The evening light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1881-1883, 1882-05-18
ORRIN BIRD.

The writer ofthis paragraph was forty years
ago subscribe in New Orleans wanting
but the to make him a capitalist. At that
period he, one afternoon on some alarm,
rushed wildly into the street, tore down Camp
street like company of Turkish pandoors
till arrived at the corner of Common street,
where crowd was assembled, and where he
met, coming quietly out of the store, Matt.
Edwards Esq, young lawyer Of New Or
leans at that time.
The writer said: "Hallo Matt, what's the
matter - to which the former, without stop
ping, replied Nothing" On entering the
store we found Orrin Bird lying upon the floor
in pool Of his own blood; Edwards had shot
him.
We recount this "reminiscences because in
the N. O. Picayune OF last Sunday two or
three columns are occupied in history of
the Bird family, consisting of three brothers,
of whom Orin-erroneously called Omen
was one. Without knowing the motive for its
publication we desire to say that the history in
some of its particulars is false, and contains
unfounded aspersions upon the character of
young Edwards.
The quarrel between Edwards and Bird we
think arose at club of which both were men,
bers-probably at cards. A quarrel with
Bird always meant fight and Edwards, who
never carried arms prepared himself for him.
On meeting together on Common street, OPP
posite the corner now occupied by the Story
building, Bird assailed him. Edwards retreat
ed with no object, as he declared to the writer,
but to prevent killing others, till he had led
Bird, who followed him closely the whole way
assailing him with blows from cane, into the
old premises then occupying the corner, where
he turned and shot him. Edwards seeing that
he fell disabled, and that there was no further
work to be then done upon him walked quiet
ly out of the store.
Now the historian of the Picayune relates
that after shooting Bird, Edwards in a wild
panic fled into the street. This is lie-for
it could not have been mistake. The author
of the story could neither have seen nor
heard it. Edwards could not by his bearing
have been discovered to be under any excite
ment, and inquiry of those on the spot could
not have misled the Picayune's correspondent
on point that did not admit of error.
What he claims to have been true of Bird
was SO. He was incapable of fear. His pas
sions swept down all partitions walls that sepa-
rated right from wrong. When man does
not fear to do wrong what is there for him to
fear? Death is happy change when I'M
sought. There seems no power in Heaven or
earth to hold bloody hand if the fear of COM
hitting crime will not. The Just one thing
which Edwards feared was to do wrong. He
was Conscientious, earnest and tender.
Bird had two conflicts with Lollande
Ferriere greatly his senior and much more
powerful man. Both were with knives and
were terrible. Ferriere was strong but Bird
active. The men had twice cut each other to
pieces. There wus but one sorrow at Birds
death and that was over a wasted and cruel
life which time would have more profaned.
1t seems strange that the biographer
Of Orrin Bird does not know his name.
There was a touching scene in the Metho-
dist conference at Nashville few days ago,
when the venerable Bishop Paine asked to be
relieved from further active service in the
church. He had been minister for sixty-five
years and bishop for more than thirty, and at
the age of nearly ninety he felt that it was time
for him to lay down his charge and calmly
wait tor the great transition which he was sure
was near at hand. He spoke few words of
encouragement to those with whom he had
been associated in the Christian cause, and
urged them all to renewed efforts in their good
work. As for himself, he said, the longer he
had lived the more thoroughly he had become
convinced of the truthfulness of. the Christian
doctrine. His only regret was that he was
worn out, and that he had SO few more years
to give to the work of salvation. This circum-
stance is worth recalling, for the sake of in
quiring why it is that we never find an
infdel standing up in meeting of
unbelievers and making a speech of
similar import-that is to say, laying down
his charge because of advancing age, and
asking his younger associates to slight the
good fight when he is gone. We cannot re-
call single instance of an in6del at 40 who
was equally an in6del at 7o-and here is this
good old bishop who is more Jealous for chris