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THE DEMOCRAT. I
V. 1 ANDREWS. Editor k Proprietor,
FRIDAY, MARCH 18, 188L.
E*ur#4 at the Post Office at CrawfordvHle, j
<•»., as Second Clan Matter.
WILLIAM O. STEPHENS.
If* publish below Ui* resolutions ex
preaaiv* of the sorrow of the Boncb and
Bar.at Uie lose of our estee m ed friend and
Brother, submitted at tbe last aeeaiou of
our (superior Court, and eleo tbe address
es of the members of the JUr and Bench
ami that occasion.
Taliaferro Superior Court, March
Bacond, 1881 .
The Committee appointed to report
upon the death of William G. Stephens,
a member of tlie Brr of Taliaferro coun
ty, beg leave to suhm t llie following re
ltort ,
/.veofted 1st. That we have heard with
deep regret, the sad news of the death of
our lamented Brother, happening eoeooii
In both his natural and professional life
of^rSe^^Vortlie'rn^Cirrijit hist*o'e# ParHcularlf*
have of its purest member*. On#
whose early life piujireed to tie so emi
i.enlly pioductive of go.*i and lasting
fruit*.
llfuohnl 3rd. That by the modestv.and
IX«"?« <£“
•finoble our tmfcf»rt« our Ini* lam^ntni
Brother bad challenged tiie respeet and
•dmirat on of every memlwr of Society
with wh*»m he was thrown into contact:
and the vacancy caused by his removal
from society can not )w well filled.
JfMbked 4th. That we tender to the be
reeved family of our lamented Brother,
eur sincere sympathy and condolence.
and that a copy of the earn# I* furnish
edtothe Augusta OhronicU & tbnatifu
Bnnnlut and the Crawfurdville DttJio
CKA Wh. ILbSkk, Cha’ro. Comm.
After the resolu , .. ions re read .
flraw ordvlll. 1 Bar, ; U T, addreeimd KK Ji n the ’ *• Court 1 m
May U pleat* Your Honor: The pres
ent, and the last August Term of this
Court, ti mind remarkable. 1
my are
Then, on the second day of the term, the
new* suddenly fell upon us that the Hod.
Mites XT. Lewis, a practitioner at this
Bar, wad ao more. Now on the same day
of this term the crushing Intelligence Is
conveyed to ns that William O. Stephens
has fallen. The parallelism ia further car¬
ried out ia the fact that the respective
characters of these honored victims of
death were adorned by the tame crown
tag cardinal virtue i. e. perfect candor.
What epochs do these two terms con¬
stitute 1 W ben the temple of J untie# is
sdddealyjpleeed by tbe removal therefrom
by death ef two ef 1U most valued in
w&ML
As a mat tbe lamented Stephens wae
Venorable, htghtoned and manly in all
kis dealings with hit fellow-man, and
were I required to select the brightest
gem In tbe coronet of virtues that eacir
elei hie brow, and made his life simple,
pur* and lovely, I aheuld unhesitatingly
polat t* his candor. A man more per
leetiy free from hypocrisy' and guile I
never knew. Having been thrown with
him at an early period of our profession¬
al lives, I bar* had ample opportunity
to study Us character, the foundations
ef which I found w%r« dMpty And
solidly grounded and upon which lie af
terwarde ranrad the *tfactum ef a well
rounded life. ■ (•» - >
As a lawyej he brought to his profes¬
sion a strong native intellect, with a
clear sound natural sense of right and
wrong .improved . by , careful , . . reining . end .
study. Authorities were rather treated
by him a. auxiliaries than as ahso
totelv indlsoenHihle in arrivinx at the
'
.Meoftrutb ., - InhtoCMM. , And . ■ the , | desire .
to discover the truth, and to aid and
guide Co iris and Jmi •> in an honest and
lair investigation after it, waa the con
IrolliRgJuUoiW is bis practice. Though I
modest and unassuming in h,s general
bearing, &b m En an EilvikTutft advocate hf tie was w is Mil «>ia
*ud fearless In mainUiuiug hi, convio-1
Done. To selfl.bnes. he wae an utter
stranger, or If it had an axisinne i» his
character it was buried under the bear
ter weight ef hi. many virtues. Tins
was illustrated in the last motion I eve,
beard him make in a
Though suffering greatly at the time ,
wiib ths disease to which he finally fell
a victim—a sufficient legal showing for
a continuance of hi* core, yet lie refused
to ask It tWs ground, prefering to 1
upon
Jeopardise his awu health rather than hi* )
clieaPa letcrest. *
T* hie prelessinaai brethren he was !
