PERCY ROBERTS
Death of a Distinguished Lawyer, Veteran and Citizen, Who Devoted Himself to the South He Fought for and Reflected Credit Upon It
Percy Roberts, a distinguished New Orleans lawyer, died yesterday morning at 11 o’clock in the little town of Alma, Mich., whither he had gone quite recently to recover his shattered health.
Mr. Roberts had been on the verge of physical prostration for the past two months. His health was not at all good. Five weeks ago he became dangerously ill and it was only the most careful nursing and skillful treatment which pulled him through that spell. As soon as he was well enough to stand the trip, he and his wife left this city for Grand Rapids, Mich., where they remained a couple of weeks or so. Thence, they went to Alma, which is said to be quite a health resort. The last letter his wife’s sister, Mrs. Skipwith, received from Mrs. Roberts, only a day ago, stated that Mr. Roberts was improving and spoke most hopefully of the condition of his health. The telegram announcing the death was consequently a great shock here. Numbers of friends called at the home, No. 3004 Prytania Street, yesterday afternoon and evening to learn if it were true, as reported, and to offer their condolences.
Mr. Roberts was one of the most successful as well as one of the most profound and thorough lawyers of the New Orleans bar, or for the matter of that, of the bar of the country. All lawyers acquainted with his work, and they were many, appear unanimous in this verdict. Naturally brilliant and keen, handsome and possessing rare powers of memory and application, he had besides the additional quality of being one of the most tireless and exhaustless and careful students who have ever graced the bar of this city. "I knew him since our boyhood," said Judge Fenner of him, last night, "and I have never known a man gifted with a greater capacity for study and thoroughness. He went more closely into every case he handled than any lawyer I have ever known, I do believe."
Percy Roberts was born in Hinds County near Clinton Miss., somewhere about the year 1831. He was the son of Dr. H. A. G. Roberts, who was a physician of that county in those days, but who, in the latter part of his life, devoted more attention to a cotton plantation in Mississippi, and a sugar plantation in this state, than he did to the practice of medicine.
By a curious coincidence, one of the biggest men at the bar of this city today, and who will doubtless present to the court the proper tribute of respect for the distinguished dead lawyer, was at that time a little fellow not yet wearing breeches and a next-door neighbor of the infant Percy Roberts, and later went to college with him and even later than that graduated in law with him in this city. This was Judge Charles E. Fenner, of this city. Mr. Fenner was born in Kentucky, but when he had attained the age indicated his parents moved to Hinds County and the older folks being neighbors and friends, the judge’s recollection of Mr. Roberts dates back to his earliest childhood. The two grew up together, and when they were yet youngsters they both went to the Western Military Institute, which at the beginning of their course, was at Blue Lake, but before they had graduated had been removed to Georgetown, Ky. Here they both graduated in their academic studies, Judge Fenner a year before Mr. Roberts, and the judge describes him, at this date, as one of the very handsomest and most manly men it has ever been his lot to see -- tall, lithe, graceful in person and mind, with large flashing eyes, which spoke the sentence before the tongue uttered it, "in a youth," to use the language of the judge, "upon whom the lassies had but to look to fall in love. His singular beauty of person and grace and later of mind prophesied his future."
When Mr. Roberts graduated in his academic studies he came to New Orleans. It was here he began to study law, in the University of Louisiana, now embodied in great Tulane University. His old college mate, the judge, had in the meantime pursued a post graduate course of studies at the University of Virginia, and upon the completion of his course there, he returned to New Orleans, just in time to begin the study of law in the class which Mr. Roberts entered. They graduated in the profession together in 18??. It does not appear that Mr. Roberts took himself severely to task in his profession for some years after this, however. He was known here as a young lawyer of promise, but achieved no special prominence or distinction in his profession until after he came back from the war. He, of course, was in the confederate service.
At the close of the war, however, he began to make himself felt by the force of his genius for work and his keen soundness. He never practiced in criminal law. He gave his entire time to the civil law and always with conspicuous success. He was associated only with the most successful lawyers of the New Orleans bar. His fidelity to his clients was one of the most pronounced professional characteristics and to each case he gave the most thorough and exhaustive study. He was a forceful speaker, clear, concise, eminently logical, direct and convincing. About the last talk he made here was before a committee of the state constitutional convention, a few days before he was so seriously stricken. It was the committee on taxation and he appeared in behalf of the continuation of the policy of exempting manufacturing enterprises in this state for another term of years from taxation. He talked for more than an hour and his address was probably the finest plea that committee heard on the subject. He represented the Pullman Car Company legally in the state and was the attorney for a number of other big corporations.
About the time of the war Mr. Roberts married Miss Mary Skipwith, of Jackson Miss. There are no children in the family nor has Mr. Roberts any relatives here. He has a nephew, Hiram Roberts, in business in the City of Mexico, and another nephew, Davenport Roberts, in Russell, Miss. Mr. Roberts’ mother’s maiden name was Emily Jones, of Mississippi City.
Although Mr. Roberts had passed his sixtieth year, to one who did not know him, he appeared very much younger when his eyes were illumined by his active thought in the course of an argument. In him the bar loses one of its most distinguished and useful members.
