Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1878-04-09
Spirit Of yetferson.
TUESDAY MORNING. APRIL o. 1878.
ALEXANDER M. BRISCoE, ESQ.


The Baltimore Saturday Standard is now
publishing series of articles under the cap
ton of 'Our Politicians" The last is
sketch OF a native OF Charlestown, as follows:
Mr.. Alexander NJ. Briscoe was born in
Charles,own, Jefferson county, Va, May 16,
1913, and he is now thirty>five years of age.
His father, Thomas Brlscoe, was a substan-
tial Virginian farmer who died when Alex
ander was four years of age. Three years af.
terwards his widow, Mrs Henrietta Briscoe,
| came to Baltimore to reside. and subsequent
ly married Captain VIM. T. Bragg. Alex
ander was educated in our public schools,
but being of an enterprisng nature, he when
twelve years of age went to Kent Island to
learn farm life. In three years he had
enough knowledge on the subject to last him
all his life, and so came back to Baltimore
to reside. He then learned the carpentery
trade, and in 1860, when eighteen years of
age, he began business on his own account
on Paca street, near Lexington. He went
to Harper's Ferry with the Shields Guards,
under Capt. Chaisty. when the John Brown
raid was made, in 1859, and crossed the
bridge with Capt. Bragg. they being the two
persons who crossed the Potomac on the night
of the raid, and met Cook in charge of the
jailor at Charlestown, who hanged Brown and
others who were found guilty, was an uncle
Of the subject of our sketch. When twenty
one years of age he was drafted into the U.
| s. army, and on March %, 1864, was mus
tered in as Second Lieutenant in Co. [, Coles
cavalry, U. S. A. He served with credit
until the battle Of Hagerstown, when he was
wounded in the temple and in the left hip.
and was captured by the Confederates and
held as prisoner of war at Columbia. s. c.,
until Feb, 1865, when he regained his lib
erty through Sherman's march to the sea.
lie was mustered out of service in June,
| 1865, and soon afterwards was married to
Miss q. S. Barth, daughter of Mr.. Christian
| Barth, a we'll known citizen. In 1866, Mr..
| Brscne was appointed letter carrier under
| Gen. Edward Shriver, and served in that Ca
pacity until the election of Gen Grant placed
| Gen. Dennisou in the postoffice, and he in
| formed Mr.. Briscoe that some other patriot
! could perform his duties, and that he could
| retire.
Mr.. Briscoc was in 1868 elected bv tie
| Democratic and Conservative Bays an Blue
! delegate to the Soldiers aud Sailors Couven>
| ton held at Cooper Institute, New York, to
urge the nomination of Gen. Hancock as
| Democratic and Conservative candidate for
President, and Thomas A. Hendricks for
| Vice President of tho United States. In
| 1876 Mr.. Briscoe was first to call together
| soldiers and sailors OF the United States army
for organization to support Ti!den and Hem
bricks, and that movement spread over the
| country.
Mr.. Briscoe was elected secretary of the
| first Democratic Association formed in the
| Nineteenth ward, and as he had natural
talent for political intrigue he rapidly at
tained an influential position. He acted as
clerk for John Kcrns, the Register of the
| Nineteenth ward, and was made enrolling
officer by Gov. Bowie. His wife having
died some time before. he contracted mar
riagc a second time his second matrimonial
partner being Miss A. Toland. young lady
of most estimable character, who is the moth
er of two promising boys. Mr. Briscoe was
very efficient in securing the nom ina,ion and
election OF Mayor Banks, who appointed him
a constable. This Office he held for two
years, and was reappointed by Mayor Van
SAINT for two years longer. While holding
the position of constable he was made the
register of the Eighteenth ward, in which
Office he had noted controversy over the
expunging from tho registration lists Of three
hundred coIorcd voters who were in different
ways under his view disqualified. His actiuu
was bitterly denounced in Republican jour-
mails. which assumed that he acted from
partisan impulse.
Mr.. Briscne was ardent supporter of
John J. Fenton. Esq, for the Second Branch
City Council at the last election against John
S. Bullock, afterwards organized to the in
terest OF the ticket. He never flew the track
from Democratic principles. We should
have mentioned above that he voted against
the constitution of 1864. and in 1867
brought suit before a Alleu Z. Forester for
500 damages against Feast, McClenDsn and
Waterworth, the Republican judges of cleo
tion, who had rejected his vote. His pur-
pose was to test the test oath, and the case
cost him over 500
Mr.. Briscoe was ono of Gov. Whyte's sc-
tive supporters, and was by him reappointed
register. In April, 1876, Mr.. Briscoe was
commissioned by Gov. James Black Groome
as a Justice of the peace. He was recomuis-
stoned in 1876 by Gov. Carroll, whom he
had very efficiently supported, and he has
Just been renominated and confirmed, though
very strong influence was brought to bear
against him.
Mr.. Briscoe is clever, genial, kind hearted
and clear headed. The judges of the Su-
preme Bench knowing well his able perform
ance of magisterial duties, were strongly in
favor Of his reappointnent. Few of the
younger class of politicians have as much in
1ueuce as Mr.. Briscoe, whose vulnerable
point is proclivity to carrying point by
intrigue when an open advance would be as
certain of success.
The capsiziDg of the British naval train
ing ship Eurydice. in the channel, off the Isle
of Wight, March 24th, was one of the most