William Stevens
Stevens was the brother-in-law and partner of Thomas W. Bartley; his wife the sister of our townsman, Mr. John C. Larwill. His first home in Mansfield was on the corner of Third and Water Streets (Adams newly named), in a dwelling house built by Adam Poe, one of the great preachers of northern Ohio. Selling that, Mr. Stevens built a new residence on Main Street, west side, between First and Second Streets. It was in its day a beautiful home. Mr. Stevens was elected prosecuting attorney of the county, having defeated Geo. W. Geddes, who was the Whig candidate. He was not a great lawyer nor a great man, not as industrious as Judge Bartley, nor gifted in any measure approaching the gifts of Bartley. Kirkwood succeeded him as the partner of Bartley and Stevens succeeded Kirkwood as prosecuting attorney. Still I remember the fact that when I was first a student-at-law Stevens was in full practice, and was at times associated with John Sherman in the trial of cases. He was negligent in his personal appearance, careless in his dress and indifferent in his manners, and not ambitious even for the acquirement of fortune. In 1873 I made a trip to Kansas City with Mr. John Wood on professional business, which made necessary a call on one of the leading merchants of that busy, growing city. It so happened that the day we arrived there was one day after a municipal election, and it developed in our call that the merchant was the successful candidate for the mayorality, and a Democrat. As we entered the counting room of the merchant we spied our old friend, Wm. Stevens, Esq., with hat all battered, minus a shirt collar, coat worn thread-bare and his tout-ensemble was any thing but inviting. You see, dear SHIELD, there had been a Democratic victory. As Mr. Stevens took us in, quickly recognizing old friends, grasping our hands in turn, and with warm words of welcome, yet possibly conscious that two pairs of eyes were scanning his foot-gear and head-gear and clothing generally, he doffed the stove pipe hat and remarked: "I am still one of the unwashed Democracy." He had every opportunity in the west for abundant success. Friends east in Ohio who commanded large resources, were at his service, but he was content to live without making great effort or seeing great results. Had Wm. Stevens been thrown wholly from the first on his own resources, compelled to face poverty or win wealth, I verily believe he would have achieved a great success. He was in the days of his residence at Mansfield an author and wrote and published a book, now out of print, entitled the "Unjust Judge". He quarreled with Stewart, with Kirkwood, and in his book he delineated Stewart to his own estimate and measure of the man as the "Unjust Judge" and one of the personæ of his story he nominated "Old Yellow Coat" and that appellative fitted none save Kirkwood. There may be some stray copies of the book in some of the libraries of Mansfield, I know not, but it is a fact, and should not be lost in history, that in the bar of Richland in the olden time we find authors and painters, doctors and preachers, yet all at one time disciples of Blackstone and devotees of the law. Mr. Stevens might have taken rank and position in the profession in Missouri and Kansas and reached the bench had he been more industrious and energetic. He lacked not brains, but orderly brains; not knowledge, but the disposition to use that knowledge to the utmost. I may express myself too freely, but if he were alive and would read this sketch he would not regard the criticism as unjust or unwise.
From The Richland Shield & Banner, November 17, 1894