History of Baltimore, Maryland, from its founding as a town to the current year, 1729-1898, including its early settlement and development; a description of its historic and interesting localities; political, military, civil, and religious statistcs; biographies of representative citizens, etc., etc, Part 73

Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1344

USA > Maryland > Baltimore County > Baltimore City > History of Baltimore, Maryland, from its founding as a town to the current year, 1729-1898, including its early settlement and development; a description of its historic and interesting localities; political, military, civil, and religious statistcs; biographies of representative citizens, etc., etc > Part 73

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HISTORY OF BALTIMORE, MARYLAND.

brother to Simon Cameron. Colonel Cam- eron was shot through the chest by Mr. Mid- dleton, editor of the "Lancaster Examiner," an anti-Masonic journal. This occurred whilst Doctor Morris was in Mr. Broom's office. Colonel Cameron was abrave man, of rugged Scotch blood; he survived this seri- ous wound, and was killed at the first battle of Bull Run, whilst leading his regiment. Jacob Broom became eventually a very dis- tinguished man. He joined the American party; was elected three times to Congress by the Know Nothings of Philadelphia, and afterwards was nominated for the Presi- dency of the United States by the American party, Mr. Webster, their first nominee hav- ing died. This nomination of Mr. Broom led to the defeat of Fremont and the elec- tion of Mr. Buchanan. A dicker was made through Colonel Forney with Mr. Broom and the leaders of the party, by which the electoral ticket of that party was kept in the field; its press supported throughout the State of Pennsylvania, and its orators liber- ally paid for their services. This dicker, which cost the Democratic party $50,000, is known to few living persons. Mr. Broom was afterwards appointed by President Buchanan to a place in one of the depart- ments in Washington, where he died.

Mr. Jacob Broom having been trans- ferred to the Adjutant General's office at Harrisburg, Doctor Morris entered the office of the Hon. James M. Broom, the father of Jacob, in Philadelphia. James M. Broom had been a member of Congress from Delaware in Jeffer- son's time. He was then a Federal- ist, as was his father, Jacob Broom, of Delaware, who signed the Constitution of the United States. He afterwards came

into the Democratic party, with many other distinguished Federalists, notably, Presi- dent Buchanan, Roger B. Taney, Louis Mc- Lane, and a host of other public men.

Whilst in Mr. Broom's office, Doc- tor Morris was brought in contact with all the great lawyers in Philadelphia at that time, including the Binneys, the Rawles, Sargents, Brewsters, St. George Tucker Campbell, Henry M. Phillips, Peter A. and David Paul Brown, and younger members of the bar, who afterwards became leaders in their profession. Doctor Morris believes that he is the last surviving lawyer's clerk who accompanied his master to Court, car- rying his (the master's) law books in a green bag. This gave him an opportunity to be seated among the lawyers and to listen to their arguments.

Mr. James M. Broom was associated with Mr. Webster in the celebrated Girard Will case. He prepared the briefs, which with all the other papers was copied by Doctor Mor- ris. He was also thrown into contact with Commodore James Barron, who spent every Sunday morning in Germantown, with Mr. Broom, where he lived. The Commodore was an eccentric man and wore side combs. He, though a Virginian, was a strong Fed- eralist, while Decatur whom he killed at Bladensburg, was a Marylander and a vio- lent Democrat. The Commodore's devoted body-servant was as black as ebony, and was the last slave in Pennsylvania, having refused to leave his devoted master.

An orphan, with insufficient means of support, Doctor Morris was forced to relin- quish his lawstudies. He came to Baltimore in 1841 and settled as a teacher in the Twelfth district of Baltimore county. Many of his pupils are still living. Whilst engaged in

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teaching he commenced the study of medi- cine. He attended his first course of lec- tures at the Washington College, now the Church Home on Broadway. During the day he attended Jectures and at night taught school in the Monkur Institute on Ann street, Fell's Point. When the school closed at 10 o'clock, he walked to his country home, two and one-half miles distant. In 1845, when Doctor Morris was just twenty- one, he was placed in nomination by his Bal- timore county friends at the Democratic Convention of Towson as a candidate for the Legislature. He received twenty-eight votes on the first ballot, lacking but three of the required majority. In 1848 he re- moved to Baltimore and entered the office of Dr. Frederick E. B. Hintze, a distin- guished physician of that city. During this year hewent before the Examining Board of the State Faculty and obtained a license to practice medicine. He afterwards graduated at Bellevue College, New York. He is also a licentiate of the Rotunda Hospital, Dub- lin, where he lived as an interne. He re- mained fourteen years as the associate of Doctor Hintze. He again entered politics, and was elected to the Legislature in 1851. He served during the two long sessions of 1852-3. He was a member of the Commit- tee of Ways and Means, and made a mi- nority report urging the reduction of the State taxes. Owing to the factional opposi- tion of Governor Lowe, the report was not adopted, but at the succeeding session the suggestions in the report were carried with- out opposition. Doctor Morris also made a speech advocating the sale of the State's interest-$1,500,000, in the Northern Cen- tral Railway Company for the sum of $90,- 000 annually, being six per cent. on the prin-

cipal, which was passed by the Legislature. This amount is still paid by the company.