ever kind, social and frank. In his death :
1 fee) 1 have lost a friend. 1 knew him 1
and loved hitt. j
Through bis charactvi rau«deep but
atroog undercurrent of religious feel-•
whet 1 have heard of his
Mdastb apjinrached neaiev
Merer. I think we are not left to
“naewns ** those witbeut hope.”
I therefore fully endoise rite
tlou# iuat read, bebeviug they afieak the
trutlu and are not simply oue of the
ater*(>typed form into which such pro
ceedings are frequently throwu, aud fur
ther believing th* spirit *( our departed
lire'.her is at rest in th# bosom of his
___
John W Hixow *j*okt l eo ka of the Craw
fordvill* Bar. then follows :
Yomr Honor rrease l do not see that 1
nould *sv more row on tin* -ccaMon than
uu already beer Mid by mv brother
Brooke. Yet oa thi* ooieme occasion hi j
behooves roe rrom tba high regard I bad
for our deceaeed brother to say a few
word*
Asremarked by brother Brook* it i*
a ead occurrence, that at two coasecu
tiveterms of this Court we have ad- j
journed from respect of the death of two
ofite member*. Tbengb aad, H is Rev- ,
eKRlee* true. In the death of William
G. Stephen#, as a private citizen w* have
lost on* of our best. Aed when i eay
this I am but the mouth-piece of nuen
her* who kaew him in private life. I
knew William Stepheas before I came
totffcs Ur. As such I knew biro as an
honest upright citizen^* in our basinem
relatioes he always proved himself to he.
But there is another capacity in which
l knew William Stephen*, and to me It
wa» more endearing than that of pri
T * t< ’ cKizenehlp, it was that of hi* pro
»e*#hw. I* that there is an incident I
»'»•¥ "•*« for * #t - William Stephens
sfR'opposing couasel in the first raw
' »uit l ever managed. He also opposed
me in my second and third. In those
MMpg the jenfor roemlwr ef this bar,
|*, inw j f rom f ,i« oourtesy to me bow j
appreciate the advantage of older
member* of the bar. Any asaitunee to
pj^gkat dul not prejudice the rights of
hie client ho cheerfully rendered. It
was here I ssw he regarded hi* profes |
, ion as calculated to elevate rather than
•“«•«■•“ ......
lift, h# wai Ui« latnt high Umed gerUio
man.
a**olutiont at death on the life, char
art«pH#nd reputation of the .. deceased . .
like the punt* of tho machsnic on mater
j»] ar » oft-times applied to bide the
fa U ;ts that may be found in life, charao
or t;lUl)n
tlieee resolutions I do it with the full
knowlerlgn thnt in the life, character
and m utation of IFilHam Stephens,
»re no f mills tohhle. Verily, hi.
hoaesty like the virtue of tho wife of
(w WM above suspicion.
»• took for his guide; “Be Just and
^ ^ ^ #ndl U|0l , airaMt at
lie thy country's. Thy God's and
truth#,’’Though fallen he is “a blesssd
James F. IIkid, Esq., of the Crew
fordviUe Bar, simk* as follows:
May it pltate the Court: What was
said by the Committee, commemorative
of the virtues and character of our pro¬
fessional brother, WVn. G. Stephens has
-.........
has been so opportunely dilated ti|>on by
Brother Brooke, that little need be
■aid by me, on thu mournful occasioa,
.eve to bring Into eepecial promiae.o.
a few of the maay, noble traiU of char
acUr, which m dignified and adorned
eur brother’s profeseiounl.And eminently
prW JIU miad wae
analytical, a.d logical. It wm hare, vn
thUForara, that bis heft was felt aud
properly appreciated. It was here Sir:
Z by his professional irr/w brethreu, that be was
eerracuy weignea. n i »u wm nere an his
etudy virtue, shene with.uoh rropes
dent lustre. While be w« got gtftedro
highly m s declaimer, he was noverthe
SSSaKrtoMwi less forcible dear end louical never
‘ H.
