xt77m03xsv45 https://exploreuk.uky.edu/dips/xt77m03xsv45/data/mets.xml Reid, Elizabeth (Jameson) Rogers, Mrs. 1886  books b96-17-36622603 English Standard Pub. Co., : Cincinnati : Contact the Special Collections Research Center for information regarding rights and use of this collection. Reid, Richard, 1838-1884. Judge Richard Reid  : a biography / by Elizabeth Jameson Reid. text Judge Richard Reid  : a biography / by Elizabeth Jameson Reid. 1886 2002 true xt77m03xsv45 section xt77m03xsv45 





























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JUDGE RICHARD REID







       A BIOGRAPHY





              BY
   ELIZABETH JAMESON REID



        CINCINNATI
STANDARD PUBLISHING COMPAiNY
          1886

 

























  Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1886, by

                 ELIZABETH J. REID,

In the office of the Librarian of Congress, at Washington, D. C.

 

























                       TO

             IEte 3Bor of IRenfucfrp

18 THIS BOOK DEDICATED, IN MEMORY OF JUDGE RHID,

           WHO LOVED HIS PROFESSION,

   WHO ESTEEMED ITS MEMBERS AS HIS FRIENDS,

         AND WOIOSE LIFE WAS SACRIFICED

             TO LAW AND RELIGION.

 This page in the original text is blank.

 









INTRODUCTION.



   This book is the modest history of the quiet life of a
scholar and a Christian gentleman-a life so quiet that but
for the storm and tragedy in which it ended, it would never,
perhaps, have been known to the world at large. No
tragedy could make the character more interesting to all
who knew it well, nor more attractive to those who came
within its elevating influence.
   Loving, and beloved by all, Richard Reid grew up
among the hills of Montgomery County, Kentucky, trod
the world for a few brief years, passed out beyond the moun-
tain-clouds of death, "and left behind a light that made
them lovely!"   Like his Exemplar, his footsteps glorified
the land whereon he trod, and which he watered with the
blood of his martyrdom.
   It would require a pen of inspiration to give the life in
full-in its purity, its gentleness, its simplicity, its magnifi-
cent capabilities, its wide scope of usefulness, its depth of
pathos, its strength of heroism in the calamity that sud-
denly and without warning or cause darkened its close. An
artist's divine touch alone could give the proper lights and
shades; no human hand can do more than faintly outline
and suggest the complex original.
   It is no less singular than gratifying that all with
whom Judge Reid was associated should have retained
such vivid recollections of him, and have furnished so

 


INTRODUCrION.



generously their reminiscences of those periods of his life
that ran parallel with their own. No one seems to have
forgotten him-no one destroyed his letters; and it is to be
regretted that all that has been contributed could not have
been given in full in these pages. The difficulty has been
not what to insert, but what to omit. The limitations of
the book-the fact that the closing scenes and the moment-
ous issues arising from the tragedy demanded the larger
space, made it necessary to pass by or abbreviate many
contributions recording the most beautiful incidents in his
life. In every case that which was withdrawn detracted
just so much from the interest of the narrative.
   The incidents in the home-life are furnished by guests
who partook of his generous hospitality, and by members of
his family;-the son, niece, and orphan girls who found
shelter under his protecting roof, all contributing in love
their plain and simple statements. Again, it was with regret
that any characteristic incident was withheld. But only
those were selected, even though insignificant, that in some
measure revealed the tender, loving nature of the man.
    The intellectual life stood out so prominently, and was
so well known; eminent success in every department of
intellectual work was so early conceded; ripe scholarship
was attained so fir in advance of maturity of years, that,
farther than giving a faithful portrayal, there seemed to be
little else needed to emphasize this side of his character.
But the domestic virtues, which made the home-life so
attractive and wonderfully beautiful, were not so largely
known; and it was especially desired to commemorate
these, as above all else they demonstrate the cruel incon-
sistency of violence against such a life and upon such a man.



1i

 


INTRODUCTION.



