Biography of James E. Pomeroy, pages 424/425/426/427. History of DeKalb County, Indiana; B. F. Bowen & Company, Inc., Indianapolis, 1914. In no profession is there a career more open to talent then is that of the law, and in no field of endeavor is there demanded a more careful preparation, a more thorough appreciation of the absolute ethics of life or of the underlying principled which form the basis of all human rights and privileges. Unflagging application and intuitive wisdom and determination fully to utilize the means at hand, are the concomitants which insure personal success and prestige in this great profession, which stands as the stern conservator of justice; and it is one into which none should enter without a recognition of the obstacles to be encountered and overcome and the battles to be won, for success does not perch on the banner of every one who enters the competitive fray, but comes only as the legitimate result of capability. Possessing all the requisite qualities of the able lawyer, James E. Pomeroy stand today among the eminent practitioners of DeKalb county, Indiana. James E. Pomeroy was born on December 14, 1867, at Canal Fulton, Stark county, Ohio, and he is the son of Francis M. and Mary (Duley) Pomeroy. The Pomeroy family, though originally of Norman blood, was, during a thousand years in the British Isles, so mixed with Scotch and Irish blood, that the subject may legitimately claim Scotch-Irish ancestry. The branches of the family in England, Ireland, and America are descended from Sir Ralph de Pomeroy, who was an aide-de-camp under William the Conqueror in his conquest in England. In 1730 a descendant of his, Thomas Pomeroy, came from Liverpool to America and located near Chambersburg, Pennsylvania, he being one of the first two white families to locate west of the Susquehanna river. His second son, John, was a noted foe of the Indians. About the close of the French and Indian war Thomas Pomeroy’s family and about twenty other settlers at Chambersburg were massacred by Indians. Colonial troops were raised, of which John Pomeroy was made colonel, and under his leadership they pursued and punished the Indians so effectively that he was ever afterwards called Colonel John Pomeroy, the Indian Killer. Subsequently he moved to Westmoreland county, Pennsylvania, where, in 1782, he became lieutenant-colonel of the First Battalion of Westmoreland County Militia and was in actual service on the frontier of that county. Three of his sons moved in 1816, to near Wooster, Wayne county, Ohio, of whom the youngest, Francis, the great-grandfather of the subject of this sketch, settled in what is now a part of Stark county, Ohio, and there his descendants have continued to reside to the present time. James E. Pomeroy received his elementary education in the public schools of his home town, graduating from the high school in 1884. Immediately afterwards, through the influence of James Sterling, one of the leading attorneys of that county, he was prevailed upon to enter the latter’s office and take up the study of law. About that time, however, he was thrown upon his own resources and, by force of circumstances, he engaged in teaching school until he was twenty-seven years old. In the meantime he had continued his legal studies in the Northern Indiana University, at Valparaiso, Indiana, and in March, 1895, he realized in a measure his ambition by being admitted to the bar of DeKalb county at Auburn. On October 4, 1904, he was admitted to practice in the supreme court and to the United States district court at Indianapolis in 1905. Since his admission to the bar Mr. Pomeroy has remained in the practice of his profession at Auburn, and has built up a large and remunerative clientele. It is scarce less than supererogation in outlining the leading facts in his life to refer to him as a lawyer in the ordinary phraseology which meets requirements when dealing with the average member of the legal profession. He has been indeed much more than eminently successful in his legal career, for he has become a master in his profession and leader among men distinguished for the high order of their legal ability. As a member of the bar Mr. Pomeroy has faithfully and honestly discharged his duty. He has always counseled and maintained such actions and defenses only as have appeared to him to be just, and he has never been known to reject from any consideration personal to himself the cause of the defenseless or depressed. He has never sought to employ means other than such as have been entirely consistent with truth, and has never sought to mislead the court of jury by any artifice or false statement of fact or law, but has adhered so closely to the established code of ethics that he has merited the confidence which is placed in him by his fellow members of the bar. Mr. Pomeroy has been connected with most of the really important cased which have been tried in the DeKalb court since entering practice and has been notably successful in his efforts. One of the most noted of these cases was that of Grover Ensley, who was accused of murdering his wife’s paramour and who was defended by Mr. Pomeroy. The evidence at the coroner’s inquest showed that the defendant had taken both a revolver and a shogun into a next-door neighbors’ house and there watched for his wife and her illicit visitor, and that when he saw them leaving the house to go to Fort Wayne he rushed out and shot the man. The wife sided against her husband. It took a week to try the case, the defense being handled with masterly skill by Mr. Pomeroy. The defense claimed that the shooting was an accident caused by Ensley stepping into a hole; that he had the gun to scare the decedent and hold him until he could bring about his arrest. It was a dramatic scene when the defendant, who was proved to be a diligent, law-abiding citizen, and a kind and faithful husband, took the stand in his own behalf. His looks and demeanor showed that he was not a bad man. He had been advised by Mr. Pomeroy to say no unkind word of his wife, and he did not. The defendant had stammered badly all his life, and did so on the stand. For eighteen hours he was on the witness stand, and the story developed many touching details of sincere devotion and heart yearning, and the final tragedy, that moved to tears the jury and most of the spectators, some of them weeping aloud. Mr. Pomeroy’s handling of the case was masterly in every way and showed that he had given to the defense much thought and study. He seemed to have every section of the law bearing on the case at his finger’s ends. During his argument to the jury he won the admiration of all by the able manner in which he presented his side of the case, and the result enrolled him among the foremost criminal lawyers of the country. Within ten minutes after the jury retired they were practically ready for a verdict of acquittal, and when their verdict was announce a great cheer swept over the court room and was taken up by the waiting crowd outside. No such scene was ever before enacted in DeKalb county and when the jury was excused, the throng, including the jurymen, crowded around the defendant and Mr. Pomeroy, showering them with congratulations for the gallant fight they had made in a case that at first looked hopeless, but now looked as if it was settled in the only just and right way. On September 1, 1895, Mr. Pomeroy was married to Ella Bunge, who was born and reared in Wilmington township, near Butler, the daughter of Fred Bunge and wife. Fred Bunge came from Germany to the United States in 1854 and located near Auburn, where he and his family lived for many years. For the past thirty years they have lived on a farm one and a half miles west of Butler. Mrs. Pomeroy’s mother, whose maiden name was Shoup, was born at Canton, Ohio. Mr. and Mrs. Pomeroy have no children of their own, but have adopted a boy, Blaine Lamar, now two years old. He is a son of Jesse O. and Lula (Balliet) Hilkey, a highly respected family. The lad’s mother died when he was only ten days old, and he was adopted by his foster parents when he was nineteen days old. Mr. Pomeroy has a beautiful and attractive home at Van Buren and Fourth streets, Auburn. He finds recreation and pleasure in the cultivation of flowers and plants and he has beautified his home by his artistic arrangement of the plants and shrubbery. Personally, Mr. Pomeroy is a man of genial and kindly impulses and gives his sympathy and support to all worthy causes. In the civic life of his community he is an important factor and is numbered among the men of progress and enterprise. Because of his eminent ability, professional success and high personal qualities, he enjoys a wide popularity in the county which is honored by his citizenship. Submitted by: Arlene Goodwin Auburn, Indiana Agoodwin@ctlnet.com