great . forte seemed , to . ho keen apprecia
a
tion of facts. I he methodical, and sys
them tematlc aed manner the leg w tlmate, th which or he logic*], ground de
ductions from them, J at once, atam:>ed
him ... I.—.. I
hara T wL often hoard ?r, J‘ it said “ “His Lr wsiirht
- was beyond his years. Thi This was t Hue. u
' V L' inlV-thlt Ii!rt..n,ii.i “ThI richt
« rn ** ,1 tk.u.M tn * 1 1 1 0 * n " ' lhariirht 1 ® 1
’
,u CP , « real yvorer.” But, sit:
There were other distinguishing charac
terlstics of Brother Stephens. IDs great
and j unvarying . .1 love »„ for t . HC 1
ll0t brer f.Behood, or duplicity, how.ver
c ijtterin S , th* enamel in any of th.ir
hu . s , orrolori . Wi<s mo d M t,
PVW . to diffl.lsoc*. Yet, amidst Hints
lnuat , mo(lMty> bla mind renpoted , ta
liwn 0#d given light. He did his own
.u- thinking. 1.1 His, was no k Imrro wed i light.
h p wag no m vH* imniitator. His mind
nobly disdained to filch another’s idea,,
Such J^ r^allong.m.’r a character and such a mind mar
.miftl h3n m ration Let us
Z 'mvm^nng i i. high M.d noble vir
tlmt w. too, must
i through the "Dark valley of
lb , #dow of p^h.o-snd like our
h m,i.AV in “Him ”
..tw'lTiVur *
-UeAnows each chord,—Us ’ variou:
Uuic.”
“Kach spring,—Its various bias.”
Marshall Z. Andrews, Esq, of the
Crawfordville Ikir, sjnike as follows.
May it th’toar 1 owr Honor: It is
Wlt h feelings of the deepest sorrow, I
rise to add uiy tribute commemorative
of the man, virtues of William. G. Ste
phona. As ha. already been stated, at
the last session of our Court, our hearts
were saddened by the announcement of j
the death of a distinguished member of >
the Ocmulgoo Bar. At this session, our
hearts are again saddened by the death
of a member of our Bar. I had knowu
William G. Stephens for the last six
years, and the longer I knew him the
more eobly bis virtues appeared. He
was mv senior at the Bar by several
years, end was always kind, aud ever
willing to instruct and aid me in th.
peweeuttou of legal business We oc
eppied th* same office for several months
after I was admitted to the Bar, and his
kindness toward me ao indelibly stamp -
«d iteeif upon bit heart and mind tS*t
time can never efface it. Being poascstr
ad of a etrong legal mind, and clear co«
caption*, his opinion* on questions <4
law were generally correct. He **»
characterized at once by firmnees a*d
modesty, always making the closest d.»
tiuction between right and wrong- b
the trial of causes. His uaituebiog
doyotiou to principle coupled with
a gee tie gracefulness of demeanor
marked him as a gentleman in
highest sente of that term. In M»
death the profession has sustained tti
irreparable loss, and our town and coun
ty hare lost a most worthy citizen.
The thought that Billy
more; that he has passed from our
midst to the Great Unknown ia indeed
*ad ; and yet, the thought that tie died
j n strong faith of a blissful immortali
ty is indeed sweet. He was a man of
unquestioned honer, veracity and intea
rdy ; and at all time*, and on all oCc*
he displayed those noble virtnm
Only a few days ago, I saw him.at the
Central Hotel in Augusta. He was then
under medical treatment, and he at
tltat time seemed to realize the fact that
|,i, days were fast hastening to an
but it never occurred to me
WO uld se soon be numbered with
,| ead . This but reminds us of the
tl , at death j s no respecter of persefldt wl
all( j t h a t he often calls at the most
««<». T.,o« „h«. bm
the briKfitwi are often
jn the prime of life and usefulness, af gs
evidenced in tho death of William G.