   However trivial, there is no incident in the life that
now appears unimportant in the light of the last great
suffering. The shadow of martyrdom stretches backward
from the grave till it rests upon the cradle. Whatever
pertains to the boy, youth, or man, becomes of the gravest
significance under the somber coloring of this overhanging
cloud.

   Mrs. Reid's journal furnishes the history of the home
side of the rapidly recurring scenes in the month of
tragedy.  This journal was written as soon as her physical
and mental condition enabled her to put on record the
minutest detail of all that occurred. This was done partly
in the hope that by writing it out of her mind she might
possibly escape the ever-present horror, and thus, by
working backward from it into the beautiful life of Judge
Reid, she might be able to collect and arrange the material
for the history of the earlier years; partly because she
feared that, if recovering from the shock, her memory
might be left a blank concerning many important facts;
but chiefly because of her belief that she would not live to
see this book completed: and her journal therefore has all
the significance attached to it that pertains to sworn testi-
mony or a dying statement. While this diary is preserved
in its entirety as first written, its words and pages are too
heavily freighted with anguish for more than brief portions
to be introduced into this book.

   It was originally designed to edit only a memorial
volume; but as, through the private correspondence of
Judge Reid, through testimonials and recollections of



vii

 


INTRODUCTION.



others, the life unrolled itself, leaf by leaf, through all
its record, it was found too beautiful, too finished, too
perfect in its varied elements, not to be given in some
measure to those who may watch with friendly eyes its
development in these pages. Moreover, it is impossible to
form even a faint conception of the enormity of the crime
that ended the life, without an understanding of the life
itself.
   The lessons of the school and college career are a rich
legacy for rising generations of young men, as are the
habits and characteristics of the lawyer, judge, worker,
man of business, for all who wish to achieve success and
competency.

   No one who may reaa this book could be so surprised
as was the modest subject himself, that he should be made
the victim of violence, treachery, outrage, persecution. In
heaven, as on earth, he must stand amazed to know that he
should have an enemy.
   It will, perhaps, be impossible for the present genera-
tion to realize, in its full extent, the height and depth of
the crime, as great magnitudes require the perspective of
time and distance to be properly measured.
   The whole ignominious assault, from its inception to its
completion, in its entire make-up, is so beyond reason, so
incongruous with the credited civilization of the nineteenth
century, that men naturally stand dazed, bewildered, stupe-
fied, unable to explain, analyze, or properly punish. They
are amazed and dumb that they have no statute prescribing
a penalty for the adequate punishment of such a crime.
Laws are born of civilization-and civilization never con-



..  

 

INTRODUCTION.             l



templated a crime like this. It is not unnatural, therefore,
that the people of Kentucky had failed to provide a statute
meting out its proper punishment. Every other violence
had come within their borders, and for almost every other
they had provided.

   Like others who have achieved great destinies, there
was the early setting apart and separation from his fellows.
It may not, to this world, be a great destiny to wear the
Crown of Thorns and bear the Cross alone; to pass through
Gethsemane and crucifixion;-but it is the destiny to
which the Son of God was born, and which still seems
to be the heritage of one who, like Judge Reid, would
follow in His footsteps.

   This work was undertaken no less to embody much that
has already appeared in print concerning the outrage that
ended a noble life in the noontide of its success and use-
fulness, than to vindicate the memory of Judge Reid against
the lying malice that sought to blacken his character as
well as destroy his life. The truth was withheld or warped,
and Judge Reid and his family were tortured with false-
hood and persecution in keeping with the spirit of the out-
rage,-which followed him to the grave, and which, since
his death, have not spared his memory nor his stricken
family.

