The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1882-06-29
The Late s. w. Dale.

4 &
In the recent address of the Rtess
ident of the Press GonveIation q
Natchez, / see that he briefly but
touchingly speaks Of the de- hsDi
the lamented and venerable -. w.
Dale, Of Monticello. / have thought
that a few additional words in refer
ence to him might be Of interest to
your readers, some of whom have
known him long and well.
AS a teacher, printer and editor,
preacher, ,lawA er and Mason, he was
Que of the oldest IN the State, and
III each of these important callings
he discharged his duty faithfully
according to the. ability given him
but he sought not the high places
of earth, and the trump of fame new.
er sounded forth his name. / learn.
ed that he first saw the light in the
then territory of Illinois, about the
year 1914, and he had, therefore, at
the time of his death, nearly veach-
ed the age Of seventy years. He
came to the South when a youth and
taught school for some years in this
State and Louisiana, varying this
occupation by setting type in differ
ent country offices. He brought te
the far South many qualities wei
calculated at that early day to pop
ularize him with the people, but hs
cared little for popularity. He was
a religious man, but had about hin
none of the rigid morality of the
puritan. A man of peace, he was
ready on all appropriate occasions
for fight; temperate man, b.
was by'no means a teetotaller, ant
he did not consider it antagonistit
to his religion or his politics to now
and then, and sometimes oftener
/ join his friends in beaded bumper
of old bourbon.
He soon turned his attention tx
theology and law. He did MOI
preach regularly, but was ever ready
to respond cheerfully and gratui-
tously to every draft made upon his
sacred functions. To preach, tt
visit the sick, to comfort the afflict
ed, to marry the young, to cheer the
gloom of age, to bury the dead, he
was ever ready. Neither did he ev
er practice law regularly. He had
no law books and no office; his cases
were few and of the sporadic type
yet if any poor man or woman was
unable to fee lawyer they were
sure of favorable response from
him, and whatever law knowl
edge he had stored away on the
shelves Of his memory was freely a,
their service. He kept no fee book
but accepted whatever his clients
were able and willing to give; con.
sequently he had but few clients
as many people used to think 6
cheap lawyer was not a good law
yer, yet in fact Dale knew more Law
than some who got more pay.
Though not man of brilliant in
tellcct, he had large store of gen
eral information and much intellec-
tual versatility. He was for man,
years a Justice Of the Peace, and a
one time he held that Office and also
the Office OF postmaster, county
school superintendent, and at tn,
same time; without assistance, edi-
tied and printed the Advocate, at
tended to several stray law cases
and every Sunday preached two
hours sermon in country church
and at night he had to watch will
an invalid wife and take care of fiv.
infant children.
In 1856 he established at Viii
llamsburg the Monitor newspaper
The following year he was fount
setting type in the Southern Journa
office at Monticello, then owned anC
edited by the gifted F. T. Cooper
| will relate little incident occur
ring then illustrative of his temper
ament and character. He was ap-
parently very amiable man ant
his rugged face was almost Away
frightened by genial smiles, the ia
diant evidence of good nature; bu
he really possessed a quick tempe
and plenty of courage, physical a.
well as moral, and when he passed
the line OF endurance he would ex-
hlbit the fierceness of the tiger il
his Jungle. He was man of grea
strength. He could strike like =.
prize fighter. There lived in thu
village physician of large practice
and well deserved celebrity in hi.
profession. He was a proud man
elegant i'll his attire, of aristocrati
cal bearing and considerable wealth
He was fighting man and SO domi
neering in bis course that he hat
acquired the reputation of bull,
and was generally feared. The doc
tor, for some cause, had taken Of
fence at Dale and sought him, cane
in hand at the printing office. III
found him with shirt sleeves rolled
above the elbows, busily setting
type. He menacingly accosted him
saying: "Sir, have come here tt
call you to account, and / intend tc
chastize YOU" All the teachings
of Christ were forgotten. The tiger
in his jungle was aroused "The
devil you dor exclaimed Dale, in a
voice Of thunder, as he whIled round
from his case; then, sir, | will put
you out of doors,'' and suiting the
action to the words, he seized his
+. astonishcd antagonist and thrust
him violently out on the pavement
The doctor walked away, and said
afterwards that he sswould never
again attack mad bull in print.
ing Office"
In 1870 he invented and made q
curious printing press, original and
unique in design and structure.
With this press he established him
self and family in the old female
seminary buildings AMI commenced
the publication of the Monticello
Advocate, a curiosity in the newspa-
per world, both in it's mechanical and
literary make up. There he contin-
ucd to have his office and residence
up to the terrible tornado that ter
minated his career and obliterated
the Advocate. He did not in fact
own the house, though he had lived
there for years and called it his own,
and in the absence of all other legal
claimants everybody finally conced-