History of the life of D. Hayes Agnew ..
Adams, J. Howe (Jedidiah Howe), 1866-1919
^- .^^- :-%*--:,^-- /t* ,m--:^-^ "^\'S^,^^ Urfi^r^ni:^ SItbrarg M^ -K M ^ 4r > J^ ^ j(j^^f^:jt -*■ >- > :v- kt ^ .^^Or^> ^ .** ... lii 4^ -V pPT , M ;,^ >f /: 4<- -NT -t' ,*" ^r ^ ..^ Jf >r ** -^ ^ -K ^ , ^- -^ i^ ^ ■^ >, m ^ A Je Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2010 with funding from Open Knowledge Commons http://www.archive.org/details/historyoflifeofOOadam /i^ay< ,/^^^ze^*^ HISTORY OF THE LIFE OF D. HAYES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. J. HOWE ADAMS, M.D. PHILADELPHIA AND LONDON: THE F. A. DAVIS COMPANY, PUBLISHERS, 1892. Copyright 1892, By J. HOWE ADAMS, M.D., Philadelphia. Philadelphia, Pa., U. S. A. The Medical Bulletin Printing House, 1916 Cherry Street. PREFACE. Dr. Agnew lived his life without thought of a biographer ; he took no care to preserve the data of his life-work ; in con- sequence, after his death, but little available material could be found among his papers. Through the efforts of Mrs. Agnew, however, and from the memory and material in the hands of his friends, the work has been at length done. It was the in- tention of the writer to give the original sources from which data were obtained throughout the book, but these references have been so many and varied that it was soon found that it would constitute a source of annoyance to the reader; con- sequently, in the Appendix all credits are given. It has been a great aid, as well as pleasure, to see the eager- ness and love displayed by every one in giving information in regard to Dr. Agnew's life. It seemed to be a pleasant task, on the part of all, to do what they could for their beloved friend and colleague ; at the expense of considerable toil, trouble, and time, they have fully performed this labor of love. With- out such assistance the biography would have been sadly incomplete. In writing this book the style and treatment have been modeled, as far as possible, upon Dr. Agnew's own idea of pro- priety and methods of thought. A biographer, in preparing the life of his hero, loves to dwell chiefly on those efforts and achievements which have attracted public admiration, — on those master-strokes in the life of his subject which have raised him above the level of his fellow-men, — leaving out those lesser (iii) IV PREFACE. characteristics which not only serve to consoUdate the character and lead to success, but which, from their multiform points in which they come in contact with common humanity, confer a personal interest in the life. The glory of the Alps does not consist merely in the mighty mountain-peaks which send their spires to heaven, clothed with sunshine and cloud ; the foot-hills clustering at the mountain-base, the rippling streams, and pleasant meadows catch equally the eye of the pleasure-seeking tourist and increase the beauties above by contrast. And so with Dr. Agnew : it was not alone those achieve- ments which bore the stamp of originality, which heralded his name on the wings of the wind and made it a tower of strength which we have endeavored to depict; but there were other charms of social and personal life which have made his memory fragrant in the minds of his friends. In endeavoring thus to show his life and its effect upon the American world, these lesser points have been included as far as possible. If any better conception, however shadowy and undecided, of the life, character, and accomplishments of this grandest figure in American medicine, can be gained from reading this biography, the writer will feel that the labor of love was not done in vain. December 20, 1892. CONTENTS. CHAPTER I. PAGE Lineage op the Agnew Family, 1 CHAPTER II. The Early Life of Dr. Agnew, ....... 36 CHAPTER IIL The Story of Dr. Agnew's Business Venture, .... 60 CHAPTER lY. Dr. Agnew's Connection with the Philadelphia School op Anatomy, 76 CHAPTER y. Dr. Agnew's Early Life in Philadelphia, 106 CHAPTER  Surgery, 154 CHAPTER YIIL Dr. Agnew's Original Work in Surgery, 173- CHAPTER IX. Dr. Agnew as a Writer, , .193 CHAPTER X. The Garfield Case, 220 CHAPTER XL Dr. Agnew's Home-Lipe, 250 (V) VI CONTENTS. CHAPTER XII. PAGE Dr. Agnew's Later Life, . . . ... . . . 265 CHAPTER XIII. The Jubilee of Dr. Agnew, 298 CHAPTER XIY. Dr. Agnew's Retirement from the University of Pennsylvania, 318 CHAPTER XV. Dr. Agnew's Final Sickness, Death, and Funeral, . . . 339 CHAPTER XYI. Estimate of Dr. Agnew's Position in Surgery, .... 353 Appendix, 365 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Uhle Portrait op Dr. Agnew, . . ... Frontispiece The Agnew Coat of Arms, Facing pa"-e 18 The Charcoal-House of the Pleasant Garden Iron- Works, The Philadelphia School of Anatomy, . . .. Dr. Agnew in 1858, Dr. Agnew in 1867, Fac-simile of Title-Page of Japanese Edition of Dr. Agnew's "Surgery," Dr. Agnew in 1876, Dr. Agnew in 1879, Dr. Agnew in 1883, Dr. Agnew in 1884, Dr. Agnew in 1887, Dr. Agnew in Clinique, Dr. Agnew in 1890^ • • 68 I n-c 108 133 163 178 204 230 273 290 333 348 (Vii) CHAPTER L Lineage of the Agnew Family. The earliest record of the Agnew family, which can be definitely and connectedly followed down to the present time, comes from Agneaux, a quaint little village in northeni France, from which the family derives its name. This form of origin of surname is not unusual, for the most ancient and most honor- able names found at present in Great Britain and Ireland are derived from the names of places