Saint Mary's beacon. [volume] (Leonard Town, Md.) 1867-1983, 1892-03-03


be his last, but the very next yea
he was persuaded to accept the nom
ination for presidential elector OF
the Franklin Pierce ticket. III,
canvassed the State in compan,
with G.. j. NJ. Gwinn, Ephraim X.
Wilson and other gentlemen, and
was elected At the beginning Of
the war Judge Alvey was q pro-
nounced friend Of the South, and
in a great public meeting, held in
Hagerstown upon Lincoln's election
he reported q series Of resolutions
Of marked force and ability setting
forth his view Of the constitutional
right of a State to secede and the
wrong of any coercion. He had
several friends in the regular army,
who resigned to join the Southern
army. Some of these stopped in
Hrgerstown as guests of Mr.. Alvey
and this excited the animosity of
the Union people. Later on a spy
was put upon him who brought him
at 10 O'Clock at night false letter,
with the name of a Southern gener-
al forged to it, asking for informa-
ton and assistance. Mr.. Alvey
tossed the letter. on the table and
urged the man to leave the town,
as he was in great jeopardy then
and would bring trouble on South
ern sympathizers. In a few min
utes a squad of soldiers camein,
seized on the letter and made it a
pretext for his arrest. He was i'm
prisoned at Forts McHenry, Lafay-
cite and Warren, where he was de-
tained in company with George
William Brown, Mr.. Wallis and
other leading men. AT the close
Of the war he took conspicuous
part in recognizing the Democrat
ic party. He was member of the
constitutional convention of 1867,
and took a leading part IN framing
the present constitution. In No
1867, he was elected over
George A. Pearre, chief Judge of
the fourth circuit, embracing the
of Garrett, Allegany end
Washington. In 1882 he was ,e-
elected over VIM. j. Read. Judge
Alvey married Miss Julia /. Hays,
q lady who is greatly beloved in
Hagerstown. He has a large fami-
ly, several of his children being
grown.
JOHN PARRAN BRIsCoE.
When the constitution of 1867
was adopted and the three senior
judges went on the bench Judge
Briscce was a schoolboy at Charlotte
Hall Academy. Upon the retire.
ment of the Hon. Frederick Stone,
chief judge of the seventh judicial
circuit and associate on the appel
late bench, in 1890, he was appoint
ed by Governor Jackson to fill the
vacancy, and was elected the fol-
lowing year over Col. Allison VIII
mer by majority of 1880. At
the time of his appointment to the
Court of Appeals he was thirty-scv-
en- years of age, and looked five
scars younger than that, being one
IF the youngest men who ever sat
IN that bench. John p. Briscoe is
| son of Hon. James T. Briscoe,
who was Secretary of State under
Governor Hamilton, and was Sena-
For from Calvert county in the Gel
ebrated Legislature of 1861. Judge
Briscoe's mother was daughter of
John Parran, rich planter of
calvert county, who occupied in
bis lifetime high official position.
The Judge was born near Lower
Marlboro, in Calvert county, in
1853, educated at Charlotte Hall
and st. Johns College, studied law
with Henry Williams, now presi-
Tent of the Weems Steamboat Com
4any, was admitted to the bar in
lS75, was elected States Attorney
II Calvert county in 1879, 1888 and
SS7, resigned the office in 1890 to
20 on the bench. His wife is the
of Judge p. A. Bowen, of
Prince Georges county. They live
in house which they have recent
ly built at Prince Frederick. With
the people of his native county
Judge Briscoe is exceedingly popu-
lar. He possesses their confidence to
} high degree, and before going on
'he bench was the leading democrat