Stephens. I heartily , .., endorse , the .. resolu- ,
tions just submitted, believing they ced
tain nothing but the truth. And o«
this occasion, as I have been on mips?
olhers t am ready t0 „ c , Him with t lie
“Fnend lifter friond departs, V
Who bus not lost a friend ? ■».
There is no union here of hearts,
But here must hare and end.”
W. 0. Mitchell, Esq. , of the Oeinul
gee Bar siiok# a* follows • —’
M'v, it plecut Vie Cmri: As a member
the Ocmulgee Htr I rise sir to aift
testimony to the life and character
Mr deceased brother. I would be ue
to him, untrue to his memory and
Uidrue to the noble profession of whieh
was an honorable member to ait in
and permit this sad occasion to
without bringing an offering to the
of the lamented dead.
mv .,, 0,1 forhitio tn r.'„i r
ji a ||. and while there formed the ac
inUnc« of our departed brother It
there a strong anJ attachment i vi.twT grew thT urn
Us whc.
ybuit for the first time in mv Ufa as at
Awyer Inert in IW, that attaohment a^nenvcdVffilB**
l to groWinshrag koe|
r ,up* bum him lo„*r, but none
„ , md B#w .
I ,, bare hero . engaged, . both . * p ‘ ^ ,
*" d esroclate counsel and never have 1
know " h ” n ,,,iUT ° f " ,tb8
O ’ourt Boom, *r elsewhere, unlweoiamg
, trn# m , bl . m .n. Hi. rroord
flWf , r oloaed.aud th.t rwio.^ a.a msu,
*» d w * . >' *wyer, ataads sum mo to d rt.iy *v without witiiom
* f cme no
more will hi# delicate form and familiar
f>ef b# M(m , B 0(jr Xl) mere will
w , ^ heard in that usu at eemeit
^ „ u>| , (bort . HouN .
” ' ' , mho dl«nest of
honor, Juatlce , and trnth. II* „ apurned .
that which wm low and uisan; his nature
would not permit him to commit a mean
He was high minded and gnneroBs
to a fault, po*sess*d lofty conceptions of
right, and, atroog convictiens of duty,
And I can truthfully, say, may it please
vollr h onor c^SroM never hive wl I known ^^1™ a more
noble, and chivalrous .ie-rt pulsate in
breast of man. Asa citizen he re
aud obeyed the laws of his coun
^’ , and , andeavored to XXndtS. enforce them
And the county of lai.arerro ana tee
of Gwirg a have lost on. of
'ts trueet. West and most worthy citizens,
a,,d ^.ety one of !U most valuable
member. II. wa, as modes a, a lady,
op«n, frank Md upright in *U hit deal
ings Aed to* greatest eulogy „ ... that <»n ___
be pronounced upon any on. is that of a
true and noble man.
As a Lawyer be pressed a flue legal
mind, often reeing through hi. entire cue
« soon as submitted by hi. client, and
his opinions were highly respected by the
Bar of the Northern and Ocmulgee cir
cuits. Ue w,is courteous to his brethren,
fair in his dealings with his client,, and
practiced no tridt upon the lawyers era
ployed on the opposite side of the case,
Whatever he said, might be relied upo,.
As it has already been alluded to by
oviv Brother Brooke, that at th* last sit
ting of this: i art, that Col. Lewis, os#
of Georgia’s most distinguished citizen*,
purest.lawyer, and most zealous advocate
passed away. So at this sitting of tie
court we are called upon to deplore the
loss of another of her best and purest
citizens, and remember that, os oue
bv one, her distinguished eitix.W
fall, and as each great name iaimprin
on the pages of her history, so will tht
deeds and virtues of brother W. G. St*
phens, make “as bright* jewel Mapart
les m tire gathered treasures of her gh
rious post.”
Cut down just as he was entering tie
prim# of life and usefulness, we shoufl
deeply feel and n»ouru hi* loss. Uise:
atipte though. yoire* as he was, s
v^rtby of the greatest emulation. Aifl
Your Kooor Please. Permit me, sir h
say in conclusion that I heartily anl
most conscienttouslj ernlooe every
ti«a«ot in respect to the Ufa and eharac
ter af oar deceased brother, as contained
in the report of tbe Reaolu tines presented
by the committee. And never before in
my life hare I seen that sentiment ex- i
preseed in the lines of tbe past, so strrk- '
ingly illustrated as in the character of
brother Stephens.
