The sun., 1919-03-15
JUDGE ROGER PRYOR
DIES AT AGE OF 80
Confederate Brigadicr and
Justice of New York's Su-
premc Court.
IN CONGRESS IN 1857
Minister to Greece at 90
Editor and Duelist-Fig-
ured in Beecher Case.
IN CONGRESS IN 1857

Roger Atkinson Pryor, perhaps the
last surviving Brigadier- General in the
Confederate Army and once q Justice Of
the New York State Supreme Court.
died last night in his home. west
sixty-ninth street, st tho age OF 90
years He had been III several weeks.
A week ago pneumonia set In, which
caused his death.
II Is given to few men to crowd no
many varied incidents into life as did
Judge Pryor. even into a long life such
as his. A foreign Minister and q MEM
Der Of Congress before the civil war. q
Brigdier General during the fighting,
a penniless emigrant to New York when
the war closed a newspaper man, law
yer. Supreme Court Justice and. finally,
many years for retrospection. truly the
late jurist was permitted to see-ss he
himself one put-the good and the bad
OF life.
Judge Pryor was born In Dinwiddie.
Va. July 10, 1898. At the age Of II he
was graduated from Hampton-Sidney
College and three years later from the
University Of Virginia When he at
tained his majority he was admitted to
the bar in his native State. But his
voice was against him and he went into
newspaper work.
How He Left Newspaper Work.
That was fascinating work." he said
one day when talking to n few re-
porters not many years ago. do you
know think I'd be in 1t to this day
II II hadn't been for an accident?'
That accident was the civil war. Be-
fore the conflict he was an editor In
Washington and Richmond. Journalism
gave him a chance to enter politics. He
was a delegate to the convention that
nominated Franklin Pierce for the Presi-
dency and Pierce made Pryor. then Is.
Minister to Greece. Later. in 1857. he
went to Congress from the Roanoke dis
trict, which many years before had been
represented by John Randolph.
1t was while he was editor of the
Washington Union and the Richmond
Enquirer, newspapers which were almost
rabid in the cause OF slavery. that he
ran foul OF Oswald r. Finney. a Wing
member of the Virginia Legislature. and
the only possible outcome. according to
the then current Virginian code Of honor,
was TO night a duel. Finney was SO
badly wounded that for a time It was
thought he would die. hut he recovered
and reached the age of 81 years
They were indiscretions of my
youth" said Judge Pryor a few years
ago. speaking of personal conflicts Let's
not talk about them"
A Civil War Incident.
There are some persons who say
Judge Pryor had much to do with pre-
cipitating the civil war. in April. 1851.
he was in Charleston. He told South
ern audience ripe for secession. OF the
Ills the South suffered. which drew from
Jefferson Davis the order to fire on
Sumter. To Pryor was given the Ian
yard of the first gun. with instructions
to fire. But Virginia, his own State,
was still in the union and he refused.
At Bull Fun he commanded a Con-
federate brigade and later he was cap
tured as Spy Secretary OF War Stan
ton was bent on hanging him. Judge
Pryor used to say years afterward. and
he was spared only because President
Lincoln heard of his kind treatment OF
Northern prisoners.
Speaking of the civil war, Judge
Pryor said not long ago: :,
"Oh IL was a good thing after all
that the Union was saved-good for the
North, good for the South, good for Re-
publican Government I've come to feel
glad that the result was as II was"
1t must have taken Judge Pryor a
good while to come to that point Of view.
When he resigned as Brisader-General
at the close OF the conflict he hadn't n
penny In the world Mrs. Pryor sold her
Jewels for the price Of tickets TO New
York. Here he caught up his knowledge
OF the law. added to It day by day and
became a leader In the profession. Many
Important cases came to him in his prac-
tisa. In 1878 he was one OF the attor-
neys for Theodore Tilton in the cele-
brated suit for 100000 against Henry
Ward Beecher. who was accused Of alie-
mating the affections OF Mrs. Tilton.
In this contest OF wits he was arrayed
against William NJ. Evarts.
Governor Makes Him n Judge.
The late Gen. Daniel e. Sickles was a
member with Judge Pryor OF the Thirty
sixth Congress. which was in existence
when the Southern States seeded. After
David b. HIN became Governor of New
York. Judge Pryor received a note from
Sickles asking him to meet Gov. Hill be-
tween the acts at a theatre one night
Then the Governor offered him the APP
pointment to judgeshlp OF the Court OF
Common Pleas. saying that Gen. Sicklec
had requested the appointment. After
serving for the term OF the appointment