Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1896-06-03
sTAUNToN sPEcTAToR AND GENERAL ADyERTIsER.
Tribute Of the Stanton Bar to General
John EchOlS.

ribute Of the Stanton Bar to General
John EchOls.
The members of the Staunton bar
net at the courthouse Wednesday az
ernoOn and paid tributes to the life I
md character of the late General John
Echols.
The meeting was called to order by |
Major L. G.. Elder who made an elo- |
luent address, touching on the many
good qualities of General Echols. T.
Peyton Brown and W. A. Pratt were
chosen secretaries, after which Judge
Charles Grattan offered the following
General John Echols was born in
Campbell county, Virginia, March
20th. 1923; graduated at Washington
College with high honors in 1910; at
tended for one year the Virginia Mill
tary Institute, and then studied law
at Harvard.
for short time and in November, 1913,
was admitted to the bar in Rockbridge
county. He soon removed to Monroe,
was elected attorney for the Common
wealth, member of the legislature
from that county, and a member of
the secession convention from that
district.
He was commissioned lieutenant
colonel of the 9th Virginia and sue
ceeded to the command of the regiment
upon the resignation of Colonel w. w.
Gordon; he led his regiment at the
first Manassas and Kernstown, where
he was severely wounded. and was
vNrn tn6 frr To- ~, - T. -
brigadier general, serving with distinc-
ton during the rest of war; its close
found him in command of the trans
Allegheny depart ment.
He was member of the board of
trustees of Washington and Lee Uni
versity. Virginia Military Institute,
Mary Baldwin Seminary.
in the Presbyterian church. His life
Staunton, a member of the law firm Of
Echols, Bell & Catlett, and president
of the National Valley Bank, of which
he was the first president and chie1
promoter.
The last decade he has lived in Ken
lucky, engaged in railroad building
mind, energy of action and tact in the
management of men bore golden fruits
He retained his citizenship in Staun
ton. where few days ago he returned
to die.
| We, the members of the Stauntor
bar, in the forefront of which he sc
long stood, taller in stature and attain
ments than his fellows, desire to RECORD
our appreciation of his character as {
man, a citizen, soldier, and lawyer
General Echols possessed q min6
framed in natures largest mould
broad Of grasp, quick of perception
accurate in discrimination and just il
equipoise-a heart full to the oyer
| flowing with the milk of human kind
ness. Dependent in large measure up
on his own exertions, he knew thu
struggles of deserving youth, anl
never failed to lend helping hand
but SO transformations was his benevo
lence the world will never know tn,
good he did.
If it be true that ''all we can take il
our dead cold head is what we hav,
given away" he will begin his celestia
life rich in the reward of good deeds
Faithful in all the relations of life
honest in his dealings, firmly keeping
the straight and narrow path of duty
he walked it with so much sweetness
of temper and Christian charity al
never to lose a friend and never to make
an enemy.
His temper and tact in the contro
of men as individuals and in bodie
was great; few came in contact witt
him who did not feel the moulding
influences of his mind, and in all thu
assemblies OF which he was a member
he took a leading part and seemed by
intuition to know the move to max,
and the word in season to speak t.
turn the tide as he desired and guided
it's direction, while lie seemed to bt
carried by its force.
As a citizen, General Echols never
sought prominence and never shirkel
responsibility.
| During his long and useful life he
walked in the clear light Of observa
tion and no stain was found upon hi
garments.
AS private citizen he was careful to
exercise his every franchise, SO thai
the republic took no detriment from
his laches.
| AS representative. he sought
honestly to reflect the intelligent viii
| OF MS constituents.
| AS an officer of the great corpora
tions he so zealously served, he leaves
the remarkable record of having done
what he could to promote their inter
ests, while he retained the confidence
of the community and the love of the
employees.
AS a soldier, his valor was proved on
many fields and sealed with his blood
1 ,a% \ yfxy t,,1
| by the confidence of his great com
close of the war.
AS a lawyer he possessed the real
| foundation of true greatness in his
profession; clear, quick. strong, well
| balanced mind; upon this foundation
he builded wisely and well. Thor
oughly grounded in the underlying
principles of the common and civil
law, he stored his mind with the learn
| ing of the reports and text writers,
and none knew better how to use the
material at hand or seize the strong
points of case.
His reading was vast and various,
and his memory a well-stored arsenel
to furnish weapons best suited for
attack or defense.
His address was graceful, imposing
and pleasing, and while he could with
magic power play upon the feelings of
the heart, he could upon occasion rise
to the tragic and make the offender
tremble before the majesty of his
wrath.
The fall of such man, go full OF
promise and of fruit, will be felt in all
the borders of the state he loved; to
US, his brethren who knew him best,
the loss is greatest, the pang the keen
est.
Be it therefore resolved, that the
chair appoint one from the number of
his brethren to present this paper to
each of the courts to be holden in this
city and ask that it be spread upon
the record and that the secretary of
this meeting send copy of the same
to his family.
After the reading of the resolutions,
appropriate and feelings remarks were
made by Capt. Jas. Bumgardner, Capt.
J. M. Cochran. J. H. Crozier, and
Meade F. White.
Singular Accident to Two Mules.