The age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1897-1902, 1899-02-01
IN HOTEL LOBBIES
AND ELSEWHERE

In view of the approaching constitutional
convention Of Alabama, there has been a
great deal of discussion regarding the
| states secession convention, which met in
| Montgomery almost exactly thirty-e eight
| years ago. Much has been said in the Ala
Dama newspapers and the public journals
of other states about the surviving menu
bers of that memorable convention. DR..
John p. Rails of Gadsden .writes-to paper
published in another state to this effect:
I'm your issue of January IA you state
that only Ave members of the Alabama Sc
| session convention are now living, and you
give four names-senator Morgan Mr..
Clark, of Mobile; Judge Coleman of Biz
mingham, and ]. w. Inzer OF st. Clair.
You may add two more, DR.. Ketchum, of
Mobile he was living a short time since
and DR.. John p. Rails, delegate from Cher
ohee, who is certainly alive at this writing
with fair prospect of witnessing the close
of the present century and perhaps fey
years of the next as 1 am only IT,
"There are Others" the phrase goes.
DR.. Rails is not complete in his honored
roster. General Michael L. Bulger, Of Tai
lapoosa, now 90 years young, and the hero
of the Mexican and civll wars was a dee
| gate to the secession convention. General
Bulger, under the law of the United States,
| is entitled to a pension as a Mexican vet
1 eran, but not only has he refused to apply
for such pension but its being offered
to him he actually declined it, General
| Bulger stalwart and brave, on the verge
/ of a century Of this life, spends most of the
| evening of his wonderful life it'll his daugh-
ter, in Jacksons Gap, Tallapoosa, and
| looks calmly upon passing events. He en-
| tertains sovereign contempt for the Amer
| lean war with Spain real war; for, as
| brigadier general in the confederate army
! in the war between the states, he has seen
| more killed in one battle than were killed
| and wounded in the whole course of the
| Hispano-America war. A right noble old
man is General Bulger, the real grand Old
man of Alabama.
| Another man now living who was a dele
| gate to the secession convention is Nick
Johnson, who represented Shelby county
| and who now resides in Birmingham. Yet
another is Henry c. Jones, of Lauderdale.
| Judge A. A. Coleman talked pleasantly
| yesterday of the famous convention. The
venerable and beloved judge, who now pre-
| sides over the Birmingham circuit, was a
circuit judge forty years ago, when he was
still quite young man. He also served as
! judge during the war between the states
and resolutely refused to accept his salary,
declaring that Alabama needed ready mon
ey and he didn't. One of the most beautiful
facts and one of the most just in the range
of Alabama politics the recent re-elec-
| ton of Judge Coleman to the bench. 1t is
the poetic fulflment of the honored career
of southern gentleman of the old school.
Criminal week in the circuit court of
| Bibb, for example, was rather stormy de-
declared the judge yesterday after
| noon, referring to old times. "An
the county were gathered into Centervile
and things were wild enough in those days.
| One day 1 was forced to commit seventeen
men to Jail for riotous drunkenness. They
| got drunk in a little groggery in front Of
the court house; and the trouble became so
| serious that L sent for the proprietor of
| the offending saloon. 1 informed him that
| l had been compelled to imprison seventeen
men who had got drunk in his shop. The
| next man l send to prison will be yourself"
| declared the judge with great dignity. "If
| any other witness comes into this court
| drunk 1 shall send you to Jail and put the
sheriff in charge of your place." THAT had
the desired effect" continued the judge.
after that no man attending the court
| could get more than two drinks a day."
Labor is very much in demand in Au-
tauga," said Former Probate Judge w. f.
| Wikerson, of Prattvle Much cotton re-
mains ungathered in the fields, but the ne
| groes take no interest in it. They feel that
they have got out of it all that they can
| expect and so they refuse to work on the
old crop any longer. Four-cent cotton has
broken the spirit of the laborers, and 1
fear they will be slow in going to work to
raise new crops"
Judge Wilkerson who is one Of the best
and truest democrats of the state, is spend
ing two or three days in the city private
business He has. great number of friends
throughout the state who constantly wish
him well.
Major Grove, of Sheffield, is in the city.
Forty years ago he was a young lawyer in
Perry county. Judge A. A. Coleman was
on the bench in the court house of that
county one day when young Grove entered
the court room with his hat on his head.
Mr.. Sheriff, remove that young mans hat
and teach him the good manners of the
courtI' ordered the judge. Young Grove
quickly removed his hat, and having prop
ery blushed sat quietly he could.
From that day to yesterday Major Grove
had not seen Judge Coleman. On yester-
day he entered the circuit court room in
Jefferson county's big court house with his
hat under his arm. He had not thought of
the personality of the judge, but look
ing up at the bench he discovered his judic-
ial censor of forty years before.
Former State Senator W. I. Bullock, of
Franklin, for many years a member of
the state democratic executive committee,
was in town yesterday en- route from
Montgomery to his home in Russelville.
Mr.. Bullock is a candidate for delegate to