The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-08-08
TOLD BY JUDGE HARRIS.

army OF friends 1t has won by us POSITIVE
| medicinal merit
TOLD BY JUDGE HARRIS.
Judge Sampson W. Harris, OF the Coweta
| circuit, who is In the city attending the
| judges convention. told an interesting story
| to party Of friends in the corridors of the
| Kimball house yesterday evening Judge
| Harris WAS reared neav Montgomery, Ala.
and it ia the days of his youth that this
| story commenced, and subsequent years add
| ed more interest to It's development.
It was away before the war when Judge
| Harris's father. whose name was also
| Sampson w. Harris, owned fine farm near
| Montgomery, and the old antc-bellum resi-
| dencc was one of the best In the country. 1t
| was here that Judge Stamps Harris, as
| he Is Familiarity called, spent his boyhood
| days. Near this old home lived Il poor man
| who delved hard from day to day for the
scanty food that kept soul and body together.
! Mr. Williams had several children, the oldest
| of whom was named Tom. Tom was a very
| bright boy, but as his father was poor his
| chances for education were limited. The
| boys poverty did not discourage him. though,
and be put in his long idle moments at
| study At length he concluded that he
| wanted to go to college and he commenced
| casting around for some friend who would
| loan him the money. He called on Judge
Halris's father and his earnest and honest
talk the admiration OF the old gentle
| man and he loaned young Williams the nec-
essary money Tom Williams went to the
| University of Georgia and put in every spare
| moment to his study and he soon went
| through and went back home. His education
was all Tom Williams had and he owed for
that, but he did not owe for 1t long
Very soon after Tom Wliams's return from
college he met Miss Rebecca Judkins, the
only daughter of Captain Judkins, who was
| one of the richest men In south Alabama.
| He owned more slaves than any man IN the
| state. and his landed possessions were i'm
mense Tom Williams, In the meantime, had
been admitted to the bar and began the
practice of his chosen profession. He made
a few visits to Miss Judkins, but later the
father Informed his daughter that she must
no longer allow young Williams 10 visit her,
for he poor and he could not think
of agreeing to match between them. Miss
Rebecca heard her fathers request, but she
did not heed it. Tom Williams however,
discontinued his visits to the fine Judkns
| mansion, but now and then he and the young
lady met at neighbors' houses and soon an
agreement was made TO marry. Tom Williams
would not marry the girl till he made known
| their Intentions to the father who created
Il scene. In his wrath he told his daughter
| that he would disinherit her if she married
| that poor chap, but this did not change the
| girl bit
| brilliant Splendor a small urchin entered the
| elegant JudkinS mansion about 10 O'Clock,
| bearing short note to Miss Rebecca. The
| parents had gone to bed. The note read:
Meet me behind the garden in one hour.
| Tom"
Rebecca was dressed In her "every-day,"
| plain dress and put her large sunbonnet
| and went to the place designated in the
| note. In few moments Tom Williams came
| up alone, and after few words were said
| Tom and Rebecca ran, hand in hand, down
| the cotton rows to the Atlanta and Mont
| gomery railroad and then counted the cross
| ties to little station three miles away.
| They just reached the station in time to
| catch the night express from Montgomery
| and in very short time they landed at West
| Point Ga, where they were married by the
| light of the moon. The happy Tom and Re
| landed the next day at noon, and immediate,
| " went to the humble cottage of Tom
WiliamS'S father.
| Tom Williams was a hustler. The next day
| after his arrival at home he
bought thirty acres of land, and
| he would practice law all day In town
and at night he built snug little cottage in
less than two months. Tom, in the mean
| time, had been elected justice of the peace
and the salary of his Office and his law prac-
| tice kept him and Becky up very well. The
| young wife had been raised in atiuence-had
| never worked day in her life but she soon
| Tom Williams made money, as the saying is,
| hand over fist" He was one of the
strongest democrats in the town. He work
| ed hard for his party and he had an abiding
faith in its success.
1t was in the presidential race Of 1856 that
| Tom took the greatest interest He said
| from the start that Buchanan would win and
| he backed his judgment with some of his hard
earnings. In this Tom Williams, who
| had already accumulated several thousand
dollars added twenty-five to thirty thousand
dollars. When the election was over Tom
Williams built an elegant mansion. This was
five years after his marriage He nor his
loving wife had ever visited or spoken to
Rebccca's parents. One day negro arrived
from the Judkins home. bearing a note
from the captain to Mr.. and Mrs. Tom Viii
liams, i'll which he begged pardon for his
former conduct and cordially invited a visit
from them Immediately. Tom consulted with
his wife, and it WAS agreed that the wife, who
was then the mother of two beautiful CHS
dren, should make the visit alone as ION
very busy In court. so Tom had his
fine carriage brought out and the wife and the
two little children went to the Judkns home
The meeting between father and mother,
daughter who had been apart so
long cannot be described. but after
the weeks visit Mrs. Williams went home
and along with her were fifty Of her fathers
choicest negroes, which were a gift to Tom
Williams. The Old parental love which had
been hid for long time returned Tom
Williams still continued to prosper not only
in this worlds goods, but in everything. He
became one of the foremost lawyers OF his
section and later was called on to be the
standard bearer of the democracy of his dis
trict for congress- He Overwhelmingly
elected and served his people and state four
terms. Such prominent Georgians as Judge
buchanan. Henry Persons. IL. r. Harris.
Judge Crisp, J. H. Blount. n. j. Hammond
and host of others know Tom Williams to
love him.