The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-08-02
Letter from Hon. -. F H- Glai-
borne

i he following interesting icIteI hun
Hon. J. F. II. Claiborne, who is great
avorite with the readers of this journal,
las been kindly placed at our disposal by
Judge Mcmillan, of Monticello, to whom
[ is addressed:
50 CARoNDALET ST, \. O., July IL, 1876.
MYDEAR SIR: On my return here yester-
lay received your very gratifying letter /
On the Sth. am gratified that my sketch
Of Hancock county sa;ities you. l wrote /!
the paper here in town, in two days, from
my owa 5cuments. Our county records
YOU know were all harmed, and we failed
to get any inform alton from the Secretary
of States Office, owing TO the absence OF Mr.
Hi.
have had the pleasure of reading your
history of old Lawrence in a Summit pa
Der. aud l read it with extreme interest. ]
am fattering mrself when | say that you
and | seem To have pursued the same line
of thought, only yours is the most literal
AS YOU had the Old records to refer to.
likewise read, with equal avldity. y,ur
ms moir of Gov. Runnels, with whom |
commenced my political career. Two
thirds or more of the persons named by
you in your two papers were well known
to me. In June, 1921, my acquaintance
with Lawrence county began. Micajah
Terrell. an I'D merchant OF Natchez, was
going TO Philadelphia Co purchase his fall
aud winter supply of goods, and was to 20
through Lynchburg, VA, to visit his rela-
tives there, after whom that place was
named. | was put under his charge to be
left at school in Virginia. We went via
Monticello, where he left his family with
his relative, Judge (afterward G0vernor)
Lynch. We Travelled from Natchrz with
the members of the Legislature from Adj
ans then bound for Columbia, ia ex-
ira session, to determine the adoption
of Poindexter's Code, and with a large
party of our friends bound for Sto-
wallis Springs. in Marion, then a very
fashionable resor:. We spent a month at
Judge Lynch's. He had large plantation
up the river, and he lived in a large framed
house on the square near the ferry. The
same house was occupied afterwards by
Edward Englehard, Il merchant, who mar
ried into the Benson family, and removed
to jackson. Old Col Runnels then lived in
son, Capt. David Burney and his two sons
and several daughters; Aaron Horgus-all
old friends of my father. They made pet
of me- There was debating society there
of which Sedley Lynch (son of the Cover
nor} was a III ember. and although / was yet
a boy they elected me an honorary mem Der
my first honor When We started for
Virginia, on horse back, we eros Sed the
river after dinner, slept that night at
white mans, then entered the Choctaw ma
ton, and travelled the old military road to
Columbus, then a village of eight or ten
houses, the tavern being kept by the father
of our late eloquent friend, Col. w. 5.
Barry.
Harmon Runnels, the youngest of the
brothers, then kept groggery, now called
a saloon or coffeehouse, in Monticello, and
was considered a very dangerous man. The
old Colonel was rather more belligerent
than you have represented him. lie was an
ardent Republican, and an lrrepressible
Baptist, and would fight in a minute for
either his politics or his faith. In passing
through Georgia In 1886, heard many an
ecdotes Of the old gentleman, all illustra-
tive ofthis peculiar trait of shocking down
and dragging OUT He had more energy
and vim than any of his boys, though they
had enough of either when provoked. Har-
mon personally resembled him most.
The next time l saw Monticello was in
1885, when l was canvaSsing for Congress
DR.. B. w. Benson. the nominee for Secreta-
~ of State, being with me. We had parted
with Goo Runnels. then canvassing for
reelection against Lynch, at Columbus. !
found there my old preceptor, Joseph Cald-
well, then Clerk of the Court He was
Wing, but gave me his vote, and L received
there at that electIon-and always did re
ceiye-an overwhelming majority, even in
my last contest with Mr.. Prentiss, when
circumstances, growing out Of the exigencies
of party and never yet revealed, placed me
in an unpopular attitude. My next visit
was when Gwiu and Thompson were run
ming for Congress, and Freeman for Attor-
ey-General
| was editor of the Free Trader. / can
vassed the country with them as far as
Winchester; then lined Jacob Thompson
and parted with him at Monticello, and
stayed the first night, en- route for Natchez,
on Bogue Chitto with Gwin Pepper
The Centennial Commission determined
to cree. monument in Independence
Square 20 fhe trainers ofthe Constitution OF
the United States, and they assigned to Ger.
tain persons the duty of writing a bio
graphical sketck of one of them and invited
each writer to be present on the second of
July, with his memoir, and to lay a stone in
the monument. To my surprise they as
signed to me Abraham 3 ,ldwin, orc -orgia,
who l only knew as one of the trainers OF
the Constitution. Bdt, in my researches,
| found him very remarkable specimen Of
the se+us G&"Dct-Uag2er. A native Of
Observation-Disclosures of Joel Bar
low, graduate Of and tutor in Yale-elected
Professor Of Divinity an Moral Philosophy,
but declined-took school to read law
went to Georgia-admitted to the BARN
three months after his arrival elected to the
egiSlatufe-pro. ecte and built up the
University OF Georgia elected 10 Congress
TO the Convention to frame the United
States Constitutional Congress again and
agsin--to the Senate of the United States
where he died in 1907. never having been
one day out of the pub'lc service from the
first day of his eatrlnce until his death.
and never having lost one day from his
official place until the day he was taken i'll.
A remarkable career considering the pro-
v.rbially fluctuating course of parties in
Georgia. Ny address was read by grand
nephew of John Hancock. and he Laid a |
stone in my name.
General West delivered on the 18th of |
July very able and elaborate address on |
the Resources of Mississippi. l furnished
him detailed account of the pine woods, /
md seashore of Mississippi. which l pre- |
sumo will appear as an appendix to his ad- |
lress. Eoth will be published. l suppose,
n the interest of in. migration. Believe me