Democratic messenger. [volume] (Snow Hill, Md.) 1869-1973, 1902-07-12
A Great Eastern Sh0ren1an
fudge Pearce at Ocean City TALKS Pen,inis-
Gently Of fudge Richard Carmichael.

During the meeting of the State Bar
Association at Ocean City last Friday,
Judge James Alfred Pcarcc delivered
an address on the late Judge Carmichael
should be read by every subscriber of
the MESSENGER. Judge Pcarcc recalled
the time when the civil law i'll Mary
land was overridden and set aside by
the military, and he gave an account of
the invasion of one of the courts of the
State by Federal provost marshal and
his deputies, the assault upon the judge,
his being beaten with the butts of pis-
tolls and dragged bleeding from the
bench. to be imprisoned for months
without trial or even having charges
preferred against him.
Judge pcarce said in part:
"The subject of tins paper is Hon.
Richard Carmichael, who from April
%, 1888, to March /, 1864, was the judge
of the then First Judicial circuit of
Maryland, composed of the counties of
Kent, Queen Anne's, Caroline and Tai
bot. He was born in Centreville.
Queen Anne's county. on Christmas
Day, 1907 His father was William
Carmichael, a distinguished lawyer of
that period and Il friend and fellow
student of Chief Justice Roger b. Taney
while the latter was reading law under
the direction OF Judge jeremiah Town
ley Chase. Judge Taney has left i'll the
first chapter of Tylcr's memoirs of his
life, which is from his own pen, an al
lusion to William Carmichael.
"Richard Carmichael was for a time
a student ut Dickinson College, but was
graduated at Princeton i'll 1928 with the
first honors of his class He Immediate
ly began the study of law. and was ad-
mitted to the bar of Queen Anne's
county in 1890. He was at once taken
into the confidence of the business COM
munity and soon established himself as
uing in active and important practice
until he went upon the bench, nearly
30 years later. In politics he was a
Democrat, and was elected to the House
of Delegates of Maryland. i'll 1881. and
again i'll 1911 and 1866. In 1888 he was
elected to the House of Representatives,.
In 1856, 1864, 1868 and 1876 he was u
delegate to the Democratic National
Convention. and i'll 1867 he was MEM
ber and president Of the Constitutional
Convention which framed the present
Constitution of the State. Although
Democrat, he was, upon the death of
Judge Hopper. i'll April, 1898, appointed
judge of the Seventh Judicial circuit by
Governor Thomas Holiday Hicks, who
had been elected by the American, or
know-Nothing. party, and although
that party was then very strong i'll that
circuit, it refrained from making any
nominations in 1859, and he was nomi-
mated and elected without opposition
for full term. 1t is not the purpose
of this article to give an elaborate biog.
raphy of Judge Carmichael, but to deal
with single incident i'll his history as
"a judge.
VINDICTlvE STATESMANSHIP.
1.-The shallow and vindictive states
manship of those who surrounded the
President was to treat the State as an
alien or conquered province and her
people as public encmi The civil
power was ovcrborne aud military rule
established on its ruins Hundreds of
peaceful citizens, guiltless i'll deed or
thought, were arrested without war
rant of law by military force. without
even charge of crime. and were denied
any form of trial The Marshal of Po-
lice and the Mayor of Baltimore rislSed
their lives to protect the Massachusetts
soldiers from the mob which beset them,
and the Police Commissioners of the
city were thrown into Government
dungeons. The Legislature of the State
was invaded aud dispersed, and its
most distinguished law abiding MEM
bers were consigned to gloomy dun
geonS beyond the State ana subjected
to personal indignitics and hardships
Which III this country had never been
inflicted upon convicted felons. For
one who witnessed their deeds it is i'm
possible, even after the lapse of 40 years.
To speak of them without betraying the
indignation which every fair minded
and patriotic citizen then felt, whatever
may have been his views Oh the ques-
ton of secession. and | should be want
ing i'll sincerity if | sought for any rea-
son To conceal or veil the indignation
which their memory now recalls.
ARBITRARY ARRESTS.
The spring jury tcrmsin Judge Car
michael's circuit had been held before
any of the violations of law to which /
have referred had occurred in that jjuris-
dlction, but during the summer num-
Der of military arrests were made i'll
several of the counties, and as the time
drew near for the election of the various
county officers these arrests increased
in frequency Military camps were es-
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