Daily tobacco leaf-chronicle. (Clarksville, Tenn.) 1890-1895, 1891-03-30
LOOKING BACKWARD.
The DR.. Mary Walker Esoapade Twenty
Six Years Ago.

y
who remember DIR. Mary f. Walker,
who figured coHspicuously here
abouts as a Federal surgeon in
1865.
She was in GAINESVILLE just twenty
six years ago yesterday, and her ac-
lions at the Easter services at Trinity
church furnished food for gossip5 and
Federal newspaper correspondents
for many days.
1t is the custom Of the Protestant
Episcopal Church to decorate the al
tar with flowers on Easter Sunday,
and in obedience to that time.hon-
ored custom the font of Trinity
church was decorated that day. 1t
contained the spiria and the Lily Of
the Valley, emblematical of our
Savior's purity; and red geraniums,
embelmatical of His blood, by which
the world is purified from sin. There
were other flowers, different colors,
and yet the white and the red pre-
dominated. There was large crowd
present, and after the services had
begun, DR.. Mary Walker and
friend or two walked into the church
and took a seat Immediately in front
of the chancel. Abe Lincoln had
been recently assassinated, and DR..
Walker was very much hurt, SEEM
ingly, over the tragedy. When she
saw the white and red flowers, she
caught the idea that they were put
there to represent the rebel cOlors
She was, therefore, very indignant
She has been described as wearing
cavalry boots on her little feet, and as
having pistols buckled around her
Maude Granger waist, shooting de.
fiant squints from her hazel eyes at
the pastor, DR.. Ringgold. She carried
tiny federal flag in her hand, and
when the congregation rose to sing
she deity placed it in the font be-
side lily. The pastor could not stand
mixing religion with politics and
snatched the flag from the font and
threw it to the floor. DR.. Walker, in
retaliation, jerked bunch of gera-
NUNS and lilies that were pinned
together from the font, and threw
them down at her feet. The sensa-
ton had reached its height and the
congregation as a consequence was
very much wrought up by the es-
capade. The people were justly in
dignant. They had met to worship
God and this intrusion on the part OF
a creature wishing to gain notoriety
by insulting a Southern audience AT
a time when the lines were 50 strong
| ly drawn between the two sections
was enough to make their blood boil,
Those who attended the services that
day, and are yet in the land of the
living, have a faint recollection OF
several rounds Of Kisses from an in
suited Christian people as they wit
messed the brazen elfrontery of the
woman.
AT the close Of the services DIR.
Ringgoll went to the commandment
and preferred charges against DR.
! Walker for raising a disturbance in
the church. His arraignment had no
effect, however, for Mrs. Walker
was on hand at the evening service
with much larger Federal flag. II
was at half-mast and heavily draped
in mourning. She took the same
seat she had occupied at the morning
hour and defiantly placed that flag in
the font with the lilies.
DR.. Ringgold took the flag down,
and from the best information at
hand there was quite a scene be-
tween the Doctor and the pastor.
DR.. Walker AYERS in a letter written
to "The S3rd Illinoisan," a Federal
newspaper published here at the
time, that when the last plate was re-
turned DR., Ringgold took the flag
and laid it down on the plate and
was just in the act of putting a cross
Of flowers on it when she OWNED
his intention not only to lay the
"sacred flag down, but to cover It'll
up She stepped to its rescue;