in Normandy or in neighbor- ing parts of France. In fact, there is no village in Xormandy which has not given its name to some family in England. Genealogists have decided that this is the most common form of the derivation of English and Scottish surnames, exceeding those derived from occupations, mental characteristics, Christian names, and sobriquets. It has further been conceded, that it was the universal custom for the place to give the name to the family, not the family to the place. This is the reverse of the process in America. In this country the family has invariably given the name to the place. The little town of Agnew in Lancaster County, Nebraska, named in honor of Dr. Agnew. is a typical example of this method. It shows the space of time which has elapsed, and the changes in living and civilization, between the Agneaux of the old world and the Agnew of the newer continent. The name Agneaux is Norman-French for " lamb," being derived, of course, originally, from the Latin term agnus, a word of the same signification. The variety of ways in which the name has been spelled is numerous, Agneau. Agneaux, Agneux, Aigneux, Aigneaux, Aignel ; tlie Latinized forms are Agnelli, Agnella, Agnellus ; the modernized forms are Agneu, Agnieu, and Agnew. The word •' agneau " in French still bears its original signification of ■• lamb." (1) 2 LIFE OF D. HAYES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. The Normans, or Norsemen, as is well known, were not of French origin, but were bold, adventurous explorers from the north of Europe, who fell in great swarms upon the neighbor- ing sea-board countries, seizing lands for their own use, and carrying death and destruction to the original inhabitants. Agneaux, this little Norman town, which has been dead to the world for many centuries, holds, then, the honor of being the originating place of the ancient and honorable family of Agnew. Here was moulded into permanent form, this clannish family, which all the vicissitudes of rude and stormy times eonld not tear asunder. This place is still a village of less than 500 inhabitants. It stands solitary and unprogressive, far from the nearest railroad station, although it seems unfair to compare such a quaint old place with such a modern creation as the rail- road. It is not large or important enough to be found in the French gazetteers, and even a diligent search of maps in Paris fails to reveal its location. This quaint spot is large enough, however, to be governed, according to French customs, by a mayor. It is located in the Departement de la Manche, near the city of Saint-Lo. The Department of Manche is on the northwestern coast of France, jutting into the English Channel ; it derives its name from the French term for the English Chan- nel, " La Manche." Its bold, unprotected position is just such an one open to the invasion of such hardy seamen as the Norsemen. There still exists in Agneaux an ancient chateau, belong- ing to the Marquis de Ste. Marie d'Agneaux, which was quite capable of resisting a siege. Around the memory of this ancient castle many of the romantic legends of Normandy have been woven. At the time when the Huguenots were driven from France, during the reigns of Henri III and Henri IV, this castle formed one of the headquarters for the Protestants. The scion of this ancient family espoused this religion, and threw all liis resources to the defense of its adherents. The names of Agneaux and Aigneaux are not uncommon LINEAGE OF TDE AGNEW FAMILY. 3 in this region, although there has been a general exodus from this country in the past eight hundred years. The explanation of this exodus of the Agneaux from Nor- mandy is seen in studying the history of the family. Family tradition reports that at the time of the Norman conquest of England by William the Conqueror, in the eleventh century, the chief body of the family came with him, settling in England and Scotland. This was an age of rough manners and brutal con- quest, and it required the banding together of large bodies of well-built, courageous men to survive. Some of the family, filled with this restless spirit of conquest which was the feature of the age, did not linger in Great Britain, but followed "Strong Bow," Richard de Clare, Earl of Strigul, to Ireland, rendering efficient aid to him in the conquest of this island, in the twelfth century. A further element which assisted in driving the Agneaux who remained in France after the Norman conquest from their native spot is explained in an exhaustive work entitled " Prot- estant Exiles from France in the Reign of Louis XIY, or the Huguenots and their Descendants in Great Britain and Ireland," by the Rev. David C. A. Agnew. This work, which includes a complete list of all the families which comprised this religious body joining in the exodus, shows that many of the Agneaux who were left behind at the time of the Norman conquest became Huguenots at the time of the Reformation. The Agneaux were moderately numerous in France from the ninth to the sixteenth centuries. As early as the tenth century, knights of this name swelled the ranks of French chivalry and acquired landed estates in several French prov- inces ; their heraldic achievements are to be found recorded in the rolls of the ancient nobility of Normandy, Burgundy, and Provence. The first member of the family whose name is defi- nitely known, Agneaux de ITsle, lived in the neighborhood of Caen, in the arondissement of