In 1850 Doctor Morris presided over the celebrated Turner-Watkins Mayoralty Con- vention, the most boisterous body that ever met in Maryland. Its session finally had to be held in daytime, with locked doors. After many ballots Mabe Turner, the popu- lar butcher, and a pet of the Empire Club of that day, was nominated. The Watkins men rebelled, led on by the members of the New Market Fire Company. Turner was defeated, Mr. Jerome, the Whig candidate, being elected by twenty-seven hundred ma- jority. In 1852 Doctor Morris was elected President of the Democratic City Conven- tion, succeeding such men as Benjamin C. Howard, Doctor Graves and Joshua Van- sant. He held this place for several years, and during the Know-Nothing times, pub- lished, in connection with the late Nathaniel Cox, Secretary of the State under Governor Ligon, a campaign paper, the True Ameri- can, which was distributed and read in all the shops of the city.

During the dreadful epidemic of yellow fever in Norfolk and Portsmouth in 1855, Doctor Morris served as a volunteer. He contracted the disease, but recovered. The citizens of Norfolk the next year presented him with a gold medal in recognition of his services. In 1857, he was, without solicita- tion, appointed by President Buchanan, post- master of Baltimore. He served as school commissioner during the year of 1856-7. He and his life-long friend, John T. Morris, for many years President of the School Board, were the only Democrats that the Know-Nothing members of the Council voted for. In 1864 Doctor Morris presided at a Democratic Convention which sent dele-

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gates to the Chicago Convention, which nominated McClellan. Since that time he has taken no part in politics. He did not vote for Horace Greeley. He belongs to the Civil Service Reform Association and the Reform League.

Doctor Morris has filled many places of honor and usefulness. In addition to those already mentioned, he is ex-president of the various local medical societies; ex- President of the Medical and Chirurgical Faculty of Maryland, Vice-President of the American Medical Association, member of the Judicial Council of the same, President of the Maryland Inebriate Asylum, Presi- dent of the State Lunatic Commission, President Baltimore City Plumbing Board, and ex-President of the Maryland State Board of Health. Doctor Morris is a mem- ber of the Veteran Volunteer Firemen's As- sociation, having been President of the Old Friendship Fire Company, one of the mana- gers of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, Vice-President of the Society for the Protection of Children, one of the Board of Visitors Training School for Feeble-Minded at Owing's Mills, Secretary and Treasurer of the Rocky Mountain Medical Association, ex-President of the Pennsylvania and Maryland Medical So- ciety and one of the managers of the Mary- land Prisoners' Aid Association.

Doctor Morris was a delegate to the So- cial Science Congress which met in Belfast in 1867. That Congress was presided over by Earl Dufferin. The late David Dudley Field was the only other American repre- sentative present. Doctor Morris was also a delegate in 1875 to the British Medical Association, which met in Edinburgh; to the Industrial Medical Congress, which met

at Brussels, and also the French Scientific Congress, which convened at Nates the same year.

HON. JOHN K. COWEN, leading lawyer, railroad president and Congressman, was born in Holmes county, O., October 28, 1844. His father, Washington Cowen, was a native of Oxford, Pa., and early in life moved to Holmes county, O., where John K. Cowen passed his youth. He attended the local public schools, went to the acad- emy at Fredericksburg, Wayne county, at the age of twelve and continued there until he was sixteen. He then entered Vermilion Institute, an academy located at Hayesville, Ashland county, O., and afterwards, in 1862, taught a school in his native place. In the following year he entered Princeton College, and graduated at the head of his class in 1866. Among his college mates were Robert Garrett and Judge J. A. C. Bond, of Westminster. Mr. Cowen, after leaving college taught in the High School at Millersburg, O., for a short time, and then accepted a position as principal in an academy at Shreve, O .. While teaching school he studied law, and in 1868 was ad- mitted to practice in Canton, O., Hon. William McKinley being one of his exam- iners. He at once entered upon the practice of his profession in Mansfield, O., where he was soon recognized as a leading mem- ber of the bar and acquired a large practice. In 1872 he came to Baltimore to accept the position of general counsel of the Baltimore and Ohio Railroad Company. He contin- ued as such until Charles F. Mayer's retire- ment from the presidency of that road, when he was elected his successor, and later, when the great corporation passed into the hands

