Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1882-04-26
Rev. WqJrOM w. Reed.

y 49,
w. Reed becoming the next Republican
candidate for Governor ofIndiana, unites
more than ordinary interest upon that
gentleman, and Wisconsin, among whose
people he has lived so long, is giving
him fine "send off, to the citi-
zens of Hoosierdom. In the last
Sunday Milwaukee Sentinel cor
respondent writing from Columbus serves
up chapter of "Reminiscences" in the
life of Mr.. Reed from which we take the
following extracts relative to the portion
of his life passed in Watertown. In this
recital few errors have crept in, but
in thu main the correspondent is correct:
Myron W. Reed has ever been favor
lite with the people of Southern and Cen.
trail Wisconsin. The first acquaintance
they had with him was as teacher in the
high school at WATERFOWL, a position he
held for two years. He was a success
full teacher and to-day the young men
and women of Watertown are proud Of
the fact that years ago Myron w. Reed
was their preceptor.
While teacher at Watertown he board
ed with and made his home at the village
tavern kept by Mr. Van Alstne, and
read law with Gill & Barber He seems to
have vibrated between the Office of Gill
& Barber and that of Myron B. Williams,
who was state enator and district attor-
ney at that time. When Williams was
at Madison attending sessions of the Leg
islature Reed took charge of his office and
attended to his business.
In the course of two years Reed, on ex-
animation, was admitted so the bar in
Jefferson County, at that time and still
one of the leading bars in the state. Judge
Harlow S. Orion, at present one of the
associate justices of the Supreme Court
of Wisconsin, was at that time Judge Of
Ninth Judicial Court, aud contributed in
no small degree to the quality OF
the bar by the rigid examinations
be required applicants for admission to
undergo.
Some time after Reeds admis N t. the
bar, Samuel Baird, DOW OF Appleton,
Wis, was elected county Judge. Reed
went into his office aud took charge of
all the general probate business, while
Judge Baird followed uninterruptedly
his profession. So exact was the young
attorney in all his work, so we'll quail
fed for it, and SO we'll liked generally
that he was soon dubbed "the Judge"
Mrs. Judge Baird, who was a leading
spirit in the Congregational Church at
WATERFOWL, was greatly interested in
Reed, and soon got him interested in the
church and the Sabbath School Mrs
deeply cultured and truly pious; her in
huence over Myron W. Reed for good,
in MOULDING his character and shaping
his future career, cannot be over-esti-
mated. She was to him all that moth
er could have been. and to-day observes
with nothers satisfaction his steady
upward career.
During the season of revivals the fol-
lowing year, with the assistance of Mrs.
Ballou, Col. Blanc hard and Deacon Coe,
Mrs. Baird induced Reed to unite with
the Congregational Church. At this
time the law practice was very dull and
his friends finally prevailed upon him to
attend the Theological Seminary at Chi
cago. Reed did not have the morley
necessary to carry him through, and at
the instance OF Mrs Baird and Mrs.
Ballou, Col. Blanchard and Deacon Coe
formed Syndicate, and raised the neces-
| sary funds to start him In the Seminary
Rev G. w. Niles, now of Elmyra, n.
Y, was at that time pastor of the church
at Waterfowl. He is very able man,
the compeer of Thomas K. Beecher and
men of that class, and from him Reed
gathered, in great measure, his style,
which is 80 puugent and bristling all
over with gems of thought.
When Reed went to the seminary the
people in this part of the country lost
track OF him. They only heard of him
occasionally through some returned To-
cal merchant, who had been day in the
city of sin buying goods and had seen
him.
The money with which he was pro-
yided gave out long ere his course was
completed at the seminary, and he preach
ed in country school houses and in sub
urban villages to replenish his purse and
keep the wolf from his landlady's door.
He told friend here some time ago,
Ihoo ClO SACdtCSt CuOIL VI Ills 1llC WAS III
this time.
The next our people heard from him
was up at Hudson, Mich, where he was
called to take charge of a church as its
pastor in the fall of 1860. He was preach
ing here whea Fl. Sumpter was fred upon.
A regiment was raised at Hudson. He
enlisted as private, and was elected Cap
tain of one of the companies. The Gov
ernor of Michigan sent him commission
as chaplain of the regiment, but he pre-
ferred to go with his company and re-
turned the Governors commission with
| thanks for the proffered honor. He was
lost to our community in the multitude
of brave boys who periled their lives for
the nations unity. All that is here
known of him is that he came back at
the close Of the war colonel
When be came home the church at
Hudson being without a pastor, he COM
pleted his engagement there.
He went to Watertown Sept, 1867;
arrived at his old home-the Van Al