Democratic Sentinel, Volume 18, Number 7, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 2 March 1894 — HORNBLOWER AND BANGS. [ARTICLE]

HORNBLOWER AND BANGS.

A Story About Two Noted Now York Lawyers. When the news of the rejection of William B. Hornblower for Justice of the Supreme Court of the United States by the Senate Judiciary Committee in Washington reached this city, in the general discussion in law offices over the affair there were many comments as to the origin of the name Hornblower. A knot of lawyers in an office in the Equitable Building were debating whether the name was of German or of Holland Dutch origin, when a well-known lawyer with gray hair and gray side whiskers remarked with a smile: “Gentlemen, I cannot help to solve the antiquity of the word Hornblower, but I can illustrate its application on a certain occasion.” Having thus adroitly stimulated the curiosity of his friends, who begged him to proceed with the story, the lawyer continued : “You may remember the intense interest the public took in the GrantWard failure and in the subsequent hearings in which creditors sought to recover from the wreck a slice of their investments. Many hearings took place, most of them in the law office of Julien T. Davies, in the bank building, Broadway and Wall street. “Mr. Hornblower was one of the counsel retained. Another was the late Francis Bangs, a remarkably good lawyer and aggressive to a degree, while he kept up a flow of wit and humor at the expense of his adversary. “On the occasion I speak of Mr. Davies’ office was crowded. It was a very important hearing. A witness was expected to testify on a vital pojnj in the proceedings. •“The witness was detained a long time for some reason and the silence grew painful. It was a dignified hearing and no one spoke. At last when every one in the room hoped something would happen to relieve the monotony Mr. Bangs, who had been fidgeting in his chair, put his elbow on the table, leaned as far as he could toward Mr. Hornblower on the opposite side, and said in a hoarse whisper that was heard all over the room: “‘I say, Hornblower!’ “Mr. Homblower raised his eyebrows inquiringly. “ ‘lt’s awfully still here, isn’t it?’ “Mr. Homblower nodded assent. Mr. Bangs continued impressively: 44 ‘Our names are so noisy you would think they could be heard out on Broadway, wouldn’t you?’ “A shout of laughter at the sally took the edge from the silence, and there was renewed laughter when Mr. Hornblower rejoined: 14 ‘We’d make a good German “gutter band,” you with the bass drum, and I with the trombone.’ “The looked for witness arrived, and the lawyers turned gravely to their work.”—[New York Herald.