Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1884-06-05
;Sa1isfellaneuns ;Sa1i &eadiug,
A SAD CASE.

Kentucky on account Of the suicide OF
Judge Richard Reid, of the Superior Court,
who was coWhidedat Mt. Sterling, on April
Is, by John Jay Corneilson, a prominent
lawyer, who charged him with hypocrisy
and influencing his fellow judges to decide
case against Corneilson. The suicide oc-
Cured at Mt. Sterling on the 18th OF May,
at IL o'clock, in the office of Judge Brock.
Reid entered the Office at half-past 9. COM
planned of a severe headache, and asked
permission to lie down in Brooks bedroom
overhead. He went upstairs and Judge
Brock left his Office, returning an hour later.
Going into his room to wash his hands,
Judge Brock found Reid lying on the bed
dead. The bed was soaked with blood, and
the suicides right hand grasped Smith q
Wesson revolver. The ball had entered be.
low and back of the right ear and emerged
on the left side of the head.
The theory is that Reid was so humiliated
by his position and the certainty that he
would be overwhelmingly defeated for ap-
pellate Judge and his future ruined, that ne
took his life as the easiest solution OF his
troubles the spirit of his wife, it was pre-
dicted, would leave him no peace.
His friends are claiming that it was
caused by mental alteration, but the gen
eral opinion is that he pretended headache
in order to encourage the idea that his brain
was affected, an accusation apparently car
ried out by the following note, written on
the back of business card and found by his
side:
"Mad, mad! Forgive me, dear wife, and
love to the boy J"
This was not signed, but is in the hand
writing of the suicide. 1t is singular fact
that no one heard the report of the pistol.
The weapon used was one Judge Reid kept
at his house but never carried, and appear
ed to have just been loaded.
Commenting upon this affair and the oc-
currence that led to the suicide, the Louis
vile Co,n'ier-Journal says:
The announcement of the death of Judge
Reid by his own hand may well shock
a people somewhat used to tragedies. 1t
has features so peculiar, so full Of sorrow
and aff1iction it is so shocking; in all its as.
poets, and from public standpoint, it is at
this time so calamitous that to the people
of Kentucky, it must have much more than
a passing interest.
Judge Reid is the victim of the coward
ly assault of one man, and the vitlated pub
lie sentiment of the State. His murderer
is John Jay Corneilson, but in commune
ty where law was enforced, where crime
was swiftly, surely punished. where lie
was protected, where prevailed an intelli.
gent appreciation of the obligations Of all
the citizens to obey and uphold the laws
Judge Reid would not have died as he did
Assaulted without warning, stunned by 9
blow from behind, dazed and stricken and
then beaten with a cowhide in the hands C;
an attorney dissatisfied with his course as a
Judge, Mr.. Reid did not succeed in defend
ing himself at all. This is a matter great
ly to be regretted, and the regret to-day Is
intensified many times.
Failing in this, it seems to be the duty OF
every man, according to the code which most
prevaisi in Kentucky, that he pursue his as
sailant and slay him wherever found. The
situation in which Judge Reid found him
/ self was, indeed, trying one, full OF diff
culties, leading by any path to undylng re-
morse. 1t was not death he feared, as we
see; it was disgrace in any form. His own
stood in public place, a candidate for pub
lie office, and he was necessarily keenly
sensitive to every change and shade OF pub
lie opinion.
The path he had chosen was steep and
rugged the burden which he had assumed
was too heavy. The sense Of shame and in
dignity which, had he been coarser man,
more of bully and blackguard, he would
not have felt, preyed on him, driving him
to madness. His actions were misrepresent-
ed; his motives were questioned; in a State
of brave men, few men were brave enough
to stand with or for him. He believed the
as it is, but he could not wait for passion OF
indignation to subside. Much of that sym
pathy which went out to him he felt as g
rebuke he was acutely alive to any blame
or misunderstanding, and life lost its charm
Ambition died within him the support
and kindness of his friends could not aea
his wounds. Even the love of those nearest
to him, thoughtful and considerate as he
was, could not sustain him, and he dies
wounded not only by Cornelson, but by al
who make public sentiment in this State.
How freq uent are these sckening calam
tiles; how fast they follow one another
verdicts; how warped our judgments have
become. Here is conscientious, upright
honorable man driven to death by the
miserable attacks of one who uses only
the weapons of a blackguard and bully
Corneilson has friends and they have
been quick in his defense. His case, rest
ing on his own testimony and his owl
pleadings, has been decided against him
The impression has grown strong that nj:
attack was political conspiracy, designed
to defeat Judge Reid in his pending can
vass. Whatever the motive, malice was
there, premeditated malice, and the death
of Judge Reid is the consequence. No man
in Kentucky would attack a man with
cowhide unless he was prepared to kill him
if it was necessary. Assailing his vicyim
from behind, laying his plans so as to take
him unawares, it was not necessary to Kill
him. Now borne down with humiliation
feeling ineXpressibly the shame and indig
nifty, bearing a grief which he must heal
alone, Judge Reid finds relief in suicide:
Again we say, as so often we have said IN
these columns, that from the sin of blooo
outlines no citizen of the Commonwealth
is free. We do not deal with crime as we
ought. We tolerate murder and pardon
vice and honor criminals if they are brave
Physical prowess is the only virtue that
appeals to us. We are passionate, unrea'
sonable, unrestrained, lawless. Society PRO
tects no man either by its recognized rules
of law nor by that public sentiment which
gives strength and force and vitality to all
written laws. Until we change all this
until murder is punished, until we educate
men to look to the law for protection and
vindication until the law does what il
pretends to do, what it is instituted for, we
should cease our boastings and no longer
content ourselves with traits and achieve
ments which equally distinguish the bar
CURIOsITIEs OF CoUNTERFEITING.-]
wish to call your attention to two curious
facts, said an official of the secret service al
Washington recently to correspondent
Counterfeiting runs in families, and without
exception, the men engaged in it are al
poor. For instance take the Ballard family
Thomas, Benjamin, George and John, four
Il. H.,