676 



OBITUARIES. 



Sept. 29. HALL, J. PKESCOTT, a prominent 

 member of the New York bar, died at New- 

 port, R. I. He was born in 1795, had early at- 

 tained eminence as a lawyer, and during the 

 administrations of Presidents Tyler and Fill- 

 more was district attorney for the southern dis- 

 trict of New York. 



Sept. 29. PREXTIOE, WILLIAM C., at Augusta, 

 Ky., from wounds received in the conflict at 

 that place on Sept. 27th. He was the eldest 

 son of Geo. D. Prentice, for many years editor 

 of the " Louisville Journal," and a yoiing man 

 of remarkable powers. An intense Southern 

 sympathy, in spite of the arguments, remon- 

 strances, and entreaties of parents and friends, 

 made him join the Confederate ranks, and after 

 a brief service of five weeks, he was fatally 

 wounded. On his departure to join the Con- 

 federate force in Kentucky, his mother is said 

 to have followed him four or five miles, with 

 the hope of persuading him to return, but ho 

 declined her entreaties, saying : " Mother, I 

 implore you not to ask me to stay. Honor calls 

 me. I have talked long enough. I must now 

 do something else, and show myself in my true 

 colors." 



Sept. 30. HALLETT, BENJAMIN F., a prominent 

 democratic politician and lawyer of Massachu- 

 setts, died in Boston. He was born at Barn- 

 stable, Mass., in 1798, graduated at Brown Uni- 

 versity in 1816, studied law, and was admitted 

 to the bar in Boston, but not coming speedily 

 into an extensive practice, turned his attention 

 to editorship, at first in Providence, but after a 

 short time in Boston, where, upon the organi- 

 zation of the anti-masonic party, he became 

 editor-in-chief of the " Boston Advocate," 

 which was started to maintain the principles of 

 that party. In 1827 he assumed the editorship 

 of the " Boston Daily Advertiser," and in 

 that paper advocated, with great zeal and ear- 

 nestness, anti-masonry, temperance, and the 

 views of the emancipationists. His uncompro- 

 mising avowal of his sentiments made him 

 many and bitter enemies, and his paper became 

 so unpopular that in 1831 he left the editorial 

 chair. Failing to secure from Mr. Clay pledges 

 by which he could receive the votes of anti- 

 masons, he became and remained to his last day 

 one of the bitterest opponents of that states- 

 man. After the decay of the anti-masonic 

 party, Mr. Hallett joined the democratic party. 

 Though seldom in office (he was U. S. district 

 attorney for Massachusetts under President 

 Pierce), he exerted a powerful influence on the 

 party, was a delegate at most of its national 

 conventions, and the chairman for many years 

 of its national committee. He aided the 

 nomination of Franklin Pierce and James Bu- 

 chanan, and was the author of the Cincinnati 

 platform of 1856. In private life, he was one 

 of the most amiable, genial, and agreeable of 

 men, and a pattern husband and father. 



Sept. 30. MILLEE, JACOB W., ex-U. S. Senator 

 from New Jersey, died at Morristown, New 

 Jersey. He was born in German Valley, Morris 



county, in November, 1800. After enjoying the 

 advantages of a good academical education, he 

 studied law with his brother, "W. W. Miller, and 

 was admitted to the Morris county bar. He at- 

 tained in a few years a large practice, particular- 

 ly in the higher courts, and acquired distinction 

 as a counsellor. In 1838 he was chosen, by 

 the whigs, State Senator, and in 1840 was elect- 

 ed United States Senator, where he was regard- 

 ed as an able and clear-headed legislator. In 

 1846 he was reflected to the Senate and served 

 until March, 1853, with entire satisfaction to 

 his constituents. He opposed the compromise 

 measures of 1850. In 1855 he avowed him- 

 self a republican, and lent his influence to the 

 promotion of the measures of that party till 

 his death. In private life few men have been 

 more universally esteemed. 



Sept. . CASEY, Hon. ZADOC, died at Ca- 

 seyville, 111., aged about sixty-six years. He 

 was lieutenant-governor of Illinois during Gov. 

 Reynolds' term as governor, had been a mem- 

 ber of Congress for two terms, and was a mem- 

 ber of the Constitutional Convention of 1862. 



Oct. 1. FISHER, ELWOOD, an editor and sta- 

 tistical writer, died at Atlanta, Ga. He was 

 born Oct. 1, 1808, and was of a family belong- 

 ing to the Society of Friends, but has long been 

 known as an ardent and extreme defender of 

 slavery, and for years an open advocate of the 

 secession of the Southern States, in favor of 

 which he had written much. In 1850 he es- 

 tablished in "Washington a paper called the 

 " Southern Press," having secession as its 

 avowed object. About the commencement of 

 the war, he went to Nashville, Tenn., and did 

 all in his power to promote the plans and meas- 

 ures of the secessionists of that State. "When 

 Nashville was occupied by Federal troops he 

 retired to Georgia. 



Oct. 4. SMITH, Col. JOSEPH L. KIRBY, of the 

 43d Ohio regiment, was killed at the battle of 

 Corinth. He was born in 1836, was appointed 

 a cadet of the Military Academy from New 

 York, and graduated with the highest honors 

 of his class in 1857, was at once appointed lieu- 

 tenant of topographical engineers, accompa- 

 nied the Utah expedition, was aide-de-camp 

 to Gen. Patterson in 1860, and after his dis- 

 charge appointed colonel of the 43d Ohio reg- 

 iment, with which he served with distinction 

 at Island No. Ten, his engineering abilities 

 being brought almost constantly into requisi- 

 tion, and at the battle of Corinth, where he fell, 

 had greatly distinguished himself for bravery 

 and daring. He was a nephew of the Confed- 

 erate general Edward Kirby Smith. 



Oct. 4. ROGERS, Col. , a Con- 

 federate officer, killed at the battle of Corinth. 

 He was from Texas, and was at that battle in 

 command of a brigade. When, on the morning 

 of the 4th, the Confederate troops, which had 

 expected to capture Corinth with but a slight 

 struggle, found themselves repulsed by the ter- 

 rible fire of the Union battery Robinett, and 

 were compelled to fall back into the timber for 