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of a receivership, was appointed by the Court, with Oscar G. Murray as receiver of the B. & O., which position he still holds. In 1882 Mr. Cowen entered into active pol- itics in Baltimore and since that time has taken a prominent part as an Independent Democrat. He has always supported the Democratic party on national issues, and has been a devoted admirer of President Cleveland. In 1894 he was the nominee of his party for Congress, and was elected, de- feating his opponent, Robert H. Smith, af- ter a memorable and spirited campaign. As a lawyer Mr. Cowen stands at the head of his profession, and has argued many important cases before the Maryland Court of Ap- peals, United States Circuit and District Courts and the Supreme Court of the United States. In addition to his railroad practice, Mr. Cowen has a large private practice, being a member of the firm of Cowen, Cross & Bond. He is noted for his eloquence, the clearness of his presentation of the facts in legal cases and his strong grasp upon the legal principles involved.

DR. JAMES GERARD WILTSHIRE was born in Jefferson county, Va., September 23, 1843. He is a son of the late George D. and Elizabeth H. (Moore) Wiltshire, na- tives of Virginia and descendants respec- tively of early English and Scotch-Irish set- tlers of the colony. Representatives of both families were soldiers in the patriot army during the Revolutionary War. James G. Wiltshire attended the public and private schools and academy of his native county and was engaged in the drug business from 1859 to the fall of 1861, when he enlisted as druggist and was assigned to the Confeder- ate hospital at Dumfries. He was sent

thence to Fredericksburg and successively to Ashland and Richmond, was for one year with Chew's Battery and Ashby's Horse Ar- tillery, finally in the spring of 1864 joining Col. John S. Mosby's command with which he served until the close of the war, being principally engaged in scouting service and successively promoted from private to a second lieutenancy. He began the study of medicine under the preceptorship of the late Dr. Hugh Nelson, Middleway, Va., enter- ing the University of Virginia in 1867 and was graduated from the School of Med- icine of that institution in 1868. He then entered Maryland University Medical De- partment , from which he received his di- ploma in 1869, ever since which time he has been engaged in general practice in Balti- more with present office and residence at 212 W. Madison street. Doctor Wiltshire was assistant to Professor of Obstetrics, Col- lege of Physicians and Surgeons, in 1873, and from 1874 to 1881 Demonstrator of An- atomy of the same institution, and was dur- ing that period and for some time subse- quent quiz master. He has been lecturer on anatomy, Baltimore Medical College, since 1893, physician in charge of Baltimore Or- phan Asylum since 1875, and is one of the physicians of the Baptist Orphanage and Christian Home. He was married April 27, 1882, to Fannie Russell, daughter of the late Maj. E. B. Hill, of Virginia. Dr. and Mrs. Wiltshire have three children, Turner, Lucy and George, and are members of Eutaw Place Baptist Church.

JOHN MIFFLIN HOOD, President and Gen- eral Manager of the Western Maryland Railroad, was born at Bowling Green, the old family residence, near Sykesville, in

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Howard county, Md., on the 5th of April, 1843. His father, Dr. Benjamin Hood, was the son of Benjamin and Sarah Hood, and was born at Bowling Green in 1812 and died in 1855, in the forty-third year of his age. His mother, Hannah Mifflin Hood, was the daughter of Alexander Coulter, of Balti- more, where she was born. Young Hood was educated in Howard and Harford counties, completing his course at Rugby's Institute, Mount Washington, in 1859. He then commenced the study of engineering, and in July of the same year secured em- ployment in the engineer corps engaged in the extension of the Delaware Railroad. The same corps was next employed in the con- struction of the Eastern Shore Railroad of Maryland, Mr. Hood soon becoming princi- pal assistant engineer, and for part of thetime had charge of the operations. In August, 1861, he went to Brazil, but finding the field for engineering unpromising, returned to Baltimore in January, 1862, and after study- ing marine engineering, ran the .blockade and reported to the Confederate authorities at Richmond, Va., for service. He was at once assigned to duty as topographical en- gineer and draughtsman of the military rail- road then building from Danville, Va., to Greensboro', N. C. (since known as the Piedmont Railroad), and upon the comple- tion of his work declined a commission of- fered in the Engineer Corps, and enlisted as a private in Company C, Second Bat- talion Maryland Infantry. He served with distinction in the Maryland Infantry until the spring of 1864, when he accepted a lieu- tenant's commission in the Second Regi- ment of Engineer Troops, in which service he continued until surrendered at Appo- mattox. Mr. Hood was several times