“Teach me to feel another's woe,
To hide the fault 1 see,
T i^ i *^er*IYhow°U t m* *' r ^'** 10 *’
Aed with a life so fall, so perfect, so
free from all that is corrupt, ray only
hope is that his career in this life, will
bring t irn I**ce Md comfort tbe
* r#at lje y° n “> * nd lhat lll » »o« l »* »t
eternal rest.
His Hoaor, Judos Pottlk, then
spoke as follows.:
Gentlemen of the Bar: These proceed
in g* are suggestive and admonitory,
Six months ago the sad new* flashed
over lhe wire *' d,,ri *»* " ur session, that
Miles W. Lewis had been suddenly called
away. On the same round, when we
reached the County of Hart, »t was
announced that the rank ef the profes
»'« n liad broken, and a good
in the persoh of aone armed Con
federate soldier had fallen at his {post,
To-day all of our hearts are saddened at
the death, while the Court ia in session,
of another esteemed member, William G.
Stephens. When we shall have reached
.nottier County tn the Circuit in a^w
day*, we shall again have announced
the death of another. I knew William
G. Stephens well. I knew him inti
mutely as a citizen, and understood and
valued him as a Lawyer. What struck
me most with him in the trial of causes
in lhe Court, was his conscieatousness
and candor. I never knew him to ad
dress false arguments to the Court or
to insist upon a cause to the Jury in
either a civil or criminal case, when his
convictions were against his client. In
argument he was clear, and always In-
2 enu . OU3 >
Taliaferro, and the town of Crawford
vlllf ’ llas a n,ost wortl, y and ralua
l> ' e and this liar, an honest, hon
ora,jle ’ and ,,seful men,ber '
0,1 Sund “> ^ « I came to this
Cowrt - 1 8aw him la8t m ,ife ’ while
lli8 wu * «n»»ciaUd, and in suffer
in ®'’ ,lis Inilld was c omi»osed, and aot a
murmur or complaint escaped his lips,
^ i8 alw ^ 8 : ^her, it
comes (as in hit case.)
“In consumption’s ghastly form,
M . ,S lemW# ‘
Tho strong and stalwart, with the del
a “ d n " 18t allk "
«eeth Mhreientlm stroke. The strongest
ar.d the brightest gcaius must
V? l S<T u "'' MR*sun.—o...
8, '«
Uim at his last moments, that
colicious of approachmgdiaeolutlea, b«
, met Ins last enemy with calm resigns
and lwkcd t* thr grave Jnst open
reoMve I,i.n with composure and trinrorfr;
.. IttV! , , , iE ... 1,, . ,
8CI * ,U ''’ vo,d of offense «ith (*L God *„d and in.m,
a|)d t3 u ab le to die with the experience
„ f , n . gmmtuil ^ h th . h[gbesl
, Wbl ° b 4D , b ° !4 *” ed .
l ' Up °“ any
brethrea the tb ‘ ranks rankS *r * f tha nrof.,
next to walk to the » I' domain of ^ the silent ^
....
rat th* ' VnT resolutions h« sor.s 1 mum ti . I
™ IButM -»" d a copyforwarded ,o, v to the
thk JUDOK’s ordbr.
In accordance with the recommends
tion of the Committee, forgoing it is ordered by
the Court, that the resolution,
^ # n t« re( i or , the minute# of the Court,
and that a copy of the same be furnish
ed tbe family of the deceased, and the
thel’rawfordville Augusta Chronicle k Con:HitutionaUM aed
Dknockat for
c>aion
........... .. ............
is mkmoriam.
