The Stourbridge Observer, Cradley Heath, Halesowen & District Chronicle.
Stourbridge, West Midlands, England, 1886-01-02 00:00:00

Socat aitb istrict

DEATH OF MR. J. B. SHEPHERD.

It is with feelings of deep regret we hive this
week to announce the death of Mr. John Bullen
Shepherd which took place at his residence in High
Street, Stourbridge, on Monday last. He had been
id for some little time, but not long enough for his
fellow-townsmen generally to miss him from his
going in and out among them. With all the more
eurprias was it and indeed with something of a
shock to not a few of his friends, that they learnt
on Monday simultaneously of his illness and his
death It appears that when in London rather over
a fortnight ago he caught cold wLile welkin; across
one of the parks. On his return to Stourbridge Mr.
Alfred Freer attended him, but the slight rheutna-
tism which he had at first was followed by pleurisy
and congestion of the lungs. There was ci marked
improvement in his condition towards the end of
last week, but ultimately the symptoms bec_tmc
more unfavourable again, the rheumatism attacked
the heart, and there was other attendant mischief
which brought about a fatal result. Mr. Shepherd
bore his illness with that serenity and calmness
which ever characterised him, and up to within a
few minutes of his death his intellect was clear,
his spirit cheerful, and he passe I quietly aeray at
the last, leeving the community whom he ha.iliveo
and moved distinctly the peorer by the loss of a
good and true man. The decease I was in his
sixtieth year. He had been twice married, and was
a widower at the time of his death. Mr. Shepherd
was the son of a gentleman connected with the
glass bale of the neighbourhoo I, and he received
his education at the Grammar Schocl of King Ed-
war,' VI. at Stourbridge, where he beceme a good
elassical scholar, and acquired a love of Greek
weich never deserted him through life. His die.
position seemed to incline him very much to the
a reer of,a student, and under other circumstances
than those which determined his path in life he
m;ght have occupied no mean position as a literary
man After leaving school he was articled to the
late Mr. William Hunt, solicitor, of Stourbriige,
and on Mr. Hunt's death his articles were trans—
ferred to the firm which succeeded to Mr. Hunt's
practice. Mr. John Harward, who was a member
of the firm (in which changes naturally occurred
with the lapse of years), ultimately took Mr. Shep-
herd into partnership, and under its present title of
, Harwards Shepherd and Mills, this was the firm of
which 11.4 Shepherd was the senior partner at the
time of his death, and practically the same as that
in whieh he took his first steps in active life. In
his professional career, as in everything else to
which he put his band, Mr. Shepherd's ling of con.
duct was prompted by undeviating conscientious-
ness and reAitude. He appeared to be anxiously
desirous to be fair to opponents, and this made him
ready to give every consideration to the argument
of "the other side," whatever that other side might
be; and it would be almost impossible to find any-
one who was more minute in looking at every pos-
sible side of a question than Mr. Shepherd was. In
politics he took keen intere 4, and his long connectio
with the Liberal party is well known to a wide circle
our readers. His thoroughness in everything be of
identifiel himself with made him especially
thoroueh as a Liberal, and he had a grasp of poli-
tical questions and a breadth of information about
them which is only met with in men of close and
accurate reading, and of trained and cultured mind.
His abi'ity to tender his party important service did
not remai.l dormant, and on many occasions, locally
and generally, he materially assisted in furthering
the Liberal cause. Mr. Shepherd helped to an im
portant degree to shape the work of the Stour-
bridge and tipper Swinford Burial Board when it
was formed, and he ha a been chairman of it from
its first constitut'en ; bum apart f-om this we be-
deco he has not sh tred in any of the w )rk of I Led
ad ninistration. When the incorpration s‘.7he.rto
was promoted by the Stourbridge C enmission ,r-
-he was proces4enally engag d on hehalf of the t ro
moters, and the assiduity and z_,al with which h-
took their case up d-served success, if it did net
ettain it. Mr. Shepherd was fully convinced that
the bsst interests of the neighbourhood were in-
volved in the question of improved local govern-
ment. and he was thereiore all the more earnest in
tie efforts towards securing it, hut though he had
orepared what was practically an irresistible case.
the scheme collapsed on a point attogetker apart
front ne desirability of the thing itself. In privet-
life Mr. Shepherd was a most kind-hearted man,
considerate for others, courteous to everyone he
came in contact with, ready to do the part of the
Good Samaritae wherever ceuse aros:n.d
Htheiswarseailm;
be d with deep religious fooling.,
gives the keynote of his character and life, which
were influenced by a constant sense of duty, and a
constant desire to direct his course by the light of
Christian truth.