   Of the classmates, teachers, friends, pastors, who have
contributed to this volume are: Hon. John L. Peak,
Kansas City; Rev. Dr. Chambliss, of Baltimore; Wil-
liam Welch, Stanford, Ky.; Thomas N. Allen, Lexing-



lx

 


xrUiTRODUCTION.



ton, Ky.; C. C. Moore, Lexington, Ky.; Elder John I.
Rogers, Danville, Ky.; Rev. D. S. C. M. Potter, Matta-
poisett, Mass.; Rev. E. 0. Guerrant, Mt. Sterling, Ky.;
Elder George Darsie, Frankfort, Ky.; Elder W. T. Tibbs,
Pomona, California; President Dudley, Georgetown Col-
lege; Prof. Farnum, Georgetown, Ky.; Dr. Darby, Lexing-
ton, Ky.; Dr. Wm. Davis, Bourbon County, Ky.; Samuel
Davis, Vernon County, Mo.
   Besides these manuscript contributions, private letters
from all parts of Kentucky and the United States, and
publications by the press, have furnished a large mass of
material.
   Selections from the press have been bound in a volume
under the editorship of Judge Hargis, of Louisville.
"Letters" have also been preserved in a separate volume
under the supervision of President Loos, of Kentucky
University, and Miss Minnie Loos. These volumes have
been made tributary to the present work-the views and
expressions of others being sought in preference where they
bore upon the issues discussed.

   Perhaps there could be no higher tribute paid to Judge
Reid than the apology with which those who have written
or spoken concerning him, have found it necessary to tem-
per their extreme love and admiration.  Each has believed
that the period of life of which he has written must have
been the most interesting:-he was the most perfect student,
the finest linguist, the most thorough and conscientious
lawyer, the most loyal friend, the noblest man, the truest
son, the tenderest husband; but, as if fearing that such ex-
alted praise might imply too much, and so fail of credence,



2

 


INTRODUCTION.



it has often been thought proper to close with such qualify-
ing terms as: " He was not perfect-perfection belongs to
God alone ;" or, " We do not say he was infallible-to err
is human ;" " He was not without fiult; but if he had any
failing or vice, we did not know it."

   The family of Judge Reid are indebted:
   To President Loos, for the first suggestion and encour-
agement to embody in book form the "Life of Judge
Reid," that by a full and true history the obloquy of the
crime might rest forever upon those who conceived, perpe-
trated, or defended it; and that his fair name might be vin-
dicated, and that his memory might rise, like a guiding
star, above earthly clouds and darkness, pointing the
way for all who sufer and are persecuted for righteousness'
sake to the great and eternal reward. Also, for the con-
tinued interest and encouraging help with which he has
followed the book; and for his contributions herein:
   To the children of God, of whatever church or name,
whose letters are found in this volume, who followed Judge
Reid with their support and prayers in the day of his
agony, and who remembered his bereaved family in their
still greater trial:
   To the ministers whose sermons are given-Prof.
McGarvey, President Loos, Elder John S. Shouse, and
Elder H. R. Trickett:
   To the lawyers who faithfully prosecuted the murderer,
and have furnished their speeches for the Appendix:
   To Hon. William J. Hendrick, for his generous and
frequent contributions:



xi

 


INTRODUCTION.



   To Col. H. L. Stone, for his loyal friendship; for the
assiduity with which he traced and refuted falsehood and
slander; for support given Judge Reid in the difficult
stand he had taken; for the energy, fearlessness and zeal
with which he conducted the prosecution against the crimi-
nal; for the unwearied diligence with which he has revised
manuscript, corrected proofs page by page, and reviewed all
statements in the light of their relations to sufficient evi-
dence, law, or sworn testimony.
   To Isaac Errett, editor of the Christian Standard, or
the courage and hope with which he inspired the friends
and family of Judge Reid, when they were staggering
under a burden of doubt and anxiety concerning the
successful completion of the book; for the helpful strength
and patient kindness with which he investigated the large
mass of material submitted to his inspection; for his final
criticism and revision of manuscript and proofs; and for
his constant supervision of the entire work during its
progress through the press, without which its publication
would have been greatly retarded.

   While it has not been practicable to burden the book with
the proofs of all facts stated, many of which are startling,
and are given for the first time, yet it is due to Col. Stone's
legal criticisms and approval that no one is recorded in the
book not established by the mouths of credible witnesses.
But while much testimony was necessarily withheld, it has
all been carefully preserved for the benefit of those who
doubt, or in any spirit, friendly or otherwise, may wish
to investigate.



Xii

 


INTRODUCTION.