By James D. Waddrud.
owp Stephen, was Tf bora at
Grange, Georgia, March 8 th, 1847 ; he
^ ’ Georgia 8 March
He a «> ,llr * d h,s ^mmarical and lit
emry .ducat.on at the Crawford v. Ie
Academy aud at the Pen Luc, ustitute,
published by Professor *’^’der Richard 7 U
Ht® uncle, the Hon. Alexander H. Me
j bb*n». was «»* legal preceptor
* ho3e h *' was Papered for
fessional life. He cam* to the Bar
bn 8 ‘'t promise and prospects m
While a mere lad, he entered
army of the Confederate States, and
maimed at his post, performing the
ties of a veteran, till at the battle of
Averysboro>, N. C., (Jfarch 18, 1865.) a
wound in the leg disabled hun for
ther rerv.ee .« tbefield A few weeks
afterwards, the curtain fell and closed
j the bloody drama by the surrender of
ie on eras orces.
, j n 1379 , he married Irene, third
daughter of Mr. William W. Simpson,
0 f IFashington. Oue child, two young
to know a father’s loss, but not too
young to appreciate his affectionate
caresses, is the issue of the marriage,
May “He who tempers the wind to the
shorn lamb, guard ar.d protect that in
f*nt daughter, and pour into the wid
ow’a bruited bosom the heeling balm
which tlie fountain of Innnite Mercy
only can sapj>lrl
William G. Stephens was largely gift-
ad mentally. His was a clear,
inating, well-balanced mind. More eolid
than brilliant, more concrete thaa ab
street in aptitede, its bent was utilise
rian rather than imaginative. H* es
teemed the logic of common sense above
tbe tiasei of rhetorical display ; aed, at
all times, distinguished the gold of the '
one from tbe glitter of the other.—
Sound good seas* was the substratum
of his intellectual character ; and,hence,
the uniform accuracy and justice of bis
judgments of men, events and affairs.
He allowed no sophistry, howsoever
g en ious, to impose upon his understaod
j n g ; nor did b# allow passion or greju
dice to warp his opinions of oontrol his
conduct. H* was true to himself; he
dealt candidly and severely with his own
mind; and followed the convictions
whereou his reason settled, ne matter
whither those convictions led, or might
land him. Consequences were their
own guardians.
And yet, his nature was essentially
emotional and full of the tendcrest feel
j ng The stream, though deep, was
c [ ear . I( the jewel lay at the bottom,
lie was sure t0 ^ u recUkn it and
bring jt to the surface. Nothing over
rode tils sympathy but bis sense of Jus
tlc , Her image he enlarged into the
fairer and nobler proportions of virtue ;
1 and he worshipped at that altar.
Trnth was tbe foundation of bis roor
a , cliaracUr> ai)d at the gatn(j time hi#
jKilar star. He loved truth for its own
sake. No prevarication in speech nor
act was evec to bira> Decep
tjon ’ | iy p ocr acy ! evasion, trere stran
gers that ne ver entered the door to his
| bearti nor ever knew tha road to it .
Ifis wal BOt Ul0 comm0I1 honesty,
ordy w hich pays its debts and
pei f orm3 jt, promises; but, in all
hi# dealings, he practiced that
“Integrity, which,” in the language of
Gaston, “however tempting the oppor
tunity, or however secure against detec
tion, no selfishness nor resentment, no
lust of power, place, favoi d »rof»t,or pleas
ure can canid to swerve rrom theSfrlH
rule of right.” Nooneever heard fall
from U P* » wo 'd of profanity, a *#g
gestion of Infidelity. a,lur or scoff at
the reality ef religion, raomlity or 1 , 0 -
man progress-“a single dmibt «st (hi
Rijfliteouaness, Temperance anil Judge
mint to come.” Tbs ciwef defect of his
conformation, mental, morel a.d SocigU
was a virtue in excess-extreme mode*,-.
It was iuitinctive, almost feminieo—te
mdriis from the general eye, and winch
kept him in the background, wheij, I,e
was entitled to a place in the foreground
of the public picture, in the relations
| of domestic life, he mfii ail re*pect*.
exemplary and amhibfe; aad “.l*i»rling
behiml him
which thorn tlmt J* be« “w«l
net willingly let die.” v
| II# met death as tweams such a Ufa—
calmly, courageously, resign.rtly, trust
iag * in the mercy of
- vft#r vft#r ,,rt 8 fltfld ntr '*' fe reW „ r ’ he * le 8,e sIealB -' ,B
’ Ihis —‘ “
* hi * rP ° f U “ We W "° m ^
loved and which robs tlieir sadness
of ^eiy Huge of #»•«,« sorrow.