Bayeux. He was Lord of ITsle and Auval, his heraldic bearing being Three Holy Lambs, on 4 LIFE OF D. HAYES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. an azure sliield. He was also entitled to carry " two bars vert on a golden sliield surrounded by an orle of martlets" as Lord of Auval. This latter achievement, carried first as an addition, was soon afterward adopted, in place of the original bearing of the family, by his descendants, — these gentlemen probably con- sidering the Holy Lamb as too peaceful an emblem for such restless adventurers. From Agneaux de I'lsle sprang various families, all of which prospered, — four of which held seignorial fiefs in Nor- mandy, a fifth in Burgundy, and a sixth branch in Provence. / Sir Philip d' Agneaux, the heir of line of the senior branch, was created a banneret, for military services, in 1228; his father and uncle were already knights. Sir John d' Agneaux was one 3f the companions of de Harcourt, Admiral of Prance, in a voy- age which he undertook in 1295; while in the Book of Achieve^ ments, drawn up by command of Charles V of France, in 1368, a Sir Fulke and a Sir William d' Agneaux are both honorably mentioned. An off'shoot of the same stem, Agneaux, Lord of Alencourt, adopted as his arms " three crescent gules, upon a shield of gold." Both these crescents and the martlets are special indications of good service done against the infidels, or of long voyages of discovery and adventure. The line of the Alencourts ended in an heiress ; she gave her name, however, to her descendants, and this branch of the family is styled Ste. Marie d' Agneaux. These Agneaux are traced for many generations in the "Armorial de France." Jean Jacques Bene de Ste. Marie d' Agneaux, of this branch of the family, was famous during the reign of Louis XV. History reports that a number of the members of the family who remained in Normandy after the Norman conquest gained distinction in other ways. Robert and Antoine Agneaux, or, as the name was then written, Aigneaux, born in Normandy in the sixteenth century, translated "Virgil" into French in 1582. This work became popular, and stands even to-day as one of the great landmarks among the translations of the Middle Ages. LINEAGE OF THE AGNEW FAMILY. 5 The chief interest centres, however, in that branch of the Ag-new family which settled in Scotland. It was in County- Wigtown, in southwest Scotland, which juts with bold outline into the North Channel and the Irish Sea, that the principal branch of this bold, adventurous family finally settled. Here, in the wild and unsettled times of the early part of the history of Scotland, they held theii: own, and became prominent in that country at a time when great physical development was as necessary for existence as shrewdness and intelligejice. The records of the time show that as early as the year 1330 they became the holders of the office of Hereditary Sheriff of County Wigtown. " The Sheriff of Wigtown" was the title of their office; yet in royal proclamations and even in acts of Parlia- ment, and always in familiar intercourse, this official was ad- dressed as " Sheriff of Galloway," the name of Galloway being applied to the counties of Wigtown and Kirkcudbright. This office formed the very backbone of the feudal system; it was held in the Agnew family, despite all the various changes through the Middle Ages, for more than four hundred years, until the abolishment of hereditary jurisdictions in Scotland, in 1747. The abolition of this office — the removal of the last trace of the government of the Middle Ages — was the final blow struck at the feudal system. As a compensation to the Agnew family for the loss of this hereditary office, they were paid by the English government the sum of .£4:000. The duties of an hereditary sheriff in Scotland were far more important than are commonly associated in these later days with the office of sheriff. Next to the king, the sheriff of that day was the most powerful individual in the land. On the performance of his duties rested the foundations of society ; he was law, lawyer, judge, jury, and executioner of penalties. He owned allegiance and submission only to the king. This officer, unchecked by nearly all restraints, was not as oppressive and tyrannical as might be infen'ed from" his powers. In medieval times those at the fountain-head of authority were the least 6 LIFE OF D. HATES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. inclined to be unjust and arbitrary. It was the resident owners of the soil who were the source of greatest oppression to the people. The essence of feudalism was, that superior and vassal were alike bound together by ties of reciprocal good- will. " Gentle- man's law," even to this day, is regarded respectfully by the peasants of Scotland. This absolute power of the sheriff can be estimated, when it is realized that even an earl in those days had not the power of shrievalty within his own earldom. In ancient times an appeal lay from the judgment of the earl, as proprietor, to the court of the sheriff. It is at Lochnaw, Stranraer, Scotland, that the Agnew family holds its castle, the present incumbent of the title being the twenty-first in descent from the first Agnew who settled there. Although some of the Agneaux family came over to England during the reign of William the Conqueror, nothing definite of their doings is known. The first Agneaux of whom any authentic record exists in Great Britain