   The greatest difficulty encountered in the work has
been the effort to be faithful and true to Judge Reid's
memory and character, and yet, in this, not to pass the
the bounds of ready belief, and awaken distrust or doubt by
seemingly extravagant eulogy.

   In behalf of truth and justice, in vindication of the
principles of the Christian religion, as well as to honor the
memory of a martyr, is this book committed to its destiny.
   If for evil fortune it goes forth to its martyrdom, as did
its subject, and falls in its struggle to maintain the right, it
is well. Better that it should thus perish, than that the
true history should not have been written; than that the
evil, without opposition, should triumph over Judge Reid's
memory as it did over his life.  If there are Christian
hearts in the world to bid it God-speed; if there are
helping hands to hold it up that it sink not into oblivion-
to give it strength wherein it is weak and feeble; if there
be Christian sympathy and love that will pardon its fail-
ings and imperfections because of the good that is sought
to be accomplished by it: then will the prayers, the suffer-
ing, the tears, the toil, the life-blood and breaking heart
that have been expended upon it have their sufficient and
abundant reward.



..  

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                      CONTENTS,



                        CHAPTER I.
Ancestry-Parentage-Birth-Childhood ...................      1-11

                        CHAPTER II.
School Life ...............................................  12-16

                       CHAPTER III.
College Life .............................................  17-31

                       CHAPTER IV.
Versailles-Law-Love-War-Politics ....................      32-44

                        CHAPTER V.
Mt. Sterling-Apperson & Reid-Bachelorhood .............    45-55

                        CHAPTER VI.
Married Life-Home-Family-Hospitality .....       ...........  56-71

                       CHAPTER VII.
His Bov-Tenderness to Children-Juvenile Literature.....    72-81

                       CHAPTER VIII.
Religious Life-Prayer-Church Activities-Ministries to
   Sick and Bereaved and Dying ........................    82-99

                        CHAPTER IX.
Books-Writing-Speaking ................................ 100-112

                        CHAPTER X.
Characteristics - Temperance - Friendships - Advanced
   Views - Missionary - Addresses on Temperance and
   to Young Ladies ..................................... 113134
                        CHAPTER XI.
As a Candidate and Judge ....................... ......... 135-146

                       CHAPTER XII.
At Frankfort .............................................. 146-168
                                                   xv

 




CONTENTS.



                      CHAPTER XIII.
Appellate Race-Home-coming--Betrayal .        ................  168-172

                      CHAPTER XIV.
The Assault .............................................. 173-186

                      CHAPTER XV.
Judge Reid's Decision.................             187-195

                      CHAPTER XVI.
Nominal Cause of Assault ................................. 196-212

                      CHAPTER XVII.
Indignation............................................... 213-220

                     CHAPTER XVIII.
Judge Reid's Speech.........                       221-230

                      CHAPTER XIX.
Letters-Telegrams-Press.........                   231-310

                       CHAPTER XX.
Last Tour-Speaking-Letters to fMrs. Reid-Mrs. Reid's
   Letters to Judge Reid.........                  311-329

                      CHAPTER XXI.
The Situation at Mt. Sterling-Continued Persecutions-
   Political-Municipal-Church-Press.........      330-349

                      CHAPTER XXII.
Tuesday and Wednesday, May 13th and 14th .........           350-359

                     CHAPTER XXIII.
Thursday, May 15th-Death.........                  362-373

                     CHAPTER XXIV.
Funeral ..........................................          374-392

                      CHAPTER XXV.
Tributes in Memoriam ................. 393-421

                     CHAPTER XXVI.
Lessons of the Tragedy-Dr. Kavanaugh ................... 422-430

                     CHAPTER XXVII.
To the Sorrowing ......................................... 431-464



LEVI

 


                        CONTENTS.                     Xvii

                     CHAPTER XXVIII.
Did Judge Reid Take His Own Life ........   .............. 465-480

                      CHAPTER XXIX.
Retrospective ............................................. 481-495

                      CHAPTER XXX.
Conclusion............................................... 496-499

                         APPENDIX.
Account of Trial ..................................... 500-506
Synopsis of Speech of W. R. Patterson ...................... 506-517
Speech of Hon. Wm. J. Hendrick ...........   .............. 518-533
Synopsis of Gen. John Rodman's Speech .......   ........... 533-539
Speech of Col. H. L. Stone ................................ 540-567
Synopsis of Judge Brooks' Speech ......................... 567-573
Decision by Superior and Appellate Courts ....... ,,,,,,,.  74

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  JUDGE RICHARD REID.




