The star and Newark advertiser. [volume] (Newark, N.J.) 1908-1909, 1908-10-20
PEARCE RELATES
NEW STORIES OF
JUDGE HOWELL
Lifelong Friend of Dead Mag
istrate Tells OF His Many
Fine Qualities.

George Wilfred Pearce, a close, life
long friend of the late Police Judge David
T. Howell. writes the following letter to
THE EVENING STAR regarding Mr.,
Howell's life, giving many personal facts
which have not heretofore been made
public:
To the Editor Of the Evening Star:
May the Oldest friend of David T.
Howell in New Jersey say a few words
that may serve to set Alright q few err
rors with relation to him that have APP
to the old story that "he was deposed
from the ministry Of the Protestant Epis-
copal church" Technically this is correct.
But the word depose as used in the
Anglican Communion does not mean the
popular definition which ascribes to the
word deposed the ~meaning-put out In
disgrace. Nothing detrimental to the
during his troubles when rector of the
parish of Monticello.
Howell as Engineer.
1 knew Mr.. Howell long before he became
a minister. When 1 was a civil engineer
under service to the late Major-General
of the docks OF New York young Howell
came to the office with a letter of intro
duetion from that man of extraordinary
gifts. Colonel Michael Muldoon. The let
Ter asked that Howell be placed in line
to serve in some way that might lead to
his education as n scientific engineer.
Major-General George S. Greene (the COM
mander of the troops at Gettysburg that
saved the ammunition from Johnston's
Light attack referred the letter to me
with an order to see Major-iIeneral Her
men Haupt, Major-General Charles H. p.
, Coils, and others, to find a place for
Muldoon's young friend. AS the dock de-
partment was over supplied with cadets.
IL the course of u couri, of days Colonel
Washington "A. Rcebling, of Trenton, then
head of the engineering staff of the Brook
Ign Bridge, found a place for young
Howell. He did good work, was popular,
brave and self-reliant. He took immense
were building the Brooklyn Bridge. On
ore occasional st. Patiick's Day-young
Howell conceived the project CT going over
a cable ficm the Brooklyn to the Now
York side of the bridge suspended in a
b~catswain's chair, waving an Irish flag
in one hand and an American one in the
other.
After the bridge job some Of us who
had grown very fond of him We're
working under cur old engineering chief,
Maior-General Stone. on the Liberty, En-,
a place for Howell there as an assistant
to one Of the scientific engineers. After
ward Howell arranged and set up the
dynamo and the lighting apparatus which
a one-time Newarker made and gave to
the government for use at the statue
that was the late Edmund n. Golf. There
after the "s s st.9drier fo nea the 9 m,n Rtr1a /
had lost sight OF hlm Tor u leM years,
when on going to parts of New York and
Pennsylvania to plan a new coal-carrying
House Charles Crisp, Congressman Lafe
Pence, Ex-Governor Waller, of Connecticut.
and many other public men were con,
cerned, I ran into ,a David IL H %~e,ics VINO t We
mad q big camp of engineers. most OF
whom had been. like myself, trained in
the regular army service and had close
ties with regular army men. Our camp
was alive with men of that type who
came ur to fish and shoot, ride around
the country, and at the same time watch
to see us, and sometimes he would run
down with me for a few days and stay
at my tent at Fort Hancock, where build
ing on a large scale was going on.
woman at Bottom of Trouble.
Trouble for Howell wes beginning to
develop about that time through the YIN,
pagan culture who had a summer home
near Monticello.
Every art that an enraged woman
Howell the butt of her fury. Then
a political tinge got into the difficulty.
Howell soea G was f 2 good . Sna pe ps%oerat ana ,o %rnsGl
in his county. All that he had ever said
against political crookedness was raked
up and distorted by his enemies; To the
in control Of newspaper for two counties
thereabout. Howell was fairly treated.
Then the cunning malignity of the dew
fish woman who had nursed a hatred for
Howell developed into skilful work in
poisoning the wife of Howell with lies
against him..
One thing began to be plain-that poor
Howell was breaking down under the
In behalf OF the New York Sun I
called upon Bishop Potter to get
his views upon Howell. The bishop
gave such an Endorsement of the man as
would make a fine inscription for his
tombstone. Because Howell did many
kindly deeds for orphans and the sick. the
blind and the crippled through that part
Of the country in which l worked for
several years, I feel like recounting the
bare outlines Of the man,s g9odnessf;
that life may be a text against
the damnable personalities that haze
We who loved David Howell think him
blaneless. He was sick; the burden was
intolerable; something gave WY.
GEORGE W1LFRED PEARCR.
Civil Engineer.