•aaMamwaaaasmamMBaswMmMsaaeMwree
Death of William O. Stepheas.
UorrctpondtnetCliron. and Con.
Madison, GxoxotA. March ft. 1*81.-
1 am 8 «™ ^ P* iuiit •“*'
through your popular and widely read
co ' umn8 i render some tribute to the
memory of tho excellent and noble Wit
llara G . Stephens, whose lamented death
oceured in th# early part of last week,
at bis home in Crawfordville. To those
who knew the deceased, no.such tribute
from me is necessary, but to those ware
unacqU a, B ted with him, it is meet and
„ Proper r that r I »hr>,.lrt should hnlrt hold on up and mrt com com
mend the example of his pure and bean
tiful life. So splendid a specimen of
manhood has fallen that I cannot wil
. " . iusGcJ r - n t \hi nor vet can I hone
do j to n 5
The deceased was a son of the „ Hon.
gia. * who died about ° tw. * nty-nv* reX
’
2 The litttr w ' ls a bl0th ® of H#n [Ion -
A. H. Stephens, and was, at the time of
h,s d8i » th - a lawyer of decided ability,
p romi n.ncc and success, as is indicated
by ui, briefs and the successful termina
tion of man, of the care, wherein he
was counsel, as published in our Su
Mr Stephens was teuderly 1° attached,
| and in a j eUe r he wrote to Judge City Linton
Stephens from Washington upon
tlie subject of his death, of which he
had j u3t he . ird . “i a 'no truly
whelmed with grief, and hardly know
what to say or how to write to ,011 eon
eerning the sad intelligence that our
only brother is no moie on earth. The
truth ia, I can baldly realize the fact.
I must see after the
family of my poor brother,'and must do
what I can to kMp those most dear to
him from want.” He accordingly m
duced his widowed sister, with her
daughter and four son?, to remove from
LaGrange to Crawfordville, in order
that be might supply the more convert
ieotly the place of the lost father, in
looking after the comfort of the family
and superintending the education of the
children. The eldest of the sons is Hon.
John A. Stephens, late Senator from
the Nineteenth District ; th* next. Lin
ton Steohens; the next, the subject of
this sketch ; the fourth, Clarence now
engaged in the mail service on the Gear
gia Railroad. Tbe daughter is Mrs
Mary Corry, the widow af Judge W. 4-
Lorry, lata af Greene county. , The
nether, I think. died soon altar the
father, and batw the orphan nephew*
and neice and Mr. Stephens has existed
from their infancy the warmest af love
and atUcbmeat, virtually tbe same Un
der affectipw that would have ^existed
between them and their" parents "but for
the latter 1 # untimely death.
But it U of Wm. G. Stephens, thede
ceased, I propose to speek particularly.
He was, I think,at the time of bit death
thirty-four years of age. thtf
•
a thorough preparatory course ef sevend
under Ot. R. W. /ntiasmf.'ffTtlie
Pen Lucy School, near Baltimore, br
entered the State University at Athena,
Remaining here for some time, though,
I think, without completing the course,
he returned te Liberty Hall, and ia a
class of six young gentlemen studied „
law under the careful guidance of hie
distinguished uncle. Gifted with a le
gal mind, fortified by a long apd tbor
ough course of law study, aided oy the
counsel and inspired by the example of
two illustrious uncles—peer# ef Use 1
greatest of Georgians—our friend step
pod upon tbe professional threshold with
success in his immediate grasp. Hit My
gal opinions, when giver, after invest!
gatiou, were remarkable for their sound
ness; and his theory of his cases wa»
generally verified by satifactory verdict*.
