The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1898-09-26

been a member of four national Dem
ocratic committees, commencing in 1876
He was appointed consul to Manchester,
England, by President Cleveland dur
ing his first term and declined the place
on account of his business.
COLONEL SEXTON.
Colonel James A. Sexton was born in
Chicago. He enlisted for three months
. in April, 1861. When II years of age,
he re-enlisted i'm the Fifty First Illinois
infantry volunteer regiment. May,
1862, was commissioned first lieutenant
in the Sixty-seventh regiment Illinois
infantry. Was transferred to the
Seventy second Illinois, accepting a
captaincy of a company recruited under
the auspices of the Y. NJ. c. A, which
became ID" company of what was
known as the First Board of Trade
regiment. Was assigned to Ransom's
brigade, McArthur'S division, Seven
tenth army corps, army of the
Tennessee, and participated in all the
campaigns, marches, battles and sieges
of that army. In the fall of 1854 the
regiment was assigned temporarily to
Stricklands brigade, Ruger's division,
Twenty-third army corps of the
Cumberland. On this campaign Gen
eral Schofield commanded the army on
it's retreat from Atlanta to Nashville.
ton commanded this regiment at the
battles of Columbia, Springhill. Frank
lin and Nashville and throughout that
campaign. Colonel Sexton was assigned
to staff duty, being detailed on the
staff of Major General A. ]. Smith as
acting provost marshal, Sixteenth army
corps, and remained on his staff until
August q, 1865. Colonel Sexton then
settled in Lowndes county, Alabama,
haF- n ba Cd r0l2 In
1867 he sold out his interest in the
south and returned to Chicago and
engaged in the foundry business, under
the firm name of ]. A. & T. S. Sexton.
After the Chicago fire in 1871, the firm
name was changed to and known as
Cribben, Sexton & Co. 1t has been
eminently successful During Sections
army service he was wounded four
times and was mentioned in the re-
ports and general orders of his superior
officers several times. Three of his
sons enlisted in the volunteer army for
the present war with Spain. Colonel
Sexton has been a public spirited citi-
zen and always active in every effort
made for the advancement of the city.
He has been a presidential electOr,
trustee of state institutions and is at
present the president of the board of
managers of the Soldiers and Sailors
Home at Quincy, Ills.
In April, 1889, President Harrison
appointed him postmaster at Chicago.
He was continued in the office until he
resigned in January, 1895.
RICHARD WEIGHTMAN.
Richard Weightman, secretary of the
commission, was born in Washington
in 1S45. He joined the confederate
army in 1861, and served continuously
until May 1865. For 20 years he re-
sided in Louisiana; the last Is having
been devoted to journalism in New
Orleans. Since 1891, Mr.. Weightman
has been an editorial writer on the
Washington Post.
About the middle of November last
Mr. Weightman was sent by his paper
to investigate and report upon the
conditions of affairs in Cuba His let
tiers from the island were in exact con-
tradiction of the sensational reports
then current. He reported the Cuban
civil government a mere thing of
buckram and the insurgent armies lit
tie more than marauding bands, with
out cohesion and of no military i'm
pOrtance.