The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1896-09-27
In Days of Adversely it Was a
Great Comfort.
OFTEN PLAYED AT DANCES
81 Dreamt I Dwell in Marble
Halls" His Favorite.
FlDDLING AND VOTE GETTING
The Populist Candidate For Vice-Pres-
ident Even Now Delights to Join
His Children in Music
Making.


Making.
Few people are aware that in his own
county Tomas e. Watson as a wide
spread reputation as fiddler. lie has
played the violin ever since his Oldest
friends can remember. Even when he
first came to Thomson Pennies
Young man that old well loved fiddle
came with him. And when he was strug-
Cling young lawyer he would appeal
to that old violin, and as he drew the
bow across the strings the instrument
seemed to speak to him of home and
old acquaintances and of better days.
Nor has he forsaken the instrument
since entering the political field. His
children have inherited a talent for
music from him. His daughter per-
forms we'll on the piano, while his son
PLAYS the bass violin and guitar. And
when the evening shades are falling he
loves to gather with mis- family in the
parlor and take his lifetime friend
from its case and play the old familiar
airs to the accompaniment OF his chill
dren on their instruments.
Mr.. Watson is loved by all the young
people of Thomson. His ready smile
makes them feel at home when in his
house, and he in turn is fond of them.
Even now, during the busiest cam
paign of his life, he is ever willing to
Law aside his correspondence and the
preparation of his political speeches in
order to accompany on the violin the
young people of his city, who love to
bring their instruments to his home.
e Ix-haF4 he
more frivolous than he is now. he used
TO play at parties and dances. On such
occasions he was in great demand, and
many a rural beauty has tripped the
light fantastic 10 the sound of Tom
Watson's famous fiddle. Imagine if
YOU can the Populist candidate for the
Vice-Presideney of the United States
standing at the end of a hall in coun-
try house, saving away at an old-fash-
ioned breakdown, keeping time on the
floor with his foot and calling the
numbers in stentorian voice, while
the rustic lads and lassies swing
around the room, and you have Tom
Watson as he appeared fifteen years
ago.
In his younger days he was fond of
serenading, and almost any night after
the good country folks of Thomson
had retired to rest Tom could be seen
standing under the window of some
country belle playing such tunes as
ssThen You'll Remember Me-" or Come
Into the Garden. Maud" On these mid
night serenades he generally went
alone. but sometimes he was accom-
panied by one or two young men, who
would play and sing, but he himself
never sang. His talents took another
course.
In the present campaign Mr.. Wat
sons fiddle will not accompany him
on his tour of speech-making In let
ter to the writer he announces that
'snhe catgut platform will hardly do
for national campaign" But wheth-
er he takes the instrument with him
or not there is no denying the fact
that the violin has helped to make him
popular in his home and has assisted
other men to honor and wealth. The
story of Ex-Governor Bob Taylor is
still fresh. He fiddled his way into the
Gubernatorial chair of Tennessee, and
stepped from the strings of his violin
to fame and ortune.
While he is stumpting the country
suppose Mr.Watson should favor nus
audiences with few selections like L
Dreamt I Dwe1t in Marble Halls" Peo-
pie would go wild and his name would
he shouted from one end of the country
TO another. And then after the cleo
tion. when he finds that his hopes have
not been realized, he could retire to
some dense forest in the neighborhood
of Thomson and cheer his soul with
that old familiar air, The Old Red
Hills of Georgia" While it is not gem
orally known that Mr.. Watson is
violinist, yet it will be no surprise TO
those who are acquainted with him.
Born in a land that is full of harmony,
out in the open air, surveying the beau
ties of nature until he was man, 1t is
no wonder that same of the music In
stilled into his being should seek an
outlet through that sweetest of all in
struments-the violin.
The violin is an instrument which
appeals to the better part OF man. It's
low. sweet tones and high shrub
notes, when played by master Land,
will stir our souls to thought and ae-
ton. Even the brute creation of the
earth seems to be affected more by the
violin than any other musical 1nstru-
ment. Beasts will crouch and listen,
and some will even become perfectly
docile when they are under the influ-
ence of its magic spells.
And if the Hon. Tomas e. Watson
could be induced to take his fiddle with
him on the stump he would be able
with that master hand which he has
acquired, to make men forget them
selves at the polls. And then he could
hang sign on his Washington resi-
dence which would inform the passers-
by that there lived ''Tom Watson, Fid-
der"