Year: 1863

was in all things true to every reposed trust
As professional man, identified with that
calling which above al others may be made
subservlent to wrong be was sans reDT0chs.
To be successful was always subordinate to a -
determination to be right. With an exalted E
and just estimate of the law, q conviction Of g
the purity of the principles on which II is q
based, he believed that in itself il was sufFici.
enl, if rightly understood and construed. for
the adjudication Of all differences and the
Ddispensation of Justice He therefore soupi7t
eagerly, and Ilntiringly, all sources Of kuoVrl-
edge; and scorned the tricks Of the DettifoV-
ger as such as he loathed the client, who
asked him to debase himself and prosti-
tu;e his profession, by ialsehood or tlick-
cry. His every aspiration was noble and
exalted and he sought earnestly to render
the-no ordInary-talents received from
the author OF his being subserVient to the
good OF hls fellow men. He studied in
tensely to fit himself for an honorable career.
and to make himself worthy Of the position, %
which his talents and merits would sooner q 3
later have assigned him and to which, with j
lauda6!e and praiseWorthy ambition be look


ed forward. His profession and his inelina-


ton naturally impeIled him to a position in Z
the political arena; and into it he bore Tia p
same conscientious devotion to truth which


was the marked element Of his character


No Que who heard, can have forgotten the
earnest, eloquent, sincere appeal to his fellow,
citizens, during the late contest for fbe Presi-
deney, to lay aside the trickery which char
acterized the workings Of political uarties


and rely solely on the soundness and iustice
Of the principles on which the contest was
waged. This appeal was at least stsrtlinq


and perhaps barren Of results; still. it was an.
exposition Of the heart Of the speaker.


LIE was bold man, that would attack in


the midst Of the heat and rancour of =. noT =
cal contest the honesty of any party: stir
Colonel Read heSitated not at the certain Con-,
sequences that would result ITO hinself.1 he
sought to do his duty, and his effort was alike
credllable to his head and his heart. He ad-
horred the demagogue, and the arts by which


ne attained success, and knowing as he did
WELL the lndispoistion of the masses to re-.
cognlze the honest patriot, as opposed to the
political trickstef, his extreme sensitiyeness


often placed him in a false position. and mill


tated against his success with the masses


sun those who were cOgnizant Of the motives


which influenced him, honored and resDected


the man, Tor these same feelings, and would


not have had It otherwise with him, even at


a higher rate, than success as a politician.
will not touch on his character as it was
portrayed in the household, and by the 6rs-
side. He could not be other than one worthy
to love and be loved; while the grief ard
uneonsolable, sorrow Of those who knew him 3
best, and priced him most, must and win
speak tor him. 1t was not the intention of
the writer Of this, to say other than that
which the public character of Colonel Read 2
would authorize, and which sincere riendsbiD
might warrant There were traits of charac-
ter belonging to the deceased, which were in
the highest degree ennobling and pl plsisewortIy
ana out which few understood. As one who
clams TO have known him, wished to do
Ihat LOT MN which his true mOdesty would
forever have kept him from doing for himself
placing the apparently Objectionable traits Of
his character on a basis which must Vhan
An9"h, eAaiI MN, and his memory, in the
estimation OF all honest and honorable men


will not take advantage of the theme
which his death and the circumstance attend.
ing It, opens before me- BE entered the
army from a conviction that it was his dutv
to do so. He was assigned a position. honor
able and responsible, and Of which he was in
every respect worthy. He fell in the dis
charge Of bis duty, and 1 may say. that his
death VIII be prolific of good results to his
country, and the cause in which he was en-
gagged. There is not man who knew Col
onel Read, but that felt a thrill of horror.
when such sacrifice was offered up in such
cause. 1t was an event that brought home
to our minds and our hearts, the terrible reaIi-
ties OF this unholy rebellion and many
heart wil be strengthened, and many a nerve
steeled, IN future contests, by the recolection
that one SO blameless was so brutally butch
cred 1 ask the young men of Edgar to re-
member him as their friend one worthy Of
their kindiest recollection who, amid the
Intucacies of his profession, the promptings
Of ambition, and in all his relations with the
world, was true to the incentives Of his own O.
heart; and who lived and died the "ao5lest
jcorb Of qOd-an honest man" D.