Ogden Evening Standard | 1911-12-30 | Page 7 | Judge is at His Own Funeral

JUDGE IS AT HIS OWN FUNERAL Judge J. D. Murphy opened police court this morning for the last time In his present term being succeeded next Tuesday by Judge-elect V. H. Reeder, Jr on what promised to bo an unoventful sitting. Three drunks were the only prisoners to face Judge Murphy and all three were turned loose, tho Judgc remarking that as It was his last chance ho was disposed to bo lenient """ Court was then adjourned, but within with-in a few minutes a number of members mem-bers of the Ogden bar arrived, headed head-ed by Judge Hcywood, and court was rcconened. Short addresses were delivered de-livered by C A Boyd, Val Gideon and T R. Johnson Each one speaking in a happy vein, congratulated Judge' Murphy on his threo terms of excellent excel-lent service as a police magistrate and welcomed him back to the fold of practicing attornoys Judge Murphy, In roplvlng, spoko of his continued servico on the bench an-1 of the legal profession as a whole, saying that nowhere else was tho spirit spir-it "of brotherhood and friendship moro closely maintained "Every man makes mistakes," said Judgo Murphy, "and I hae made many, but each mistake I have made I have, In a measure, tried to rectify by endeavoring not to make the samo mistake twice No one, I think, can say I have over ylolded to outsldo influenco nor has an opinion ever heen written for me during my service serv-ice on tho bench Ot a naturally pugnacious pug-nacious disposition, a fighter by instinct, in-stinct, it has often been hard for mo to keep from taking sides or allowing myself to bo divortea from tho purely pure-ly judicial aspect of the case. "Several of mv brother membera of tho bar have referred to this meeting as a funeral In which I enjoy tho distinction dis-tinction of being ablo to be present at my own obsequies, but I feel rather rath-er that it Is a resurrection, that 1 am being freed " . 00