is that Agneaux de risle who took part in the conquest of Ulster, in the reign of Henry II of England, in 1171. For his services in this con- quest, he was allotted the Lordship of Larne, a beautiful spot on the northeastern coast of Ireland, with a view which was terminated only by the distant Scottish coast. In commemora- tion of the expedition in which they had gained their new possessions, "the sinister hand of Ulster" was introduced into their shield. Their name was also given to the highest moun- tain in the Antrim range, which still retains its appellation "Agnew's Hill." Here this family of bold adventurers remained for more than one hundred years, and the descendants of the Lord of Larne in the fifth generation were in quiet possession of the land he had acquired. At the commencement of the fourteenth century the Lord of Larne, in common with his neighbors, was impatient of the English yoke. The English monarchs were looked upon rather as feudal superiors than as kings ; indeed, LINEAGE OF THE AGNEW FAMILY. 7 they hardly assumed the latter title at this period. The Ulster lords wished to assert their entire independence, and have a king of their own. Hearing of the doughty deeds of Edward Bruce, brother of King Robert Bruce, across the channel, they offered to acknowledge him as their sovereign if he would undertake to bring them armed assistance and put himself at their head. The restless Edward was delighted with a proposal so con- genial to his tastes; and, organizing what forces he could in Galloway, he landed, with six thousand men, at Olderfieet Castle, the property of the Agnews, — the ruins of which may still be seen, — on the Lough of Larne, in 1315. Here the Lord of Larne and his retainers received him wdth great joy, and all the lords of Ulster, hearing of his arrival, flocked to his standard. In 1316 Bruce was crowned King of Ireland. At this time the good King Robert Bruce lived at Loch- naw, in the castle w^hich had been erected a century before. This was his own garrison, and there was no other fortress as suitable in respect to position, for the old castle was considered impregnable, commanding fine views of the Firth of Clyde and the opposite Irish coast, Agnew's Hill being a prominent fea- ture in the background. Robert followed his brother Edward to Ireland, and together they advanced as far as Dublin. Two years later Edward Bruce w^as killed in battle, the English again came into supremacy, and the remnant of the Scottish army retreated to Scotland. The Lord of Larne had been so seriously compromised with the English authorities, by this connection with the Bruces, that we are not surprised to learn that his son and heir appeared at the Scottish court after the death of Robert Bruce, when the Earl of Moray, his old commanding officer, was chosen Regent during the minority of King Da^id 11. As a reward for his past services, and to hold his allegiance in the future, the young Lord of Larne was installed in the keeping of the office of Constable of Lochnaw. The young constable showing bravery and spirit, — qualities 8 LIFE OF D. HATES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. necessary for an officer holding the kmg's commission among the wild Scots of Galloway, — was soon afterward appointed Sheriff of Wigtown. The sheriffship is described as an heredi- tary gift, but the successions were not preserved at this time; for the Earl Douglas, in a later generation, forcibly denuded the Agnews of their office for some years. Hence the appointment of the first three sheriffs is regarded as personal ; the office of Hereditary Sheriff of Wigtown being given again to the Agnews in a new charter, in 1452. It was only this latter commission which was recognized by the English government. This is the historical story of the first settlement of the Agnews in Scotland ; but the traditionary account, which is fully believed by the oldest inhabitants, points to a much bolder course, by which the Lord of Larne obtained a footing here. According to this tradition among the peasantry of Wig- town, a member of the Agnew family once found himself in Galloway, and here he determined to stay ; and, courting adventure in the true Norman spirit, he cast his eyes about him for a well-housed foe. The king's Castle of Lochnaw, ac- cording to our informants, had been captured by one M'Ciellan, a chief of the native race ; and here, strongly posted in the fortress, he set the royal authority at defiance. The castle was quite to young Agnew's taste, and he immediately besieged it, with the full approbation of the king. M'Ciellan was well armed and provisioned, and Agnew, with a small band of followers, could make no impression ; hence, storming the castle was out of the question, and he was com- pelled to resort to strategy. It must be understood that the castle stood on an island, and, with the exception of a narrow rock at either end, the ground was entirely covered with the buildings of this fortress. Agnew withdrew the besieging party from sight, and it was settled that his right-hand man should be hanged on a tree, the rope being so arranged that the victim could himself pre- vent strangulation. The hanging scene was duly enacted, and LINEAGE OF THE AGNEW FAMILY. 