The Bolivar bulletin. [volume] (Bolivar, Hardeman County, Tenn.) 1865-1888, 1881-08-04
IN MEMORIAM.
PITSER MILLER.

u - Eh VI HAILEIE6s
On the night of Friday, the 29th Of July
Just as the darkness was fleeing before Tia
light Of new day, PITsER MILLER, one O
the earliest settlers in West Tennessee, il
his little home in Bolivar. in the presenc
3oi his faithful wife and only son, departe,
this life. The deceased was, in many re
4spccts most remarkable man. Born il
East Tennessee, he came to West Tcnncss
: see, when quite Young man, and settiin.
at Bolivar, he engaged in merchandising
lie was successful in building up the lar
gcst fortune which has ever been owned By
Gone man in this county, and what Is NOR,
remarkable, is the fact, thathe never grOunC
9the face of the poor, or built his fortune OF
5thc ruins of his neighbors, but was the gene
3rous, open-handcd friend of the needy; ter
fthousand Of whom were relieved from their
troubles by his helping hand. lie was nev-
4 er close, hard man, indeed, his heart was 81
lbig, and 80 utterly filled with a desire to see
Everybody prosper, that it WAS wonder
he ever accumulated anything. While he
WAS merchant, he prided himself on keep
ling in his stock everything which his patrons
llesircd, and if one ever called for something
he did not have, he at once ordered it. The
'oId farmers had learned of Mr. Miller'sj
boast that there was nothing his neighbors
needed which lac did not keep on hand, andl
soIne of them who lived East of!
Hatchie River, having buiIt church, andI
needing a pulpit, concluded they wouldf
that he did not keep everything
his neigbOrs wanted. and so they went in a.
body to his store and said: ''Pitser, youE
claim you keep everything your neIghborsi
want, don't you?" lie answered, prompt lys
eyes sir. "WeIl, a." said the speaker, eve h#vei
built 4 church in our neighborIIood andt
need pulpit" And they winked at eacha
other rs they Thought he was caught thisa
Time but the old man, without particle off
hesitation. said: "Come this way gentlemen.
| think have the very thing You need. b
And 40 saving, he led them into his warc-S
house, where he happened to have two pul-EE;
nits and they, instead Of the laugh AT hiaH
Expense, which they expected, confessed thatH
ne was the very prince ofcountry merchants.
When the civil war began, Mr.. Miller IS
vas an outSpoken Union man. Not one ofz
hose who were in favor of the war, and AT E
erwardr, when the scale WAS turned, wcr:
eady to swear they never had given aid or 81
omfort, in thought or deed, 10 the Confed-i
racy, but real Union man-one 30 froms
rinciple, and honest convictions, and, rs Ing
very other case where he had any drcided8
pinions, he was fearless in expressing them
Ee used all his influence TO prevent the or =
.nization of the first Confederate Company,a
rgiug with all his power, that the United8
tates GovcrnmcntwAs the best Conveniently
the world, and it was wicked to attempt@
destroy it, Indeed, Mr.. Miller was theR
lly outspokcn Union man that the writcri,
new in IIardeman County when it wases
l,.qerO4ls to be such. His losses were im-A
ense during the war-pErhans Il nIllions
,llars; and vet, Union man thai he wss,H
henevrr he saw Confederate soldier inE3
ant, . relieved his necessity. sPendins e
this way, many thousands of dollArSa
hen the battle Of C0rinth had been foughts
ID a large number of Confederate prisoRers 81
ire taken and brought to Bolivar, where
tina; time, large force of Federal soldiers
IRE stationed, Mr.. Miller gave each offs =
I'm some money and clothes, This gene Hii
us aid to the poor soldiers WAS miscontrueda"
the little Provost Marshal of Bolivar,s
10 had Mr.. Miller arrested as Confcd-
ate sympathizer and brought before him. g"
hen, with the insol .ncc of exalted littlenesss
insulted the true old man, with his jcer-
2 remarks, closing with the question; )
low can you pretend to be 4 Union man,
zen YOU have given so freely to these reb- L
soldlers?" The old man, Strengthening
in his just indignant ON, replied, 81 meyer
etendcd to be Union man, am; these ~
or soldiers are the children of my neigh 81
rs and they are in want, and cannot see IS
without ministering to their necessities 81
ID warming up, he added: "TheSe COnfed- "a
ate soldiers are engaged in the worst cause b
Earth; but they are the sons of gentle 81 u
en and think are mis-led. Your Fed 81,
al Army is engaged in the best can*e ON
lrth maintaining this glorious Union, but "
. far as l know YOU personally, the most
you arc thievcsv'
After the war, this old man, then consid-
ably over 60 years old, was left with a
rye amount of then valuable lands in Tex
Tennessee, Mississippi and Arkansas
rdcncd with taxes, and nm immens,
iount of unsettled accounts, both for, anda
ainst him, and without an inesme. The
ties and accounts which he held IN his
ighLors would have paid all his debts
Il left his family with more than fifty
pusand dollars, but his neighbors wer,
Or, and he would not Cypress them, and
his creditors pressed him for what he
ed, he soon became comparatively poor u
fine illustration of the character of&
deceased, the writer remembers thai s.
en- Mr.. Miller's creditors were pressingf Is
n. and he had put large amount ots
inns in LAWYERS hands, who WAS rap b
Y collecting them and applying them Ia Slv
debts, the following case occurred: \ ::
IN had sold deceased large amount of
ton during the war, to be delivered in a
: weeks, and had been paid therefor, in Elm
vance, but before delivery. Cotton rose, s1S
the man went to another place with thes N
ton. and sold it to another party, bud
yer returned the deceased his money
e attorney had sued on this claim and@z ID
or some trouble, had, by an attachment, w.
urrd -, hold on uropertv sufficient to payE4Ol
debt and when the man found lac w0uldssso
We to pay it, he came to deceased andF
4: "Nr. Miller. I have acted the dog. u