Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1885-06-24
THE LATE RICHARD r. MERRICK.
Ihe Funeral ArranrementS-Enrl Life
OF the DeceuseG-Whaf 10 Said OF lis
Great Worth aud Ability by Attorney
General Garland and Others.

The Funeral Arransements.-Early Life
OF the DeceoseG-Waaf 10 Said OF His
Great Worth, aud Ability by Attorney
General Garland and others.
The funeral of the late Richard r Merrick
will take place at four o'clock tomorrow after
noon from ST. Matthews church. There wlh
be no high mass, only the ordinary burial SER
vice, which will be conducted by Father J. j.
Murphy, the pastor of st. Aloysus church.
Upon the conclusion of the services the remains
will be taken to Oak Hill and placed in the
vault.
Honorary palbearers will be Judges Cox
James, Hagner. of the District court: Samuel +.
Pnillips, formerly solicitor general; Van II.
hianning ex-congrcssman from 3Iississppi,and
Fhe actine . m from r0m 'iTga rD,,a
Jas G. Payne. John w. Ross, Il. Ross Perry. T.
A. lambert, John c. Wilson, Leigh Robinson,
Mr. George Merricl: the brother of the de-
ceased, from Marlboro, Md. J. II. Thomas. OF
BiaElmore, 4 near reiatiye, and the friends
funeral. During the day a large number of
friends called at the late residence of the de-
thei, aid Mr.. Morris the partner Of Mr.. Mer.
rick and MIR. Hamilton, who is associated with
the law firm, have charge of the funeral ar
Mrs. r. T. Mcrrick, who is lying at the home
OF her father, Mr. j. G. Mcguire, on street.
Much of Mr.. MerriclS's boyhood was spent in
Washington, and some of the older residents of
the neighborhood OF the court house remember
him as "A youth from ten to seventeen years. At
that time his father resided on 9th street, just
above Louisiana avenue. He was, they say.
remarkably handsome lad. smart and inteli-
gent beyond his years, but fond of play, though
he did not neglect his studies. The house then
occupied 10y Senator Merrick belonged to his
brothcr-in-aw, Rev Father William Matthews,
pastor of ST. Patricks church for over Il third OF
a century.
"a common mistake" said n lawyer to-day
"is made by the public in the belief that Mr..
Metriek ;net TX was SO given to addressing juries
cases. The fact is that he was a close
examiner and quick to see a point.
When he came here from Chicago, having pre-
viously married Miss Mcguire, he entered in
practice with the late Robert J. Brent Mr.
Brent at that time had the management Of the
$4,000, and the legitimacy OF Mrs. Wyiie as
the daughter of Tillotson Brown. On the first
trial Ar. Merric!l took no part and the jury dis
agreed. On the second trial, however, Alr. Mer-
rick took an active part and the case was won
by plaintiff after thirty:tour days spent in the
Braef M was peI1 n w1a
1867 for conspiracy in the assassination of Mr.
Lincoln and the release OF Surratt was secured
with murder. was defended by him and Norris
and, although the case looked like hopeless
one, the jury found Il verdict OF not guilty. Be-
fore the Circuit Court Mr.. Merrick at his
best"
Attorney General Garland says he considered
Mr.. Merrick one of the finest men and one of
man, Mr.. Garland says, whose great ability
should have higher recognition than opinions
supreme bar meets this fall. he says, suitable
action will be taken, and he thinks it impOSsi-
BILE to speak of Mr.. Merrick AS he deserves in an
informal way, and an attempt to do so would
be to ioreStall, in Il measure, and take from the
force OF the action to be taken in the proper
| official way. When the Supreme Court meets
the highest tribute will be paid officially to the
deceased lawyer.
Ex-Assstant Attorney General McCammon
kn !, of ricly
| a great loss to the community, as well us to the
barr He was great lawyer and an affable gem
bic nervous energy, that induced him to work
too hard. He had warm impulses, positive
convictions and remarkable moral courage. He
was, Mr.. McCammon says, the great mind in
the prosecution of the star route cases, and it
was certainly not his fault that they were un-
His advice was away: g9od When
says. he was always struck with the brilliancy
of his mind.
twas a man OF most brilliant qualities,
were associated with him here as members
of the bar. My estimation of him as a
member of our profession was really Il very
high one. regard him in some features as II
lawyer and an advocate as & one OF the most nos.
with regard to the facility and beauty of his
diction. his power OF statement, and the methods
him in cases where he wes On attornev, mostly
in causes before the Supreme Court, and
always found him courteous and honorable aS
man and exceedingly fOrcibie as an advocate"
Hon. r. John ELLIS said to a STAR reporter to-
day: II have been Il member Of this bar for
very brief period and alt although haxe known
my privilege to have met him at the bar.
heard his great speech before the electoral COM
rank, among the greatest Of the arguments de-
llvered ON that occasion. 1t was a compact
array of law and logic and truth that moved,
like u disciplined corps OF veteran troops, be-
meath the guidance OF his brain and tongue. 1t
showed to me that he combined in a wonderful
degree the two essentials that go to make up
oratory. He was not only Il great lawyer, but
Il great advocate as well. witnessed once his
1850, Judge Thurman, Mr.. Merrick and ad.
dressed an audience assembled in grove some
ten miles from Cincinnati. 1t was a large
assemblage of ladies and men and children.
Both political parties were largely represented.
Mr.. Merricl1 chose for his theme the great wrong
of 1876, when the elected of the people was
counted out and the rejected of the people
counted in. He reviewed the case in its legal
aspect. 1t was purely law argument, and
that character struck a shivering, crushing
blow at the foundation of the government. II
is hard to hold mixed audience audience with dry
evening was one of those splendid autumn
evenings, cool. cloudless, with the yellow sun
MIR Merrick grew warm with the burden OF his
theme. His voice, like perfect instrument,
rose and fell in measured cadence, his action
two hours he held that great audience by the
force and power of his speech. Yet never once
did he appeal to the heels or hands or
hearts of his audience. Every shot
was directed to the brain of his hear
ers, and went home to the mark
with convincing power. heard him once more
on the 9Th of January last, when the Jackson
democratic association held its annual celebra-
tion. There were three hundred men at the
table 1t was post prandial speech, and Mer-
rick responded to some toast that led him to
draw contrast between the constitutional the
cries of Hamilton on the one hand and Jeffer
son and Madison on the other. He spoke for
nearly three-quarters of an hour, with great
force, power and elOquence. can pay his effort
no higher tribute than to say that 1t should
have been reported and printed and circulated
as a sort of catechism for the younger genera
ton to study, to bring back their minds to the
will he very sadly missed by the bar, by the
strong men of his party. by his country, who can
lily afford to lose such men; more yet by his
friends ard still more, alas! by those to whom
he was sun and shield"
The Second Division Teachers.
THE TEACHERS COMMITTEE TAKE STAND
AGAINST TRUSTEE DIRNEY.
Messrs. Lovejoy, Purvis, Brooks, Baum,
Clark and Griswold, the committee on teachers
of the public schools, last evening held long
meeting at the Franklin School building and
ensuing year, as submitted by the trustees of
the various divisions. The nominations made
were approved in every case, except that of the
second division. The committee decided to re-
port adversely upon the proposition OF Mr..
Birney Of that division to drop five teachers.