9 the executioners retired. The plot succeeded to their hearts' content. M'Clellan had watched their stranj^e doings, and no sooner saw them off than, manning a boat, he rowed to the shore to see what had been done. No sooner had he landed than out rushed the besiegers from an ambush. M'Clellan's retreat to the island was instantly cut off; but he and liis band fought their way out of the inclosure. Agnew followed him, and, when they reached the site of the Brig O'Doon, he succeeded in dis- patching the old chieftain. Now, in the moment of triumph, he remembered, for the first time, his poor, half-hung lieutenant. When he arrived again on the shores of the white Loch of Lochnaw, there the poor decoy hung, stiff and cold. On the death of the Bruces a civil war broke out, and in 13-4:7 David II was taken prisoner by the English, and the Sheriff ot Wigtown would have been destroyed had not Sir William Douglas come to his relief. A story of ravage and confiscation follows this event, — for a century the country was unfilled, the woods were wasted, and the forester's art was utterly neglected. • i: The Douglases had always been friendly to the Agnews, but in 1390, Black Douglas, a natural son of the famous Earl Douglas, rose into power. He determined to reduce all the Scottish barons to a state of vassalage. The Constable of Lochnaw could offer no serious resistance to the forces of the earl, who besieged the Castle of Lochnaw. Eventually the Agnews were driven from Scotland, and sorrowfully the Laird of Lochnaw, the great-grandson of the first proprietor, sailed, with his family and retainers, across the channel to the Bay of Larne. In the words of Sir George Mackenzie, a chronicler of the period, "the Castell of Lochnaw was blowen up." This act of Black Douglas was extremely bold, for the castle was still the property of the king. The ex-Constable of Lochnaw found Ireland little to his liking, and repaired shortly to the Scottish court at Perth, where he received from the aged monarch, Robert III, much commis- 10 LIFE OF D. HATES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D eration, but no assistance. He became a member of the royal household, and stood m high favor. While at court the young Agnew had the good fortune to attract the favorable notice of Princess Margaret, who was married to Archibald, son of Black Douglas. Although not inclined to love the name of Douglas, yet he soon had cause to be grateful for her good offices. On the death of her husband, she received from her brother, King James I, the lordship of Galloway, and she took up her residence with feudal pomp at the old Castle of Threave. Here she was accompanied by her young protege, Andrew Agnew. Through her efforts Andrew Agnew was restored to the possessions of his fathers, in 1426, on his marriage to Princess Mary, the niece of his liege lady. The old castle had been destroyed by Black Douglas, and the constable set bravely to work to build a better home for himself and his gentle bride. On the south shore of the Loch of Lochnaw he built a castle, a greater part of which stands to the present day, which, as has been said, is still owned by the Agnews, his lineal descendants. In a " History of the Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway," by Sir Andrew Agnew, Bart., M.P., there is a fine picture of Scot- tish life from the year 1170 to 1747. Sir Andrew Agnew has compiled this book from the archives of the Agnew family, including sasines, infeftments. summonses, discharges, letters of horning, inhibitions, informations, bonds, precepts of clare- constat, marriage contracts, reliefs, wills, tacks, commissions, rentals, acts of Parliament, processes and all sorts of papers connected with the proceedings of the Sheriff Courts ; memo- randa, charters under the Great Seal, and charters from bishops, abbots, and commendators. In this Avay the actual picture of Scottish life throughout this period has been depicted ; the cus- toms, the dresses, the value of money, the price of the neces- saries of life, the food eaten, table manners, the rentals paid and received, and all the minutiae of Scottish life have been drawn, LINEAGE OF THE AGNEW FAMILY. 11 making the book an invaluable treasure-house for the antiqua- rian or the novelist, especially as the greater part of this matter has never been published in any other form. Patrick Agnew, the fourth hereditary sheriff, may be taken as a fair type of a Scottish hereditary official in 1500. As to law, he troubled himself little with studying the statutes. Cus- tom was law to him, and he was not scrupulous in enforcing his supposed rights, in defiance of any acts of Parliament to the contrary. If an injury was to be redressed or a friend to be assisted, he sprang into his saddle and dealt out justice with his own good sword, caring little for the technicalities; if attacked, he was ready to defend himself; if his cattle were carried off, he was quite capable of returning the compliment Avith interest. Such assertions of the dignity of his office he, doubtless, considered necessary to sustain the traditionary status of a Galloway sheriff. Through Margaret Kennedy, tlie wife of Sir Patrick Ag- new, the eighth hereditary sheriff, the Agnews have a double royal descent, — on one side from King James II of Scotland, and on the other from King Henry VII of England. Sir Andrew Agnew, the twelfth and last hereditary sheriff, was a famous soldier, but not a practical agriculturist. On the death of his father, when the paternal estates fell into his possession, he determined to acquaint himself with the routine of farming operations. One of his attempts at such superin- tendence is the