Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1876-02-17
KEER's FIRST SPEECH.
(Fron the New York Mercury

State, mike Kerr" has been elected
speaker Of the Federal House of Rep.
resentatiyes, it may not be uninterests
ing to relate the somewhat sensational
affair which first attracted attention to
his remarkable qualities. 1t was good
many years ago. Kerr had just hung
. ont his shingle as a lawyer in New
Albany, Indiana, and was waiting for
clients. One of his first cases was a
suit which had to be argued at Paoli
in Orange county. Paoli was then a
wretched little village of hundred in
habitants, or 80. The only decent
building in it besides the courthouse
was the United States Hotel, large
frame house, Of which Mr.. Godfrey
Harrison was the landlord This Har~
rison was sort of adventurer. AL
though not forty years old he had been
, in business all over the country. Finally
he had opened a grocery store in the
thriving railroad town of Seymour, and
there he had taken leading part in
lynching a gang of outlaws, among
whom was the eldest Reno, whose five
brothers were afterward summarily exc
cuted by vigilance committee at the
same place. Harrison was known to
the Reno boys, as they were called, to
have adjus ted the moose round their
eldest brothers neck, and they had
sworn to take the executioner's life
for it. Mysterious assassins had repeat
eddy fred upon Harrison after dark, and
finally, owing to the supplications. of
bis wife, he had sold out his store in
Seymour and moved to Paoli, where he
had bought the above mentioned hotel.
When mike Kerr arrived there in
the evening preceding the day on which
he was to argue his case, he was the
only guestlat the United States Hotel.
He went to bed at an early hour, and
was awakened about midnight by a
furious pounding against the front door.
I He listened few moments and heard
1 parties in front of the hotel shouting
Come ont, Harrison! Your hour has
come now! The Reno boys are here
Remember Jake Reno! Come out, or
we will burn your house down! To
these calls were added Horrible oaths,
and the pounding was renewed with
redoubled violence. Suddenly Kerr's
door opened, and the landlord, pale as
| shoes, stepped in. 'Mr. Kerr he said
hurriedly, "my deadly enemies are at
the door, They want to revenge them
selves upon me for participating in the
lynching Of Jake Reno at Seymour.
They have sworn to kill me, and, if
they get into the house, they will do it. "
"But will they get in?' asked Kerr
"They can not very easily" replied
Harrison for the front and back doors
are well Secured, and it will be very
difficult for them to open the window
shutters" "What kind of arms have
you in the house p asked Kerr. ''Only
double-barrelled rifle, and doubt if
the people in the village would dare to
come to my assistance. They know
the desperate character of the Reno
boys too WELL" ''Humph y said young
Kerr, "then we are IN a pretty bad box
here! !" eyes, we are" replied the
landlord. "My poor wife, who has
been ailing for some time, is now half
dead from terror, and the two servant
girls are on their knees in the Kitchen
praying for help" Kerr reflected a
moment, then he jumped out of bed.
and hurriedy dressed himself "What
are you going to do 2" asked Harrison
Il am going out into the yard, and
shall speak to the fellows, replied Kerr,
quietly. 'For Gods sake don't!" said
HARRISON. 'FThey are desperate crowd.
They will shoot You like dog" 81
will risk it" rejoined Kerr, and slipped
out of the back door, Going round
into the front yard he saw in the dim
moonlight foar young fellows busily
engaged in building fire in dangerous
proximity to the front door. When
they caught sight of his slender, straight
form, one of them shouted to him,
"Halloo, who the deuce are YOUR 81
am Michael c. Kerr, from New ALBANY,
and who are you y 'sMy names Billy
Reno, and them three is my brothers"
"What are you making so much noise
| for at this unseemly hour?" asked
/ Kerr, with the utmost ;mpur,ability
Stranger" replied Billy Reno, mind
! your own business. We've come here
to string that internal scoundrel Gods
frey Harrison, who murdered our breth-
er at Seymour we'll hang him on this
ere tree, SO we will IT. s'My friend,''
said Kerr, there are four men with
wives in the house" "Why don't they
show fight them yelled the other
Reno boys. Il will tell you" replied
I Kerr, 'they have not fred upon you
yet because / have prevailed upon them
not to do SO until after I had spoken to
you" .sKerr's fearless manner had ev~
identity impressed the four outlaws.