Loren Warren Collins served as Associate Justice on the Minnesota Supreme Court from November 1887 to April 1904, when he resigned to seek the nomination of the Republican Party for governor. He was unsuccessful and resumed practicing law. He also began writing his autobiography but when he died on September 27, 1912, at age seventy-four, it was unfinished. Around 1919, the manuscript was privately published by his sons under the title "The Story of a Minnesotan," and circulated "among friends of their father." It is now posted here for everyone interested in the history of the state and those who enjoy reading well-written memoirs.
Loren Collins was a good writer. He wrote clearly, directly and modestly, a quality rare among memoirists. He weaves into his "story" vivid tales and anecdotes, as for example this scene following the hanging of 38 Indians in Mankato on December 26, 1862, which he witnessed:
"That night many of the bodies were taken out of the pit in which they were buried, presumably for dissecting purposes, by medical students who had journeyed to Mankato for that express purpose. I think at least half the bodies were thus exhumed and taken away."
Missing, regrettably, are his personal opinions of the lawyers who appeared before him and judges he served with. Rather than give frank appraisals of the abilities and personalities of his colleagues on the bench, he just mentions their names, and moves on.
And that is exactly what his memoir does -- from beginning to end, it moves, it never bogs down. He led a remarkable life and he tells it well.
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