The Anderson intelligencer. [volume] (Anderson Court House, S.C.) 1860-1914, 1884-02-14
ARmIsrEAD BURT.
E1-Gov. Perry in the Greenville Enterprise
and Mountaineer.


The sudden and unexpected death OF
this eminent lawyer and venerable gen.
tleman, respected and esteemed by all
who knew him, was great shock to bis
friends and the State at large. He died
in his Office, all alone, of heart disease.
No one was present to hear his last words,
or watch over his dying struggle. When
found he vas lying on his sofa, as if in
deep slumber. His eyes were closed and
his arm across his breast. The features
of his face were unaltered and his spirit
had departed, as it were, without strug-
gle.
The last time l had the pleasure Of
seeing him he was in.fne health and
looking remarkably for man Of his age.
He had been temperate all his life, lived
prudently and was remarkably we'll pre-
served. Seeing him and hearing him
converse, one would have supposed that
he might have lived ten or fifteen year,
longer. He was tall, fine looking gen.
tleman with a remarkably imposing
presence. He was cheerful in converse
ton, entertaining his friends with his wit
and humor, as we'll as his learning and
wisdom. He was digni6ed in his man.
ners, though courteous and afable to all.
It may be said that he was an accom-.
plished gentleman Of the old school.
There were few men in South Carolina,
with whom I had been more intimate,
and none for whom I entertained more
sincere regard. His death seems to have
deprived me of the last of my intimate
contemporaries. He was three years my
senior; our intimacy commenced with
my admission, to the bar. He kindly
offered me an opportunity of making my
first speech at the bar, in murder case,
tried at Old Pendleton, few months
after my admission to practice. 1t was a
dreadful case of a man killing his wife
and the only witness against him was his
own daughter, only fourteen or fifteen
years old!
MI. Burt was born in Edgefeld Dis
trict, November, 1902, and was conse-
quently in the eighty-6rst year of his
age at the time of his death. His father,
who represented that district in the State
Senate, moved to Pendletou when Armi.'
stead was small boy, and there he grew
up and was educated in the Pendleton
Academy. Although Mr.. Burt was not a
graduate of any college, yet he was fine
classical scholar, and few men in the
State had better knowledge of the En-.
glish language or spoke it with more
correctness and purity. He was artistic
in his choice and use of words, on all
occasions, whether speaking, censuring
or writing. He read law with Hon.
Warren R. Davis and was admitted to
the bar in 1928. He commenced the
practice of his profession at Pendleton
and remained there till his marriage in
1928, when he moved to Abbeville.
Mr.. Burt had commanding practice
at both these places, although he had to
contend with Warren R. Davis and
Thomas Harrison and Judge Earle at
Pendleton, and with Governor Noble,
Judge Wardlaw, Col. Perrin, Judge Nc
Gowan, Judge Thomson, Judge Cothran
and others at Abbeville. He was elected
a member of the State Convention, call
ed to nullify the tariff law, in 1882, and
he espopsed the cause of notification
with great zeal and ability. he then
served several years in the Legislature as
representative from Abbeville. In
1S43 be was elected member of Con-
gress from the Districts of Edge6eld and
Abbeville by q large majority over his
opponent, Col. Whitfield Brooks, a gen.
tleman of learning and talents, and a
member of the bar. He served in Con-
gress ten years end was reelected every
term without opposition. BE then be-
CAME tired Of his position and declined
reelection.
After Mr.. Burt's retirement from pub
lie life be went to his plantation on the
Savannah River, adjoining that of Gov
ernor McDufie's, and occupied himself
in planting for two or three years. But
his partiality for the bar drew him again
to the practice of his loved profession
He always delighted in it. If he mas
not born lawyer he WAS certainly born
for one and proudly fulfilled his destiny
For many years during the latter part o.
his life, he stood confessed at the head o1
his profession. He was learned, possess
ed most logical mind, very industrious
in studying his cases aud managed them
in court most successfully. AS criminal
lawyer he was unsurpassed, and many 8
culprit owed his life to Mr.. Burt. The
State reports will show the extent of his
practice and his eminence as a lawyer.
In Congress Mr.. Burt did not take the
stand which his talents and learning ano
high-character entitled him to assume
The bar was his great forte. He was s
lawyer and not statesman. Legislation
did not seem to suit the character of hii
mind. In Congress he was difident anc
did not trust himself forward in debate
as others did with much less ability ant
learning. But in court he had no diff
dence, and was always self.possessed ane
prepared for the conflict. He saw the