The Portland daily press., 1878-07-25

To supply the demand for the obituary of the
late Judge Shepley, which appeared in the
PRESS of Monday, the PRESS republishes it
this morning, together with an account of the
funeral services which took place yesterday,
and the tributes of respect paid to Judge Shep-
ley's memory by those with whom he was as
sociated.
| A Sketch of His Life aad Character.
Ou Wednesday of last week few of the more
intimate friends of Hon. George f. Shepley
learned with pain that during the night he had
been suddenly and seriously attacked with sick
ness closely resembling Asiatic cholera, and that
for several hours his recovery had been very
| doubtful But as the violence of the attack had
passed, and he seemed to be better, it was not
deemed best to make any public mention of his
sickness. His condition seemed encouraging
and hopeful until Saturday morning. when he
was evidently failing, and this whole communi.
| ty was deeply shocked at the rumor that he
| was dying. The rumor proved only too true.
| He died at his home in this city at about 10
| o'clock in the evening.
There is no doubt in the minds of any of the
| physicians who attended Judge Shepley, that
his disease was genuine cholera, the nature of
which was recognized from the first. The at.
tack could not be traced to any error of diet and
there was nothing in the progress of the dis
ease to warrant the supposition. Quite recent.
ly his usual summer vacation had made brief
interruption of that intense brain-work to
which he was addicted, and his friends natur-
ally supposed him to be unusually well; but the
al &c hro; TONS
must have resulted in more physical enerva-
tion than few weeks of rest could repair Dr.
French thinks this condition in conjunction
with the sudden and extreme changes of tenn.
perature, served to develop germs of disease
which ordinarily do not quicken in our cli-
mate He was taken sick Tuesday night and
about o'clock Wednesday morning his physi-
clan was summoned At that time he was in
state Of collapse and suffering indescribably
from muscular cramps. Wednesday was day
of fitful, broken sleep under the influence of
exhaustion and the anodynes administered the
night BEFORE Thursday he took nourishment
very freely and seemed slowly but steadily re-
viving, although still extremely exhausted.
Friday he appeared to flag little. At.least he
failed to improve as rapidly as was expected
and consultation of physicians was called.
His condition at that time was not deemed
hopeless, although extremely critical, and in
view of the large amount of nouishment taken
and his naturally robust constitution, strong
hopes were entertained that he would yet strug-
gle through. Saturday morning, his physician,
who had passed the night by his bedside, OBJ
served that his sleep was becoming unnaturally
heavy. Another council was Immediately held
and the fact realized that the function of the
kidneys was being suspended. This new source
of danger was energetically met, fresh medical
aid added to the council, the most
decisive measures and remedies resorted to and
persisted in to the last moment. few hours
before his death there seemed to be some evil
dence that the kidneys were about to resume
their function, but the hope was delusve and
quickly crushed. Totally insensible to suffer-
ing himself and unmindful of the agonizing
friends around him, he sank into peaceful
slumber, and few minutes before ten o'clock
breathed his last without struggle.
Judge Shepley was born in Saco, in this
state, on the first day of January, 1919. He
was the second son of the late Chief Justice
Ether Shepley, name honored and revered
throughout the state Two brothers, John r.
Shepley of st. Louis, and Leonard Shep'ey,
Esq, of this city, survive him.
Judge Shepley was graduated at Dartmouth
College in 1887, at the early age of eighteen
years. Having chosen the legal profession, he
entered the law school at Cambridge, where he
had the privilege of the instruction of Judge
Story and Professor Greenleaf. How faithfully
and we'll he improved that privilege is shown
by the high rank as lawyer he quickly won
and ever m aintained.
When only twenty years old he was admitted
to practice, and commenced business at Bangor
as partner of the late Joshua W. Hathaway,
who was soon after made an associate justice of
the Supreme Judicial Court of Maine.
About 1874 he removed to this city and
formed business connection with Hon. Joseph
Howard. In the judicial history of the State
of Maine the firm of Howard & Shepley will
ever hold an honorable place, and the name of
the junior partner will in no degree reduce its
rank.
In 1S4S Mr.. Howard was appointed justice
of the highest court in Maine, and Mr.. Shep-
ley assumed the responsibility of large and
important business, with the confident assur-
ance of all who had observed him, that young
as he was, he was equal to the work he under
took. He associated with him John w. Dana,
ESQ.,. now deceased, and was recognized as in
the foremost rank of the bar which numbered
among its active members Gen. Samuel Fessen-
den, Thomas Amory Deblois, William Pitt
Fessenden, r. H. L. Goldman, Edward Fox,
and other distinguished counsellors.
November s. 1S4S he was commissioned by
President Polk as United States District At
torney, to succeed Hon. Augustine Haines
who had resigned and retired from professional
pursuits. Under that appointment he held
Office only till April 1849. when he was
succeeded by Hon. Thomas Amory Deblois, ap-
pointed by President Tay lor-a change due to
the political character of the administration
In 1858 he was made United States District
Attorney for Maine by President Pierce and
held the position till June 1861, having been
reapponted in 1857 by President Buchanan.
While occupying that Office, though called up
on to conduct many important and difficult
| causes for the government, he retained the
large private practice of former years. and
constantly added to his professional reputa-
| ton.
| Though entertaining strong political con-
victions in sympathy with the Democratic
| party, up to 1861 he did not to any great ex-
| tent participate in political affairs. But he
was too prominent person to be permitted to
abstain wholly from the excitement of party
conflicts and in 1850 was elected State Senator.
He occasionally addressed conventions and
took part in political discussions, never failing
to add to his reputation and influence. In 1860
he was q delegate at large to the National
| Democratic convention at Charleston, and
attended its adjourned session at Baltimore.
In that convention the South willingly threw
away the only chance for success the Demo
cratic party had, and took its first step toward
secession. During that long wrangle of six
teen days at Charleston and Baltimore the
Southern leaders allenated by their folly and
arrogance, may of their strongest ard most
conscientious supporters in the North. Among
these was Judge Shepley. At Charleston on
fifty.seven ballots he had voted for James
Guthrie of Kentucky, but he, with many