The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1877-01-31
Address Of Hon. w. n. FifZGer-
aid. Senator. From ITALIA Is "A tchie,
in the Senate, Wednesday, - a ma
mary cath

Mr. PREsIDENr:-By an inscrutabe 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, 1t Is
| deemed appropriate that l should formally
announce to this honorable body the demise
of the Hon William Il 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 il laid upon the
| faithful public servant, his colleagues and
| coadiGtors, ny time-honOred and beautiful
| custom, suspend public business and testify
| their estimation OF his character and his
public and private worth. Honor paid to
| the memory Of the worthy dead incltes the
| living to honorable emulation.
! Mr.. BaTksddle was born on the 18th day
/ of April 1884, in the county of Lauderdaie,
/ in the State of Alabama, and was reared
! from very early infancy, in the county OF
lXalobusha, of this State.
He graduated with hcnoss from the
literary and law departments of the Uni
| versity of Mississippi; from the former in
1855 and from the latter in 1899.
To vigorous grasp OF native intellect,
com prehensiYe Judgment and astute dis
cefnmenr, he added, hY tie m0st patient
study and assidnous labor, the rarest liter
ary and law culture. His attachments were
| varied and critically accurate. lie brought
| to bear upon every question I've uhdefto
to discuss in the hustIngs, in the iordm, ana
in the legislative halt The ripcst reflection
ami most thorough investigation, the rich
est fancy and the purest and best selected
words OF his native tongue,
lie was one of the most reliable counsel
lors and ready lawyers ever knew, and, as
| thiak, the best and most finished elocution-
1T it was ever my fortune To hear.
He had none of the trickery or blanGlsh-
mnts of the dem&gogue, bat went straight
to what he conceived to be lis duty, with
all The earnestness, frankress and fairness
of old Roman Pr9tOn.
Although kind-hearte6, generous and as
gentle as woman in his social relations, he
performed his professional and official duties
with a touch of sternness and without lear
, | or favor.
, Whilst sensitive in his nature, modest and
unassumiug. he was cool-headed, self pols-
ed and sclfreliant, and when the supreme
moment for manly, determined ana conr-
ageous action came. he went to work viii
deXteritY, adroitness and valor. In his
very early manhood, like lvanhoe, he enter
ed the list with the most experience ano
intrepid, with dauntlessness ana sklll tha'
was absolutely superb.
Mr.. BarkSdale was not unmlnuiul OF pop
ular favor; he mad Il laudable and praise
worthy am bition; but he scOrned and exc
= Grated the idea of pandering to an unworthy
" popular prejudice, and rather than nave
= gone counter TO his high sense OF justice ant
Tigh, he would at any moment have
: | PLACED his resignation in the hands OF Tn
: | Governor. no matter how great the sacri
u lice to him. and he would have suffered i'm
4 nolatiOn rather than
'Bend the pregnant hinges of the knee
r That thrift might follow fawning."
q At the beginning of the war between tn
States he enlisted in the 10th Mlsslsslpt
i | Regiment of Infantry. and was soon there
after promoted to Quartermaster with RAM
{ of Captain and assigned to duty with Tia
: Ilth Mississippi Regiment OF Infantry
1t L non the organization of Gen. Featherston
= brigade. Capt. Barksdale was allowed til
{ choice of Quartermaster with the rank Q
: Major on his staff, Acting Assistant Al
iutant- General and retain his rank OF Cap
Z tain. The latter suited his tas,e better; an
q that he selected. Subsequently lie was as
i signed TO the staff of Major General Wal
& thall. lie did not, however, receive for
Il NAL notification from the War Department
9 of the increase of his rank, commensurate
&c with the rank Of his chief, and he never a
sumed it. With promptness, gAllantry an
ability, he was equal to every occasion.
the biyouac, on the march and in the smok
- and turmoil and blood OF battle, he main
a. tanned his high strung and lofty individu
ality. At the Franklin disaster, where S
many brave Confederates were killed an
Wounded. he received a severe wound froI
m the effects OF which he never fully recON
ID cred.
ID In 1865. Capt. Barksdale was elected Dii
is trict-AttOrney OF the then 10Th Judicial di
De trict. AS prosecuting attorney he had II
I'd superior Careful and technically accura
Of in the preparation of his bills of indictmer
:" and thoroughly posted upon the law an
Il the facts of his cases, he was almost irIf
sistible.
L. Not possessed of an imposing person
er presence, the magnetism of this remarkab
d man was the product of his superior ment
of endowments and refined culture. With h
~ features at rest, he was not likely to attra
lie the attention of the casual observer, but
n soon as his measured and accurate, but al
IL sOlutely- unaffected enunciation and Il
as artistic meditation of his voice fell upC
the ear maintained by the products of
I'D richly ladened and well trained mind. Il
of nearer listened involuntarily to the end.
is 1t is fresh in the memory of Senate
that when the trial of Lieutenant-GOvern
nd Davis upon i'm peachme nt before this homo
d. able body had proceeded to the final arg
i'd ment, those who did not know the calib
be of the man doubted the ability of CAPITA
a Barksdale to fill, to the full measure, publ
as expectation on that grave occasion. B
ed the magic of his first utteranee gave assn
pit ance that he was master of the situatio
and his graceful Oratory and sturdy arg
n ment held his vast audience with Tapt
ed tention froIn the eXordium TO the preoI
ed ton. With consummate skill, he track
he the bride taker through his devious pa
'n. interWoved fact with fact and circumstan