                    CHAPTER I.


          BIRTH-PARENTAGE-CHILDHOOD.


   Richard Reid was born in Montgomery County, Ken-
tucky, October 3, 1838. His father was Henry P. Reid.
The first progenitor of whom mention is made in the old family
Bible is Andrew Reid, who was born in County Antrim,
Ireland, and the following are the generations as recorded:
   Andrew Reid (date of birth unknown).
   Coleman Reid, son of Andrew, born December 2, 1686.
   Joseph Reid, son of Coleman, born February 6, 1714.
   William Reid, son of Joseph, born May 26, 1749.
   Richard Coleman Reid, son of William, born April 22, 1784.
   Henry P. Reid, son of Richard, born March 9, 1810.
   Richard Reid, son of Henry, born October 3, 1838.
   The brothers of Henry Reid were: Paul, removed to
Missouri; and Judge Newton P. Reid, of whom farther
mention will be made in these pages.
   Judge Walker Reid, a distinguished jurist well known
to the past, and to many of the present, generation of Ken-
tuckians, was cousin to Henry P. Reid. Of these succes-
                                               I

 


JUDGE RICHARD REID.



sive generations, a collateral descendant now in Missouri,
says that a dishonorable act was never known to have been
committed by one of the name.
   Either Coleman Reid,t or his son Joseph, was the first
to emigrate to America and settle in Loudoun county, Vir-
ginia. Joseph Reid owned the ground over which the bat-
tle of Manassas was fought, and lies buried in the grave-
yard there. William Reid, the son of Joseph, emigrated
(date unknown) to Kentucky among the earliest pioneers,
an(l settled upon an estate that was successively owned by
his son, Richard Coleman Reid, by Henry P. Reid, and is
nows in the possession of J. Davis Reid, the brother of Judge
Richard Reid.

   The homestead in which Richard Reid was born is sit-
uated on the Mt. Sterling and Lexington Turnpike, two and
a half miles from the latter place. In its yard is a noted
old monarch of cherry trees, which grew from a twig that
the grandmother Reid brought in her lap on a long horse-
back ride from Shakertown, in her early married days.
This grandmother, wife of Richard Coleman Reid, was
Mary Prather, of Mercer county, Kentucky, and an incident
of some small interest is still preserved in the family. One
day in the long ago, there passed over this road, from Lex'
ington to Mt. Sterling, thence through the mountains tc
Virginia, Gen. Andrew Jackson, with his coach-and-four, fol
lowed hy a constantly increasing cavalcade. His journey
was that of a Roman conqueror at the head of a triumphal
procession. The grandmother Reid was walking leisurely
along this road en route to a neighbor's, and in all the dig-
nity of her sun-bonnet, looking neither to right nor left.
The General halted his carriage, invited her to a seat, of
which she took possession without embarrassment, entering

    Col. Jno. Reid. of Lexington. Mo.. son of Judge Walker Reid.
   t Alexander Campbell knew the Reids in Ireland, and the acquaintance was
continued in this country.



2

 


ANCESTRY.



readily into conversation with him until put down at her
destination. His courtesy to the old lady, the question. he
asked, and her prompt replies, are still remembered by her
descendants.