subject of a favorite Galloway story, which is still extant : — "Sir Andrew, though a grand soldier, was nae farmer ava'; he kent naething aboot it. A' the castle flirm-wark in his days, an' lang before and after, was done by baillie wark. There was baillie pleuching, baillie harrowing, baillie shearing, baillie corn- leading, — aye, an' peat-leading, too ! The tenants were a' warned in their turn to do as they were bun' in their tacks. " Sir Andrew was new come hame ; they had been a' warned in, and were shearing ower in the Beef-Park, an', as 12 LIFE OF D. HATES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. was aye the case when p. wheen o' farmers met, they had great fetrivmgs wha wad be first oot at the lan's end. Horrid bad wark they made it, and whiles left as muckle as they took. "Just as the sheriff came oot to see, they were kemping ^ a' they could, and the grieve, afeared the sheriff wad be angry, began and trod doon the lang stubbles wi' his feet, and made a show o' gathering as muckle o' the left corn as he could. " ' AVhat's that ye're doing there 1 ' says Sir Andrew, sharply. '"Oh, please your honour,' answers the grieve, terribly frightened; 'oh, I'm just tramping doon a lot o' the o'erplus. There's plenty to tak' and plenty to leave here, please your honour. It's just to keep the grun' warm, your honour, for I expect a right guid awal crap here next year ' ; and so he ran on, scarce knowing what he said." Greatly astonislied was the grieve to find that his ridiculous invention was taken in good faith; but if he felt little com- punction at thus shamefully imposing upon his master, his deceit drew upon him a retribution as sharp as it was unex- pected ; for the sheriff, greatly pleased with the tlieory of keep- ing the ground warm, " keepit him there a' the morning, aye treading doon the stubble, and whiles he wad begin and tread doon the corn himsel'." So the unjust steward cut a very sorry figure in the eyes of his own men. " Ye see," as is a usual remark after some similar stories, " although Sir Andrew was a bra' warrior, he didna ken the lea-side o' a rick ! " This Sir Andrew Agnew, on account of his daring military exploits and quaint humor, has become a famous figure in Scotch history. In his defense of Blair Castle from the attack of the rebels, in tlie spring of 1745, Sir Andrew was the hero- of a number of characteristic incidents, which have been de- scribed by Sir Walter Scott in his " History of Scotland." The ^ Kemping is an expression commonly applied to reapers trying to see who will cut most quickly their share of corn in the harvest-field. While the term strictly signifies- rivalry, it implies undue haste, and that the work is hurriedly and badly done. LINEAGE OF THE AGXEW FAMILY. 13 fame of Sir Andrew was already considerable, and the treat- ment which the rebels experienced at his hands went far to increase this reputation. The rebels besieged this castle for a fortniglit, during which time the sheriff showed himself too good a soldier to abandon his post, — although his men were in a state of semi- starvation, — and he was too old an one to be provoked into a sally. He knew that each day he could detain so large a force of rebels before Blair Castle would be of the greatest advantage to the king ; and here he determined to stay as long as a single mouthful of biscuit remained in store. Time, however, hung very heavily the while on the hands of the younger officers, who, in default of all other sources of diversion, at last bethought themselves of a joke at the expense of their commander. As a part of the plot, they purloined a portion of the great man's wardrobe, — taking a full suit of the brigadier's uniform, — with which, with the assistance of some straw, they soon produced an excellent imitation of his figure. Then they placed the stuffed sheriff at a window of the tower, with a spy-glass in his hand, in the attitude of reconnoitering the rebels. " This apparition," says Sir Walter Scott, " did not escape the hawks' eyes of the Highlanders, who commenced to pour their fire upon the turret-window, without producing any ade- quate result. The best deer-stalkers of Athole and Badenoch persevered, nevertheless, and wasted their ammunition in vain upon this impassible commander. At length. Sir Andrew him- self became anxious to know what could possibly induce so constant a fire upon that particular point ; and ascending the turret himself, there he saw his other identity standing under fire, — as stiff, as fearless, as imperturbable as himself The sheriff was scandalized at the irreverent deception, and, discov- ering the author of the plot, he delivered sentence upon the culprit to this effect : — '"Let the loon that set it up just go up himsel' and tak' it 14 LIFE OF D. HAYES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. doon again.' A great effect had been produced, however, upon the rebels, and the clansmen, ah*eady predisposed to regard the sheriff with superstitious awe, had found their surmises as to his invulnerability so thoroughly confirmed that henceforth they became hopeless of success." A few days later, the sheriff was relieved from his unen- viable position by the appearance of the king's Black Horse. A camp-story, in which Sir Andrew did not come out victor, has been preserved of these days, to understand which it is necessary to bear in mind that, in the Lowlands of Scot- land, a "Lammermuir lion" is a proverbial expression