The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1910-08-16
A Cousin OF Former Speaker OF
House Of Representatives.
HAD VAST CLIENTELE,
Filed Suit in Own Handwriting
in Court on Monday.
Brother and Himself Once We're
Chicago Publishers.

Judge Joseph Reed, a well known
criminal lawyer and a cousin of the
late Thomas Bracket Reed, ex-speak-
er Of the United States house of rep
resentatives, died at o'clock this
morning Of neuralgia of the heart at
his home. 1896 Kansas avenue. He was
81 years old. Though death came sud
denly, the Judge having tried a case in
police court Monday, he had been all
ing for nearly a year. He had been
threatened with paralysis of the left
side for almost year and last April
was seized by an attack of rheuma-
tisnl, which confined him to his home
for many weeks. The last illness af-
fected him week ago last Saturday
Judge Reed, as he was known to
most of Topeka's populace, the Topeka
bar and a vast clientele, was primarily
the poor mans friend. He never was
without an array of police court cases
Of unfortunates and Monday afternoon
in the session of that court tried nine
separate cases. Besides the strenuous
afternoon, Judge Reed also was busy
in the forenoon in the district court,
obtaining an injunction against a wife
who was threatening to run away
from her husband, taking an only
child. He also filed his last paper in
in the divorce case of Lenora Smiley
written in his own handwriting.
Judge Reed was born in Portland,
Me-, December 10, 1S48. His father was
Joseph Reed and his mother Catherine
Webster-Reed. After a law education,
he and brother, Col. George W. Reed,
now also of Topeka, were associated in
a newspaper enterprise in Chicago,
where Joseph Reed was married to
Almira loops in 1872. OF that mar
riage were born six children, Mrs. w.
T. Dawson and Mrs. W. I. Paschal of
Topeka, Joseph and Corliss of Chicago
and Rosco of Topeka.
Settled Here in 1877.
Judge Reed came to Topeka in 1877
and became actively involved in the
development Of the new country. With
his brother, George, he published the
Topeka State Journal from 1879 to
1880, was justice of the peace and po-
lice Judge in the nine succeeding years.
was commi 5sioner of elections 1889
1893, and deputy county attorney in
1s94-1S95. His first wife died and in
1890 he was married to Mary Nina
Reid, who survives him. OF this mar
riage is son, Thomas B. Reed, named
for the former speaker Of the house,
now IS years old.
For a number of years Judge Reed
was a law partner or Sam Wood, who
made himself famous by his part in
ty. A lover OF adventure Wood moved
the seat from Hugoton to Woodsale
and a price was on his head. He came
to Topeka followed by a mob whose de-
sire was to take him back to Stevens
county where 1t was almost certainty
he would be lyEched. They had pro-
per papers to remove him from the
county had they been able get hands
on him. It was a matter of life and
death and Joseph Reed was equal to
the emergency with an original pro
cedure in criminal law. His method
was duly appreciated by the lawyers
Ct the day. He did no less than obtain
from the district judge an injunction
against all city and county officers and
officers from other counties forbidding
them to lay Il hand on Sam Wood. The
bluff worked and the wife of Judge
Reed drove Sam Wood, dressed in the
judges own overcCat and hat out of
the city, to safety.
Judge Reed possessed a wonderful
memory and was proud of it. His law
library was limited. He read the late
reports and the supreme court decis-
ions and never forgot them. In fact
he needed no library, except that store
house CT law-his mind.
Honored by Everyone.
Among the courts and in the To-
Leka bar, the presence of joe Reel
was a welcome one. He ALWAYS was
The tip of his tongue. He never wor-
lied. He always was square with ev-
erybody. The crooks he defended or
prosecuted honored him. When he told
a criminal to report for trial at such
an hour and obtained for him his bond,
that criminal invariably appeared. He
would not jump a bond for Reed. And
when Reed promised the meanest crook
he would do something for him, he did
it, The result was that no lawyer of
Topeka ever had such burden of Grim,
inal trials or had so little difficulty in
getting his evidence. The result also
was that day and night new arrests
called by telephone or sent messengers
for Reed and he had to have his tele-
rhone removed in order to rest.
Tie figure of Judge Reed and Mrs.
Reed riding along the streets in their
one horse rig, driving slowly, was a
familiar sight. Driving slowly is used
advisedIy for Joe Reed was a staunch
friend of the horse, the dog, and In
fact every animal.
1.-THE man who would beat a horse
or kick dog, ought to be hanged
he repeated many times when he
worked himself into a rage at such a
sight.
He was a large man, weighing close
to 800 pounds, and he was happy.