    The mother of Richard Reid was Elizabeth Davis,
daughter of Col. Josiah Davis and Patsy Chandler Davis.
    Of Col. Josiah Davis. the following sketch appears in
the " History of Montgomery County, by Richard Reid,"
prepared in 1875 for the centennial celebration of the set-
tlement of the county:
   Col. Josiah Davis was born in Fayette county. Kentucky, near
Bryant's Station, in March, 1797. His father, James Davis, was a
native of Ireland, and a soldier of the Revolution. His mother's
maiden name was Flora McPherson. About 1820, Col. Davis re-
moved to Montgomery County, where he resided until his (leath, in
March, 1847. For many years he filled a conspicuous position in
the affairs of the county, serving several terms in the Legislature,
an(1 as Colonel of the State Mlilitia. He was a man oi peace; the
champion of the poor; an arbiter in all neighborhood disputes; a
trusted adviser, and a steadfast friend. His personal appearance
was marked, and his manners pleasing and cordial. His conversa-
tional powers were of the first order, and though his early educa-
tional advantages were few, he had, by a diligent study of the best
books, amassed varied stores of knowledge. His memory was enor-
mous. He never forgot anything he read. He had collected a fine
library, and Burns and Shakespeare were his cherished authors. He
was an ardent Whig, and his house was a favorite resort for his po-
litical friends, where he dispensed a generous hospitality. While
he was an unequaled talker, his diffidence was so great he could
never make a speech; but no man excelled him in " mixing "s with
the people, and he wvas a power in all county elections. His Irish
blood showed itself in his ready wit, his unfailing good humor, and
quickness of repartee. He was a model citizen, of irreproachable
character: and his sound common sense, excellent judgment and
ripe culture gave him a wide and commanding influence. He was
an earnest Christian, having been received-into the Church of Christ
under the ministry of John Smith. He died in the prime of his

    This Irish wit ran through all his lescendants, children and grandchildren,
and was almost abnormally developed in Ella, William, Richard, and Mother
Reid now living.



3

 


JUDGE RICHARD REID.



manhood and usefulness, and his death was universally deplored in
the county.
   Patsy Chandler Davis was a woman of fine intellectual
powers and of great piety. She was the mother of a large
family of sons and daughters. She was a woman of sorrows,
surviving her husband and many of her children, and living
to a ripe old age. Richard cherished the highest esteem and
affection for this grandmother, reverenced her memory to
the latest day of his life, and always spoke of her with the
tenderest emotion. He owed to her his early religious
training, and that ready memory of the Scriptures that
seemed so remarkable to his schoolmates and friends of
later life. She lived to welcome him home from College, a
noble, scholarly young man; and he brought back and
poured into her lap the rich fruitage of her early planting
and training. Her once large household had been thinned
by death and scattered by marriage, and Richard was a stay
and blessing in her old age.
   Henry P. Reid was a man of vigorous personality and
great physical endurance. He was a thorough type of the
Anglo-Saxon. The features were boldly cast, and in the
fixed strength of nose, mouth and chin, would have given
the impression of sternness only, but for the benevolence of
the blue eye, and the open expanse of the intellectual, mas-
sive forehead, which the auburn hair, growing rather far
back, left clearly revealed. He was a man of firm convic-
tions, of scrupulous honesty, and hospitable even beyond
tradition in Kentucky. He was devoted to his family, lib-
eral in the education of his children, but often stern and
repressive towards his boys, demanding of them the strict-
est obedience. But as they grewto manhood, he was proud
of their intellectual attainments; their high honors at col-
lege; and in his later years gave them the most generous
confidence and respect. He was a hard worker all his life,
and with more than an ordinary share of common sense,



4

 


PARENTAGE.



and strict integrity, had the satisfaction in his growing years
of seeing a large estate accumulate about him.
    Of his father's hospitality, Richard writes Jan. 17, 1864:
"If father's house were as large as his hospitality, we would
be completely inundated by general travelers and homeless
relatives."
    The mother of Richard Reid was a woman of fine per-
sonal appearance, splendid physique, rather above the aver-
age size, richly endowed with health, energy, cheerfulness,
and an unselfish devotion to those she loved. She had a
rich brunette complexion, black hair and eyes, and was, in
her bearing, erect and commanding.
   She sacrificed her life at the age of twenty to her sense
of duty. The family of a relative were stricken down
with fever. Elizabeth Reid, flush with health and strength,
went daily (three or four miles horseback) to nurse the
sick. When the family had been tenderly and generously
cared for, she herself was stricken with the fatal disease,
and died after a short illness, October 21, 1841.
   Her two orphaned boys, Richard, aged three years and
eighteen days, and Davis, aged twenty-one months, were
taken to the home of their grandmother, and remained with
her until their father married, December 25, 1842, Mary Da-
vis, the sister of Elizabeth. He removed to a farm adjoining
the Davis estate, and the boys, Richard and Davis, were
equally at home in either household.
  Dr. William Davis, brother of Mrs. Elizabeth Reid, says
concerning her in a letter dated Nov. 28, 1884:

   You will not be surprised at my saying that his mother was a
very superior woman, so recognized by all who knew her, as the
mother of such a son must necessarily have been. A woman of
great natural endowments, of wonderful vivacity; and while full of
mirth and rich in practical jokes, wit and repartee, she yet com-
manded respect, and meritoriously received the homage of all who
came in contact with her, and over all swayed a controlling influ-
ence that is rarely accorded to a single human being. Well do I re-
member the singular devotion given her by her husband and his



5

 


JUDGE RICHARD REID.



brothers, by her own parents and brothers and sisters. With a
proud unanimity she was accorded the first and highest place in the
social and family circle. This much I think due to the memory of
the mother of Judge Richard Reid. I have only to add that she was
a Christian, and died in the full blush of womanhood.

   While yet in his infancy, at the age of fifteen months,
a great physical blight fell upon the life of Richard, the
effects of which he felt to his latest day, and which had
much to do in shaping his character and destiny. Dr. Wm.
Davis writes concerning this:
   He was a handsome, sprightly child; and one day in a play-
ful romp was sportively seized by his nurse in such a manner as to
inflict a serious injury. Until he was seventeen years old he was a
victim to the torture of rude instruments. The dark crimson im-
pressions caused by the chafing of the cruel steel, not then softened
and improved as at the present day, are still fresh in my memory.
Like all sensitive children he felt humiliated, and constantly strove
to conceal his sufferings, as well as the cause, from his associates.
Faithful always, and obedient to every command of his father, who
ruled firmly but with love, he endured the agony and imaginary
shame with a silent stoicism that marked him, even in early child-
hood, as a Spartan when duty demanded.
    His beautiful, sparkling countenance was often overclouded
by pain, and his thoughts and actions assumed necessarily the ex-
pression of his seniors. Driven by imperious necessity, he became
a child-recluse, denied the usual pleasures of boyhood. His books
became his loved companions, and he strove in hard study to find
compensation for his self-denial. He knew none of the vices com-
mon to boyhood. He could only gaze with wistful eyes upon the
sports, from which he was excluded, of the vigorous and healthy
children that plaved around him. To my knowledge not a single
oath ever stained his lips, nor did he ever in any way evade the
truth. To bar-rooms, games of chance, cards, horse-races, ball-
rooms, he grew up a stranger. It was seemingly a part of his nature
to avoid all places of questionable propriety.
    As a child he was a somnambulist, and often caused alarm
lest this habit should lead to disastrous consequences. He would
arise at any time of the night and strike out in the darkness, obliv-
ious of the surroundings or the state of the weather. It was diffi-
cult to restrain or awaken him, but when once aroused, after a look
of momentary bewilderment, he would quietly return to his bed.

     Violent rupture.



6

 


FEATURES OF HIS CHILDHOOD.



   Whether asleep or awake, his mind was always active. His
memory was simply wonderful. When only three or four years old,
his father spoke of him as the only almanac needed in the house.
He could give with unerring certainty the day of the week, month,
or year, the birth and age of every member of his father's and
grandfather's families. On one occasion, in these infantile years,
when we older ones had failed, he was awakened from sleep, and,
upon being asked the day of the month, inquired if it was before or
after midnight, and then gave a correct answer. He was thus early
the wonder and admiration of the little world in which he moved.
He clung to those he loved with an artless simplicity, and with an
intensity amounting almost to worship. Where he felt he was not
understood, he was through all his life shrinking and reserved, and,
what in his later years might be considered cold or selfish, was at-
tributable to the sensitiveness caused by his early affliction. For
behind a sometimes seemingly indifferent exterior, there wa