Reference was made to the death of Mr. Shep-
herd at the meeting of the Commissioners, on Moa-
day, and the Chairman (Mr. Platt) remarked thet
before commencing the ordinary business of the
Board the members would hardly consider him out
of place in briefly referring to Mr. J. B. Shepherd's
d ath, (Hear, hear.) Although he was a close
neighbour of Mr. Shepherd. he was not aware he
had been suffering from serious illness, and when
he found that morning th tt Mr. SSepherd was dead
it came upon him as a great shock. Although Mr,
Shepherd was not a member of their Board, he was
well known ta them all, and he was well known
throughout the, whole of that district and that
county. He was highly respected, a man of broad
sympathies awl large heart, and was urbane, cour-
:eons, and cultured. It had been his pleasure to
work with Mr. Shepherd some ten years on the
Burial Board, of which he was the first chairman,
and the only ohairmaa to that date; and his col-
leagues always found him most assiduous i his
ater.tion to the business coming before them. lie
vu eminent as a solicitor, and though no doul)t he
failed sometimes, as sll men did, he was an astutt-
aal scientific lawyer, As a politician he was en-
teusiastie, and as a townsman he was a friend, he
should think, to ev(ryone. Mr. Shepherd's death
-eemed to h iv° made a gap not easily to be filled,
and their sineere sympateits would go out to his
friends.

Mr. W. J. Turney said he felt it was his duty to
say a word or two in referencd to that p inful si:b-
je‘:t. The news of Mr. Shepherd's de.ith
him like a clap of thunder that morning, and he
could hardly believe it when he fist heard of it
the chairman had said, Mr. Shepherd was a
gentleman hi2hly respected by all who knew him,
4nd the more he saw of Mr. Shapheri the more he
appreciated :is sterling worth. During the incor-
pora,ian proceedings he saw a great deal of Mr.
Shepherd, and had an opportunity of judging of hi 4
character, and he must say in justice t' his his mem-
o-y that he never met a more upright man in his
life than Mr. John Shepherd was.
The deceased gentleman was buried on Tnurs-
day at Holy Trinity Church, Amblecote A number
of his fellow-townsmen assembled to pay a last
mark of respect to the deceased g•natleman, and at
many shops and residences the shutters were partly
closed and the blinds drawn. The funeral proc a-
+Loa Irft Mr. Shepherd's residence, in High Street,
it noon Following the morning coaches were the
private carriages of Mr. W. J. Turney, Mr. James
31ilis, and Mr. A. W. Worthington, and among
;ho e.who attended the funeral were the Rev. H.
iherrard the Rev. G. Gilbanks, Rev. T. Wallace,
Ifr. W. Platt (chairman of the Commissioners).
Ir. W. J. Turney (ex chairman), Mr. J. Taylor
(clerk), and other members of that body. The
Burial }bard, of which Mr. Shepherd was chdrman
from its first formation, was repr.sento I by Means.
H. 1i lingharn. T. F. Bland, F. J. Haskew, C.
4;vers, G. it Perkins, and W. H. King (the clerk).
G‘ Harwardfand Mr. H. Mills (MO :".hepherl's
,art. or., Messrs. Alfred Freer, W. Per, y, If,
Lames, J Cooper, W. Bill, J. Alobberley, G. P,rry,
d utheis w.,re also among those present. The
service Pt is conducted by Cie Rev. B. W. Allen,