But ill health debarred him from a vig'
orous practice; and his native modertyr
according with his partial retirement
from tbe profession, be became con teat
to occupy simply a respectable rank at
the bar, so that his leal ability as a law
.' er was seldom conspicnously displayed
and not generally recognized,
nis character was of the purest and
noblest type. I knew him well and exag
g er ate not wben I say he was truthful
in thought, iu word and in deed. II*
was utterly incapable of acting a part,
Gentle as a woman, and as tender of
tb e feelings of others, he was yet as firm
and corageous as Mars in defense of
principle and honor, Mr. Stephens has
truly and eloquently said of him, “he is
the soul of honor.” Though in feeble
'>.alth for years, his fortitude ntvsr for
sook him. He seemed to be aware that
he destined to die early, revealing *
was is
presentiment of this sort in a speech
which he wrote, to be delivered by a
young student at a achool exhibition In
^ the subject being “Know whee l*
ctie - ’ Yet despite this sense of earthly
bopelsssneas, he was ever cheerful and . -
y
bealtl. and in the heydsy of success.,
Itisproper 1 should s|«seial y aUude
to bis devotion to his. uncle to whom.
.
as much to a of fatl^r w!mUr*»me lw advice eratefui and.i.ixjsjme^ for «>
. .
-dc aseistanc^in acqinriug ml eihiytyi
Jhm .
titowrver, was hot ,** .
* ^-rda, Imt j* M
1 1 ‘“‘“duet; m tlie ssslsTanpe ),*•
rendered , , hup >b oerformin? hi* vaeh.
correspondence end .-sparing ma»*K,
8Cripts for U ’ 8 »>r«v; in Vvj w ( hw
,
his agricwltmil and financial in'■
and, above all, hi ministering so untk:
ingly to ).« during sickMM. 4 ‘
want,
Ihongh _____,. I , . have written Kr . ttfn ^ a. seme , Mn „ u.*,. Irnifftb, _
I am sensible olllie iucuoipletetieeg MM
j U adeqnacy of my task. Those who
knew him ^ wi „ kno ^ x hav# wrff .^
ten words of “soberness and truth,’’ and
„ 0 mere panegyric. V ‘
Hi. wife, whom he mmiwl I. 1878.de
a daughter ef Judge .Simpson, of JFaah- .
ington, Ga. To her snd his infant child,
he leaves the memory of a life » pure
wid fragrant a* the flowers with whieh-
they will deck his grave. Morgan,
A Colored Camp Follower.
“Yon ran at the first fire, did you ?”
said tlie Colonel of a regiment.
"Yes, sah,” was tlie unblushing
ply, “an’ I would have run soenah if 'l
had knowed it waa cornin’.”
“But hare you no regard for your
reputation, Sam ?” . ;
' Reputation is nuffin te me, sab, by
the cid* of life.”
“Well, if you lost your life you would
_
have the satisfaction of kaawiAg that
you died for your country.”" *r
“What satisfaction would dat be to
me, sah, when de power of feeNK 1 ft wag¬
gon# ?”
“Then patriotism and honer are notire. ft
ing to you, Sara.” ‘ s
*
“Nnffin what.ber, sah.” if
t traitors T ^” might have Zv broken *" up ^ tbe Got*
ernment without reaietoMe,”
j “Yes, ash, dafs so; der*. would hab.
! been no help for it. I wouldn’t put mR
life into de scales ’gainst any Guber
ment dat eber existed, for no Guber-
meat could replace de loss to me. I
'spect, though, dat de Guberment wouldf
be safa’nuff if all de aoldiers were UlMt
me. cos den der* couldn’t be wo fits* 1 4 *'
,
“
A Frankfort [ky.] Phy.iclae . . write.. — .
0 hopeless u f? r e 0 ™S wifmn^n'Sdt
consumptive. She was very much
j reduced ioflwh. ternbte .hcrUfe
},ertouse‘‘Dr.Swayne'sCompoundSyrnp. Wild Cherry," whieh she did. Ia
of a
„t,p healthy* e r ^ymptoros, Price and is and now Si 00 rosy bottie. *»d
29 eents a
: P p 0 *X^ al es p^p^’^y SoW by drug^sta, hy^
ASon, p b ilad a.
I Eminent Ur. W r- L f-r-znsgh.
jka^^^tmptas.’gsaewW .. _ •„
*au want
of appetire. I eheerfufiy recommend GoM.
*n **'
____
ggr Read tb* Greeucskoro, New Advertisement G»- of Q,
A Davts A <«-. .... .