slightly wounded, and at Stanard's Mill, in the Spottsylvania battles, had his left arm badly shattered above the elbow. While still incapacitated for duty he ran the block- ade, and, wading the Potomac at night, vis- ited his family, and came to Baltimore, where he had his wound treated by Dr. Na- than R. Smith, returning to his command before Richmond with a large party of re- cruits for the Confederate service. In Sep- tember, 1865, he was employed by the Phil- adelphia, Wilmington and Baltimore Rail- road to make surveys for the extension of the Philadelphia and Baltimore central line between the Susquehanna river and Balti- more; he was next placed in charge of the construction of the Port Deposit branch of the Philadelphia, Wilmington and Balti- more Railroad, and made chief engineer of the Philadelphia and Baltimore Central Railroad, and constructed its line through Cecil county to the Susquehanna river. He was soon afterwards elected engineer and superintendent of the same company, and in April, 1870, became general superintend- ent of the Florida (now Atlantic, Gulf and West India Transit) Railroad. His health failing, in November, 1871, he accepted the position of chief engineer of the Oxford and York Narrow-Gauge Railroad, in Pennsylvania, and while holding this posi- tion he became also chief engineer of a new line, known as the Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York Railroad, the construction of which was stopped by the panic of 1873. On the 14th of January, 1874, Mr. Hood was elected vice-president and general su- perintendent of the Western Maryland Rail- road, and on the 24th of March following he was made president and general manager of the road, including the office of chief en-

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gineer, in which position he continues to the present time.

Mr. Hood married on the 17th of July, 1867, Florence Eloise Haden, of Botetourt county, Va., and has six children.

LAWRENCE BRENGLE KEMP, President of the Commercial and Farmers National Bank of Baltimore, the second oldest bank of Baltimore. He was born in Baltimore, August 24, 1857. He is the son of the late Charles L. and Elizabeth C. (Brengle) Kemp, natives of Frederick county, Md., the former of English, the latter of German descent. Lawrence B. Kemp's parents died in his childhood and he was reared by his grandfather, the late Maj. Lawrence J. Brengle, of Frederick, Md. He completed his education at Frederick College in 1875, and came to Baltimore to enter the counting room of Eugene Levering & Co., with which firm he remained for eight years and was, at the severance of his relations there- with, confidential man and assistant cashier. For about five years following Mr. Kemp was connected with the Merchants' National Bank of Baltimore. Upon the unanimous request of the members of the Baltimore Clearing House Association, he was ap- pointed December 5, 1892, National Bank Examiner for Maryland and the District of Columbia, by A. B. Hepburn, Comptroller of Currency, which appointment was con- firmned by Charles Foster, Secretary of the Treasury. This position he held during the remainder of Mr. Hepburn's administration, and for two years under Comptroller James H. Eckels. January 9, 1895, he accepted the cashiership of the Commercial and Farmers' National Bank of Baltimore, to the presidency of which he succeeded upon the

retirement of Mr. Joseph H. Rieman, April 2, 1896. Mr. Kemp was actively instru- mental in founding the Maryland Bankers' Association, of which the late Enoch Pratt was first president, and of which Mr. Kemp has been secretary since its organization. He is also vice-president for Maryland of the American Bankers' Association.

Mr. Kemp was married November, 1883, to Helen, daughter of the late S. McDonald Richardson, for a number of years president of the Savings Bank of Baltimore, and whose personal history is contained in this volume. Mr. and Mrs. Kemp have two children, McDonald R. and Hilda; reside at Mt. Washington and are communicants of Emanuel P. E. Church, of Baltimore; Mr. Kemp is a vestryman of St. John's P. E. Church at Mt. Washington.

MR. S. DAVIES WARFIELD, Postmaster, Baltimore, Md., was born September 4, 1859, at his father's summer residence near Mt. Washington, in Baltimore county. He is of an old Maryland family and is of Democratic antecedents. His father, the late Henry M. Warfield, was one of the prominent business men and one of the most highly esteemed citizens of Baltimore. Henry M. Warfield was the independent Democratic candidate of the combined forces against the regular Democratic nom- inee for mayor in the memorable campaign of 1875, and for many years took part in re- form politics. Mr. Warfield, the present postmaster, has many of his father's charac- teristics, and inherited his father's interest in reform movements.

