Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1915-09-05
McKinley's Personal Friend.

President Mckinley, it is said. had a
high regard for Maj. Conrad's legal
attachments, and they were also warm
personal friends. When the frauds in
the Post Office Department came to
light. in 1902. President Roosevelt Sc
lected Mai Conrad as special counsel
for the government, and it is recalled
that during one of the most dramatic
climaXes of the trial Maj. Conrad lev
eled an accusing finger at one OF the
defendants-a former official of promi
nence-and made such an address that
it was always claimed the lawyers
final argument caused the man con-
viction and his sentence to a term in
the Moundsville prison.
In the famous West Virginia debt litl-
CATION he represented Virginia bondhold-
ers. His last appearance before the
United States Supreme Court bar was
during the latter part of last April in
the final argument of the debt case. Be
cause of illness he was permitted to sit
in an easy chair and make his argument.
He electrified the court by suddenly
springing to his feet, and for half an
hour scoring what he declared to be the
tardy action of West Virginia coming
into court and laying claim to share of
Virginia's old assets as a credit on its
part of the Old Dominion's state debt.
His Last Appearance in Court.
after, and never again appeared in any
court He lived long enough, however, to
receive messages from Washington to the
effect that the Supreme Court had decided
the interest matter in favor of the Vir-
ginia bondholders.
Mai. Conrad was born in Winchester
January 81, 1910, and was educated at
the old Winchester Academy, the Nir-
ginia Military Institute at Lexington and
at the University of Virginia. Upon the
outbreak of the civil war he enlisted as
a private in Company A, LIST Virginia
Cavalry, and in 1862 he was made first
sergeant. He was transferred later to
the 18th Virginia Cavalry, becoming
adjutant, and in 1864 he made major
and inspector general of the cavalry di-
vision commanded by the late Gen.
Thomas Lafayette RCsser of Charlottes-
vil osse Va Of the most daring exploits in
which Maj. Conrad engaged during the
war, but which he did not discuss except
among his most intimate friends, was
his capture of Sir Percy Wyndham,
notorious and somewhat bombastic Eng
lishman. who. with the Federal troops,
had let it be known, it was said, that he
intended practically to annihilate the
Confederates in the Shenandoah valley.
Wyndham was, however, taken by sur
prise when he least expected it. and in a
SaD": duel he handed his sword over to
Maj. Conrad and surrendered. The saber
of the English officer is hanging today
over the mantelpece in the library of
Maj. Conrad's home here, in which there
are scores of other relics of the war.
His Civic Activities.
In addition to being active and
successful lawyer for many years. Maj.
Conrad was also identified with many
public and private enterprises in Win
chester. He was president of the
board of trustees of the Handley fund,
a member of the public school board
for many years and was for twelve
years a member of the board of visitors
to the University of Virginia. He was
sembiy from Winchester and Frederick
county from 1873 to 1882 and again in
1892.
To the end of his life Maj. Conrad
took an active part in all matters per-
tanning to the welfare of the veterans
of the Confederacy and to the members
of the United Daughters of the Con-
federacy For many years he was
chairman of the reception committee
of the annual ball of the Southern Re
lief Society at Washington.
Mai. Conrad was twice married His
first wife. who was Miss Mary Ma
gruder of Woodstock, Va, died in 1865
only short time after her husband
had returned from the war. His sec
ond wife, who survives, was formerly
Miss Georgia Bryan of Georgia. The
surviving children are Capt. Bryan