinger Dica in Portland Worry Over Downfall of Friends a Contributary Cause. PORTT.ANT, Or , May U Judge Charles B Bellinger of the United State District court for the district of Oregon, died this afternoon at 3.40 o'clock of a complication of diseases Strain Was Too Great. Judge Bellinger wis taken seriously 111 Just after reaching his decision on the plea In abatement fllerl by United States Senator M ti hell in the land fraud cases. Tho tremendous strain attendant upon the preparation of Such a momentous decision greatly sapped 'he vitallU of the lurlst and one complication after another In his condition made themselves apparent. appar-ent. This morning J.idge Bellinger, surrounded sur-rounded by MS family, lapsed Into uncon- Bclousness. Powerful stimulants were administered, ad-ministered, but with no good effect, death ensuing thl afternoon. Saw Friends Indicted. For the past year Judge Re'.llnger tin.i heeii listening to the unfolding of tho story of the Oregon land fr.uids He has i in men whom he knew nnd respei ted for years drawn Into the net of thrt Government. Gov-ernment. Indicted and charged with crimes nnd misdemeanors and has been compelled In the strict performance of his eluty nj Judge of a T'nlfed State? court to put aside lifelong ties and all frlendlv feeling and to deride points at Issue which meruit either the ruin of these friends or their acquittal of all charges. Had to Decide Against Them. In almost every case Judge Bellinger found It his duty to decide ngnlnst his friends, and this weighed heavily upon him. Was Born in Illinois. Charles B. Bellinger was born at Ma-quon, Ma-quon, III Novernher 21 lVtO His pnrents brought him to ( iregon In 1M7. when he was K years old Judge Bellinger's education edu-cation was obtained in the common BChOOlS Of Marlon ..unity. Oregon, and nt the W illamette university, Salem. He was admitted to the bar In lfc3. but practiced prac-ticed law for only a year, when he became be-came editor of the Arena, a Democratic newspaper published at Salem. Elected to Legislature. Poor health terminated his connection with the paper two years later As a re- ' suit of the prominent part he took In the political rleld he wss elected to the legislature legis-lature on the democratic tick I He came to Portland to reside In 7.1. nnd assumed editorial control of the Daily Bvenlng News, which he held about a year, when he. was appointed Prosecuting Attorne. During the Modoi war he sej-v erl with such distinction i. Colonel of his regiment regi-ment that he was commended for gallantry gal-lantry In action by Gen. Whcaton. Member Prominent Law Firm. In 1880 he formed a law partnership with ex-United States Senator J. H Dolp i Hon. Cyriia A Oolph Judge Ru- fu Mallory and ex'UnUed Suites Senator Sena-tor Joseph Simon, as Dolph, Re-lllnger, Mallory & Simon, which for several vears was the ni"St prominent law firm In "this State He withdrew from the tirm In 1888, when anpolnted Judge of the I'nlted States TjTstrlct court of (.iregon bj President Grover Cleveland Decisions Were Sustained. Judge Bellinger was a law or well versed In the knowledge of his profession. profes-sion. In addition, he possessed a finely balanced Judicial mind. a Is evidenced bv the number of his decisions sustained hy the Appellate court. His Ideas of equity were strict which, with the fact that he had no political affiliations with or antagonisms an-tagonisms to the defendants In the present pres-ent land fraud cases, fitted him peculiarly to try these cases with Justice. Came at Inopportune Time. For these reasons Judge Bellinger's death came al an Inopportune time, and la regretted equally by an persons con-necterl con-necterl with the important cas is What hearing his death will have on the land fraud cases Is at present purely a matter of speculation. |
