The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1900-09-03
Distinguished Texan Is the
Guest of Friends of His
Boyhood Days
A NATIVE OF TENNESSEE
From a Lad on Mountain Side Farm
He Has Advanced Through
Life Sharing Honors That
Come to but
Few.

| knoxviile, Tenn, August S.-tSpecial. y
After an absence of sixtytwo years from
the scenes of his boyhood. Judge John
| III. Reagan. of Palestine, Tex, has been
spending the past week in Sewer county.
near this city. at the foot of the great
| Smokes. Not for years has an event
| taken place In this section that has been
| of as great interest to the sturdy noun
| taineers as the coming home of the dis
| tinguished American. lie left Tonnes
see at the age of twenty with $40 as his
only possession except a suit of home
| spun jeans on his back and the energy
and ambition such as has made presi-
| dents, statesmen and millionaires of poor
boys of obscure birth: and he comes
home after having served the state OF
| his adoption as a captain of the militia,
| a Judge, a Trainer of the constitution,
| legislator congressman, United States
senator, railroad commissioner. and has
| tho distinguished honor of being the only
| living member of the confederate cabinet.
| having been postmaster general under
President Jefferson Davis.
The coming back to Tennessee of Judge
Reagan to view the scenes of his boy
hood is an event In which the entire
southland feels an interest. He is the
surviving member of the old school of
statesmen on which the management of
the southern confederacy depended, and
| every son of the south naturally watches
his every movement Speaking of his
visit here, Judge Reagan said:
II have lived eighty-two years and
have seen my beloved state, Texas, grow
TO be one of power and Importance. |
| have lived to see the south taking first
/ rank in commerce and industry and the
entire union again united. | can now
come back happily TO the mountains or
my former home and see the hills ana
mountains where l made my first money
/ as an adopted boy. l find 1t a metropolis
/ compared with the conditions of sixty
| two years ago. | will go back to Texas,
retire from. active life by resigning as
/ chairman of the Texas railroad commits
/ sion, and spend the remainder OF my
days free from the turmoil of public
life by writing book of personal and
/ political memoirs. This viii be my last
4 public act | will be back I'm Texas by
/ September 10th at the latest"
Since Judge Reagan reached Knoxville
/ August eth, accompanied by Mrs. Rea-
/ gan, he has met old friends and school
/ mates of his boyhood days. lie has re-
newed his friendship with Mrs. W. q.
/ Brownlow, widow of the late "ParSon
Brownlow," the noted Tennessee governor
and United States senator lie has locat-
ed the graves Of HIS parent. in SEWER
county and will erect a handsome me-
mortal to them. He has located many
points of interest. He has been the guest
/ OF his cousin, r. r. Reagan, who Is his
/ nearest living relative In the Reagan
4 family He has found the Reagan fam
lily scattered throughout the mountains
4 of east Tennessee and every member
/ thereof urosperous and weH-to-do The
+ political career OF the distinguished Wis
I itor is well known to every student or
! the history OF the south. But the return
/ to his native heath has recalled many
/ "reminiscences of the early life or the
1 distinguished visitor that are interesting.
/ 1t is told OF him that the first time
/ his self-confidence was put to a test was
when sixteen years of age, when he was
/ entrusted with cargo of goods to be
I taken to Tuscumbia, Ala. He made the
\ trip successfully and was paid hand
I some sum for his services by John Rea-
/ gan, a wealthy farmer for whom he did
/ the work. When he returned from this
! mission he found that his benefactor.
/ John Franklin, with whom ne had been
/ living, had died. He went TO the home
| of Mr.. Brabson and there worked for his
| board until he COMPLETED his education.
At Sevierville IS handsome steel
! bridge that has been christened Reagan 3
! bridge In honor of the judge When he
was a boy It was his lot to cut fire
wood on Saturdays for the Brabson fam
/ lily, and one day he felled large tree
far out into the river. men tne new
| bridge was erected five years ago the
/ trunk of the old tree was still there and
/ the bridge was named for the man who
4 felled the trunk. When Senator Reagan
was twenty years old the incident that
/ shaped his career occurred. He had been
1 in charge of a large mill for John Brab-
| son for two years when one day the
/ bully OF the neighborhood was striking
a small boy In his presence. The young
miller interposed and hard fight was
the result. The bully was left senseless
and the young miller left for the south.
| Before he left he babe the Brabson fam
| lily goodby and to Reese Brabson, youth
| In the family, he said:
81 will meet you In congress"
| The men met in the halls OF congress
| in 1859 Brabson being sent from the
third district of Tennessee.
| The political career OF Judge Reagan
| is well known. He landed In Texas a
law student In 1914. He was judge of the
probate court and captain of the militia
| I'm 1876; was a legislator in 1S47; judge Of
| the district court in 1852; congressman in
| 1856; member of the constitutional con-
vention in 1860; postmaster general for
the confederacy In 1861; secretary of the
treasury interim of the confederacy in
1866; prisoner of war with President Da-