The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1899-12-17
LIFE OF CAPTAIN
JNQ. A. WILLIAMS
His Death a Great Loss to
the State.
THE FRIEND OF RANSOM
A STRONG MAN IN PEACE AMI
IN WAR.
GIFTED, GENEROUS, WISE, DISCREET.
His Extensive Knowledge of PeIitics and Poll
ticians. A Delightful Raconteur, Wise
Counselor, Fluent and Logical
Speaker, WithaI True
-. ctocl

as Steel,
To the Editor: l am unwilling 70 let
the occasion Of the death Of Capt Jno.
~ Williams pass without giving ex-
preston to my views of the loss which
the State has sustained therein.
Capt. Williams had long been identified
with Oxford 1T was he who welcomed
all visitors 10 her gates, and it vas
his ready wit and strong memory that
added TO their pleasure. He was the
Intimate friend of General NJ w Ram
sem in whose brigade he served during
the Civil War. and whose confidence he
had. General Ransom said TO Williams
on the eve Of the battle of Plymouth
that he would capture Plymouth or die
in the effort. History records how we'll
he kept his promise.
CAPT. Williams was brave aud he
roic man. Peace was his choice. but
ie DID not run from danger After his
mind was fully made up he would set
his face like flint and determination
spoke fron his firmly set mouth And
yet he was IN every sense of the word
q gentleman.
Jno. A Williams was a law student
under Judge Pearson, aud had as his
class mates that eminent lawyer. Chas.
Price. and other noteworthy men, He
was favorite OF Jedge Pearson and
of the class. He had little difficulty in
mastering the niceties of the law and
although he had not practised law in Il
third of century. he was well posted
III its first principles 10 the day of his
DEATH
After leaving the law school he set
tied in Oxford and soon after married
Miss Hettie Grandy, a daughter of
Titus Grandy. His loving young wife.
after some years of suffering. left h'
disconsolate man. He was ever true
to her memory and never failed to make
hehdcmadal visits TO her fathers home in
Oxford years and years after her dcafi.
Desiring quicker success than the bar
usually affords he began the mercantile
business in Oxford. and this was sue
cessfully conducted for many years under
the name of Cooper & Williams ~
merchant his weights and measures were
always true. He WAS q very
painstaking man, and like the man who
has no typewriter he wrote round
smooth hand. Such young men as be-
gan life in his store thank him 10 this
day for the methods of promptness and
accuracy that he inculcated
As a merchant he made yearly trips
to New York and rarely failed to at
tend the conventions of the Democratic.
party. He thus came to have much
knowledge of Horatio Seymour and other
famous men. His mind was store
house of quotations. THE irrepressible
conflict of Seward and his little
bell Mr.. Greeley's Let the erring
sisters go in peace and a thousand
other such things, that the youth Of fo-
day know not of, ] fear, he knew and
knew well. He thought that Henry w.
Miller was the most imprisoned orator
that he had heard. / dare say that he
could give you word for word the ut
ferance of almost any great North Caro-
hnian in every emergency of the Re
public. He could tell you just how Gov
ernor Graham spoke Of the deeds
of the Ku-Klux "as a wild
species of Justice He could re-
produce his great joke at the Salisbury
Peace convention, when he said thit the
fellow in the crowd, in an evident state
of inebriety, replied to General Kos
suth's remark that WAR was a little
claiming. swell, General, He'll amt got
but four
Such was this thoughtful, discreet.
open-handed mamie who spent him-
self for others and who took no account
OF self.
Capt. john as he was Familiarity
called, was universal fayorite. He
could not only adapt himself 10 any
company. but he could do more-he could
entertain any company. We felt per-
fectly safe when he was with us. no
matter how great the parsonage to be
received. He had the wonderful gift
OF reproducing stirring scenes from the
past, and he would leave out none Of
the details. Not that he ever degen-
Grated into the mimic-far from 1.-THE
was much too dignified for this But
when he had done describing the Hon.
Abram w. Venable's speech agreeing
to "wipe up all the blood split i'll the
war with his white silk pocket handker-
chief" there was nothing left unsaid
He was a man of reflection, not of
action. He was the best eUlyiser i'm
critical situations that / ever knew.
He knew men and things. But he was
content to simply know them and to
impart this knowledge. He was unset
fish. not self-assertive and was too much
of philosopher TO be much Of an ac-
tor. Ii he had known ard seen less he
would have done more.
Capt. Williams was a fine debater, a
fluent. logical speaker. HIS sentences
had the Websterian swing to them
It's wit was keen and his sense of the
humorous much developed He had
thought much about religion and was
a Baptist in faith But here too. as in
other things, he thought but did not act.
Lie was generous. kind-hcarted and
oren as day to melting charity. He was
fond of children. Money burnt his