The Daily clarion., 1877-01-27
MEMORIAL SERVICES.
The Late VIM. R. Barksd lie
Address of Hon. W. IL EiszGcr-
aid. Senator From z'alla ia;a icI,ie.
i'm the Senate, "Wednesday. = an :
uary 24tfR.


mary 24th.
Mr.. PRESIDENT by an inscrutable dis
pensation OF Providence, Mississippi has,
during the present session of the Legisla-
ture, lost one Of her best and most highly
gifted sons.
AS his friend of longest standing in the
Senate, and having enjoyed more intimate
professional and social relations with him
than has, perhaps any other member, it is
| deemed appropriate that / should formally
announce to this honorable body the demise
of the Hon. william r. Barksdale, mem
Der of Il House of Representatives from
the county of Grenada, which sad event oc-
CURED on the evening of the 10th inst, at
his residence in the town OF Grenada,
When the hand of death ia laid upon the
/ faithful public servant. his colleagues and
coadiutors, by time-honored and beautiful
custom, suspend public business and testify
their estimation OF his character and his
pubic and private worth. Honor paid TO
the memory Of the worthy dead incites the
living to honorable emulation
Mr.. Barksdale was born on the 28th day
of A pril 1884, in the county of Lauderda'e,
i'm the State of Alabama, and was reared
from very early infancy, in the county of
Yalobusha, of this State.
He graduated with bonors from the
literary and law Departments OF the Uni
versity Ot~NIssissippi; from the former III
1865 and from the latter in 1859.
To a vigorous grasp of native lnteIlect,
p com prehensiye judgment ard astute dis
cernment, he added, by tie most patient
iah thn
ary and law culture. His attainments were
varied and critically accurate. He brought
TO bear upOn every question he underto
to discuss in the hustings, in the fordm' and
| in the legislative hall the ripest rcfectioh
and most thorough inv estigation, the rlch
est fancy and the purest and best selected
words Of his native tongue.
He was one of the most reliable counsel-
lors and ready lawyers ever knew, and, as
[ think, the best and most finished elocutlon-
2 ist it was ever my fortune to hear.
He had none of the trickery or blandlsh-
ments of the demagOgue, but went straight
t to what he conceived to be his duty, with
, all the earnestness, frankness and harness
of old Roman Pr9tOn.
. Although kind d-hearted, generous and as
, gentle AS a woman in his social relations, ne
performed his professional aud official duties
! with a touch of sternness and without fGal
or favor.
Whilst sensitive in his nature, modest and
. unassuming, he was coOl-headed, self pols-
ed and self reliant and when the supreme
moment for manly, determined and col'r'
= ageous action came. he went TO work witt
dexteritv. adroitnCss and valor. In hi
e very early manhood, like lvanhoe, he enter
] ed the list with the most experienced ant
: intrepid, with a 1auntlessnesS and Skill ttla
e was absolutely superb.
G Mr. Barksdale was not unmlndful OF pop
Il ular favor: he had a laudabe and praise
# worthy ambtion; but he scOrned and exc
- Grated the idea of panderinS 10 an unWorth!
{ popular prejudice, and rather than have
e gone counter to his high sense of justice ant
right, he would at any moment have
il placed his resignation in the hands OF tn
fl Governor, no matter how great the sacri
flee to him. and he would have suffered i'm
notation rather than
"Bend the pregnant hinges of the knee
That thrift might follow fawning."
At the beginning of the war between tht
:, States he enlisted in the 10Th Mississippi
Regiment of Infantry, and was soon there
r after promoted to Quartermaster with ranl
n of Captain aud assigned TO duty with tn
1lth Mississippi Regiment of Infantry
- Upon the organization of Gen. FeatherstOn'
,f brigade, Capt. Barksdale was allowed tn
choice of Quartermaster with the rank o
q Major on his staff, or Acting Assistant Ad
q jutant- General and retain his rank of Cap
tain. The latter suited his taste better; an,
2, that he selected Subsequently he was AS
" signed to the staff of ajor General Wal
II! thall. He did not, however. receive for
l. nal notification from the War Department
of the increase of his rank, commensurate
J with the rank OF his chief, and he never as
IF sumed it, With promptness, glllantry an
ability, he was equal to every occasion. II
II the bivouac, on the march and in the smok
Il and turmo and blood OF battle, he main
-. tanned his high strung and lofty individu
81 ality At the Franklin disaster, where s.
hraV
wounded, he received a severe wound from
: the effects Of which he never fully recov
J. cred.
In 1865, Capt. Barksdale was elected Dis
. trct- Attorney of the then 10th judicial dis
e trict. AS prosecuting attorney he had n
superior Careful and technically accurat
y in the preparation of his bills of. indictmen
/" and thoroughly poste upon the law an
the facts of his cases, he was almost IRE
sistible.
" Not possessed of an imposing persona
presence, the magnetism ofthis remarkabI
Sc man was the product of his superior menta
l. endOwments and refined culture. With hi
features at rest, he was not likely to attraC
re the attention of the casual observer, but q
N soon as his measured and accurate. but ab
soluteiy unaffected enunciaton and tn
G artistic modulation of his voice fell upo
the ear, mai taine1 by the products of
richly ladened and well trained mind, til
hearer listened involuntarily to the end.
1t is fresh in the memory of Senator
that when the trial of fLieutenaut-G Governo
Davis upon impeachment before this honor
ie able body had proceeded to the final argu
II ment, those who did not know the calibr
of the man doubted the ability of Captai
\, Barksdale to fill, to the full measure, publ
!, expectation on that grave occasion. Blu
u the magic Of his first utterance gave aSsur
0t anee that he was master of the situation
d and his graceful oratory and sturdy argu
!. ment held his vast audience with rapt at
tention from the eXordum to the preora
. ton. With consummate skill, he tracke,
g the bribe-taker through his devious path
s. interwoved fact with fact and circumstanc
;s with circums stance, until complete an
- admirable network was presented with til
; guilty defaulter ineXtrcably entangle
l. within its meshes. The striking parallel h