During the memorable independent polit- ical movement in this city he was a conspic- uous figure. When the Jefferson Demo-

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cratic Association was organized, which was the outgrowth of these independent cam- paigns, Mr. Warfield was elected its presi- dent. This was the largest and strongest independent Democratic organization ever formed in the State, and exercised a pow- erful influence in shaping the politics of the city and State. On the executive committee of the club were such men as S. Teackle Wallis, John K. Cowen, Col. Charles Marshall, W. L. Marbury, William Cabell Bruce, Gen. George S. Brown, Joseph Packard, Jr., Skipwith Wilmer and other equally well-known men.

When the late Judge Brown ran as the independent candidate for Mayor, indorsed by the Republican party, against Mr. Hodges in 1885, Mr. Warfield took part in the independent fight for Judge Brown. In the Davidson-Shaw mayoralty contest in 1889 Mr. Warfield was chosen by the inde- pendents chairman of the executive and campaign committee and managed the cam- paign.

In 1891 Mr. Warfield was nominated for mayor of Baltimore by the independent Democrats, the nomination being indorsed by the Republican party. He was at that time but 32 years of age, the youngest can- didate ever nominated for the position in this city. He was defeated by Mr. Latrobe, the regular Democratic candidate.

Mr. Warfield is a gold Democrat. He declined to support the Chicago platform, and it was by his advice and co-operation that the Honest Money Democratic League of Maryland and the Wage-Earners' Patri- otic League were formed during the late Presidential campaign. It was largely through the exertions of these Leagues that Maryland was carried for the sound money

candidate at the election, the Honest-Money League having an enrolled membership, both in its own organization and offshoots of from 8,000 to 10,000 men. The Honest- Money Democratic League also played an important part in the last campaign.

Mr. Warfield has had a thorough business training, is connected with a number of business enterprises, and is regarded as a man of rare executive ability.

President Mckinley has announced his intention to reappoint Postmaster Warfield upon the expiration of his present term in recognition of his able administration of the office.

Commenting on Mr. Warfield's reap- pointment the New York Evening Post said editorially as follows: "The announcement that Postmaster Warfield, of Baltimore, is to be reappointed secures the acceptance of the right principle regarding the filling of such an office in a large city for the first time-leaving out of account the recommis- sioning of Mr. Pearson in this city by Presi- ident Cleveland during his first term, and that was an exception to the rule of change enforced elsewhere. Mr. Warfield has been a thoroughly efficient postmaster, has been alert and skillful in the introduction of every available improvement, has been care- ful to observe faithfully the civil service laws, and has not tried to treat the offices under his management as spoils to be distributed to party workers, but has used them as po- sitions designed for the service of the pub- lic. So excellent has been his record, and so universal was the satisfaction of the com- munity, that his retention was asked with a close approach to unanimity by those whose only interest in the matter was a de- sire to secure good service for the public in

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a business institution, and Mr. Mckinley has indicated his purpose to comply with this popular demand, although Mr. Warfield is a Democrat. The most remarkable thing about so obviously proper a decision is that such a performance is almost without prece- dent."

NICHOLAS SNOWDEN HILL, JR., Chief Engineer, Water Board of Baltimore City, was born in Baltimore county, Md., June 18, 1868. He is a son of Nicholas S. Hill, Sr., and Mary Watkins (Pope) Hill, the for- mer a native of Maryland, the latter of Ken- tucky. The first comer of the Pope family to America, Nathaniel Pope, emigrated from England to the colony of Virginia early in the seventeenth century and located at Pope's Creek, Westmoreland county, about 1657. He had two sons, Nathaniel and Thomas, and one daughter, Anne, who became the second wife of Col. John Wash- ington, great-grandfather of President George Washington. The founder of the Maryland Hill family, Clement Hill, came from Shropshire, England, with Lord Bal- timore, subsequently locating at Compton- Basset, Prince George's county. He was Surveyor-General of Maryland. Nicholas S. Hill, Sr., was born in Prince George's county, Md., studied law and was admitted to the bar in Washington, D. C. At the breaking out of the war he enlisted in the Confederate Army, subsequently serving as Major and Commissary General of the Trans-Mississippi Department. At the close of the war he located in Baltimore, where he engaged for a time in the grain commission business, subsequently served as purchasing agent of the B. & O. R. R., and has now retired from active business.

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Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n Publication date: 1898 Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson Number of Pages: 1344

Author: Shepherd, Henry Elliott, 1844-1929, ed. 4n
Publication date: 1898
Publisher: [Uniontown? Pa.] S.B. Nelson
Number of Pages: 1344