for a sheep. After the affair at Ostend, in which Sir Andrew Agnew distinguished himself, when the English were at war with the French, the officers of the garri-son were talking over the inci- dents of the siege at the dinner-table, and, becoming very noisy as they fought their battles over again, some of the younger ones became very eloquent on their own prowess, until the Commandant, Sir Andrew Agnew, becoming tired, thought it time to give them a hint. Behind his chair stood a faithful servant, a Lammermoor man, almost as great a character as his master, who had followed Sir Andrew closely in many a field. "John," said the sheriff, slyly, " I think I looked as bold a man yesterday as any in the brigade ; what do you say, my man? " " Aye, Sir Andrew," answered the batman, with a twinkle in his eye, " you looked for all the world just like a lion ! " An uproarious burst of merriment greeted this response, in which the sheriff heartily joined, supposing it was due to his own wit at the expense of his officers. The tables, however, were soon turned ; for, as he good-humoredly continued, "And wherever did you see a lion, you scoundreH " a jolly young subaltern interposed, " Oh, sir ! there's plenty of lions in John's country ; surely you know John's slain many a Lammermuir lion!" The General James Agnew who was killed at the Battle of Germantown, Philadelphia, was a nephew of this sheriffs LINEAGE OF THE AGNEW FAMILY. 15 In 1775 he was made Aide-de-camp to tlie king, with the rank of Colonel, being made Brigadier-General the following year. The description given of his death in Holmes' " Annals of America " and in the " Pictorial History of England " is incorrect. The correct account is given on anotlier page of tliis biography. This sheriff's sayings and doings have been the subject of innumerable traditions ; " to give one of Sir Andrew Ar/neiv^s broad Jiiiifs^' has been a proverbial expression in Scotland for the last hundred years, the force of which is exemplified by a story from a book of Scotch humor, published toward the close of the last century : — " Sir Andrew Agnew, of Lochnaw, a well-known Scotch baronet, was famous for giving what he called ' broad hints.' Having been long pestered by an impertinent intruder, it was one day remarked to the baronet that he was fortunate in hav- ing freed himself of the bore, and he was asked how he had contrived it. ' Ah ! ' he replied, ' I was obliged to give the loon a broad hint.'' ' A broad hint ! ' said the friend ; ' why, I thought he was one of those who would never take any hint ! ' ' By my faith,' rejoined Sir Andrew, ' but he was forced to take it; for, as the chiel wouldna gang oot at the door, I just threw him oot at the window.' " He had been bred in the true old British prejudice against the French, and, although he had served often upon French soil, he hated the language, and disdained to learn a word of it. Once, Avhen on a visit to his daughter. Lady Bruce, being at church, the minister, in his discourse, objected to the authorized translation of the text upon which he was preaching, and gave an amended version, in enforcing the superiority of which he proceeded to say : " The Avords in the original Hebrew are these : Comment vous portez vous.'" The sheriff's wrath was raised to boiling-pitch ; not only had an insult been offered to his understanding, but his peculiar antipathy had been aroused. He started from his seat, and it was with difficulty that he was persuaded by his daughter to sit still. No sooner, howeveiv 16 LIFE or D. HAYES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. was the service over, than his righteous indignation was brought out before all the congregation. "The scoundrel !" he said; " and yet, I could liave forgiven him had he not used the only French I ever knew." Following the rebellion in Scotland in 1746, the British government, alarmed by its extent, were naturally anxious to increase the influence of the Crown in Scotland; the great bar- rier to the accomplishment of this purpose was the hereditable jurisdictions held by the barons and chieftains. As these hereditary rights had been expressly reserved at the time of the union of England and Scotland, it was feared that their abolition would breed fresh dissatisfaction ; but after a fierce battle over the subject in Parliament, a bill was passed abolishing hereditable jurisdictions and making arrangements for compensation to their owners. It was found that in only sixteen cases the claims of hered- itary sheriffs could be proved, viz., those of the shires of Argyle, Bute, Caithness, Clackmannan, Cromarty, Dumfries, Dumbar- ton, Elgin, Fife, Kinross, Kirkcudbright, Nairn, Orkney and Zetland, Peebles, Selkirk, and Wigtown. In only four families had the sheriff'ships of their respective counties been continuous since 1567. These were: — The Earls and Dukes of Argyle, .  . . Wigtown. Of these, the Duke of Argyle's commission was dated Feb- ruary 26, 1473 ; the Earl of Rothes', June 1, 1529 ; the Mur- ray's is unknown; while the Agnew's was dated 1452, making it the oldest in Scotland, although, as has been shown, the Agnews held the office for over a century before that date. The Sheriff" of Wigtown claimed less proportionally than any of the other office-holders, and received £4:111 6s., being nearly six times as much as all of the rest collectively, showing that his office was considered of the greatest importance. LINEAGE OF THE AGNEW FAMILY. 17 Thus ended the days of hereditable jurisdictions in Scot- land. No rational person can now doubt that the change \yas a wise one, although this conviction grew only gradually upon the people. This Scottish branch, which had long lield the title of Knight, were given a baronetage on July 28, 1629, by Charles I. The circumstances under which the Agnew family received its baronetage forms an interesting page in English history. This title w^as not regarded by the Agnew family at the time as conferring any special dignity to their position, and they preferred the title of "Sheriff" to that of "Sir." Different members of the family had been knighted many times by differ- ent sovereigns, but they had not used their titles. It was not until later years that this title grew into greater prominence. The title of baronet is of comparatively recent origin, having been revived by King James I, who constituted it an hereditary dignity. The term " baronet " was originally given to a class of bannarets, who were hereditary barons of Parlia- ment. The existing baronetage of England dates from 1611, in which year James I established it by letters patent under the Great Seal; in 1619 he further extended the order to Ireland, and in 1624 adopted steps to create a Scottish branch, which intention was carried out, in 1625, by his son Charles I. Every person who sought the dignity of a baronet was com- pelled to give proof that he was a gentleman of blood, — i.e., de- scended on his father's side from a grandfather who bore arms, possessed of a good reputation, and had an annual revenue of not less than ^£1000. These baronets, in turn for the honor granted them by their government, were expected to help in return in maintaining armies in different localities. Thus, the baronets of Ulster assisted the government in its management of affairs in Ireland; the baronets of Nova Scotia, among whom were the Agnews, rendered great aid in colonizing that recently-explored region. These latter baronets were granted special honors by Charles I, 18 LIFE OF D. HAYES AGNEW, M.D., LL.D. being permitted to wear around the neck " an orange taunie silk ribbon, whereon shall be pendent in a scutcheon argent, a saltier azure, thereon an inescutcheon of the armes of Scotland, with an imperial crown above the scutcheon, and encircled with this motto : — - " Fax mentis honestse glorise." The Hereditary Sheriffs of Galloway from 1452 to 1629 were as follow : Andrew, Andrew, Quentin, Patrick, Andrew, Patrick (who was the first of his race to be buried as a Protest- ant, in 1590), Andrew, and Patrick Agnew. It was this last Sir Patrick Agnew, Knt., who was created a Baronet of Nova Scotia on July 28, 1629, by Charles I. He married Margaret, daughter of Sir Thomas Kennedy, and died in 1661. His son. Sir Andrew Agnew, M.P. for Wigtownshire, was appointed, on the suppression of hereditable jurisdictions, by Cromwell, in 1656, Sheriff of all Galloway, and a member of the Commission for governing the Kingdom of Scotland. At the restoration of Charles II, he was re-instated in his heredi- tary sheriffalty, in 1661. Sir Andrew married Lady Anne Stewart, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Galloway, and died in 1671. His son and heir, also named Sir Andrew Agnew, on refusing the test oath of 1682, was ejected, by the Privy Council of Scotland, from his office, but was re-instated at the restora- tion, in 1689, by the Convention of Estates, of which he was a member. He married Jane, daughter of Sir Thomas Hay, Baronet of Park, and died in 1701. His son, the fourth baronet, Sir James Agnew, married Lady Mary Montgomerie, daughter of Alexander, Earl of Eglinton. He is particularly famous in history for being the father of twenty-one children. The fifth baronet, Sir Andrew Agnew, was the distin- guished military officer of whom we have already read, being a Lieutenant-General in the English army. During his life- time, hereditary jurisdictions were abolished finally in Scot- land. He had married his cousin, Eleanor, the only daughter of Thomas Agnew, Esq., and was also remarkable in being The Agnew Coat of Arms. LINEAGE OF THE AGNEW FAMILY. 19 the father of eighteen children. He died in 1771, at the ad- vanced age of 8-1 years, being succeeded by his fifth but eldest surviving son. Sir Stair Agnew, his son, sixth baronet, married Mary, daughter of Thomas Baillie, Esq. On account of the death of his eldest son, Andrew, who had married Martha De Courcy, eldest daughter of John, twenty-sixth Lord of Kinsale, he was succeeded by his grandson, Andrew, a posthumous child. The seventh baronet, Sir Andrew Agnew, married Madeline, daughter of the late Sir David Carnegie, and died in 1849. He was succeeded by Sir Andrew Agnew, who married Lady Louisa Noel, daughter of Charles, Earl of Gainsborough. The life of this baronet forms a remarkable coincidence with the head of the American branch of the Agnew family, for he was bom in 1818, the same year as Dr. D. Hayes Agnew, and died March 25, 1892, three days after Dr. Agnew's death. The present incumbent of the title, Sir Andrew Noel Ag- new, was born in 1850. He married Gertrude, daughter of the Hon. Gowran Charles Vernon. The coat of arms of the Agnew family is as follows : — Arms, argent, a chevron between two cinqiiefoils in chief, gules, and a saltier couped in base, azure. Crest, an eagle issuant and regardant, proper. Supporters, two heraldic tigers, proper, collared and chained, or. 