The Canton times. (Canton, Miss.) 1893-1906, 1900-06-22
CONFEDERATE HERO.
Bill Arp Tells of David c. Dodd's
Fidelity and Loyalty.
Young Spy Who Met . Brave Sol
dier's Death - Mrs. Arp Visits
Friends in Rome - The
Negro Question.


through the press. 1t is a monthly
published in Nashville by Capt. S. A.
Cunningham.
This reminds me to say that Sam
Davis is not the only hero of his kind.
William M. Formby writes me from
Lewisville, Ark, that there is in Little
Rock the grave of David c. Dodd, who
when only IS years of age was arrested
near there as a spy and important pa
pers found on his person. Gen. Steel
was in command of that post and Of
fered him pardon if he would disclose
the names of those from whom he got
the information. Like Sam Davis, he
refused, and said he would die first, and
he did die. He wrote letter to his
mother, who then lived in Atlanta, Cass
county, Tex, telling her of his untime-
ly fate. My friend says he has copy
of that letter and has seen the grave
in Little Rock. which some friends
have marked with plain white shaft.
| have written to him to send copy of
the letter to The Veteran and if pos
sible photograph of the marble shaft.
Such loyalty and fidelity must be pre-
served and put on record.
We are all demoralized at our house
and home, for the maternal ancestor
has gone off on trip to Rome and will
stay there, 1 reckon, until l write to
her that Jessie or her little children or
some other member of the family is
sick. Then she will come on the first
train. She has got kindred and friends
over there, lots of them, and they will
keep her until she goes the grand
rounds, for she lived there 81 years.
She and l were among the pioneers of
the Hill City. In fact, we are the only
living persons who were living in Rome
when we moved there, so years ago.
Just think of it and ponder it. How
surely and stealthily a population
passes away. How insidious is Time,
the unrelenting old rascal. Only so
years, and not a man or woman left
but my wife and l. There were then
about 1900 people in Rome, and now
there are ten times that number. Ev-
cry old settler is dead save Col. T. W.
after l did. Every lawyer, every doc
tor every preacher and teacher, every
merchant and mechanic, is dead. Old
Judge Underwood, J. w. H. Underwood.
Judge Wright, Gen. Black, Alexander,
Sloan, Shorter, DR.. Battey, DR.. Under
wood, all strong and notable men. 1
could write book about each of them.
And then there was Old Jake Herndon
and Big John, the Munchausens of the
town, who were ready to swear that
when they first settled there, away
back in the thirties, the Coosa river
was little spring branch. Old Jake
declared he had seen freshet that rose
to the gum tree on the courthouse hill,
and the thermometer was 240 in the
shade. He always said thermometer
and accented the first syllable. My
little boy had an oldfashioned rubber
ball and showed it to Uncle Jake, and
he remarked that he once had ball
made out of "shore enuff injun-rub-
ber," and it would bounce out of sight,
and one day he bounced it uncommon
hard and it never came down till next
day, and then his little dog grabbed
it and it rebounded and took the dog
up with it and he had never seen the
dog or ball since. Old Jake believed
his own lies. / heard him say once that
when hog-killing time came round he
heated rocks on each side of his mill
pond and threw them in and drove the
hogs through and they came out clean
on the other side. Big John kept the
only saloon in town. A saloon was called
a grocery then, and Big Johns grocery
was a landmark-the loafing place
for he kept a comfortable bench on
each side of the front door. They were
outside on the sidewalk and were gen.
orally occupied. Old Jake Herndon
coGld be found there half the day, and
Big John gave him his whisky free as
an attraction. He was drawing card
and drew the thirsty men like mo-
lasses draws flies. Sometimes 1 won
der where they are now and what they
are doing, for Swedenburg says that |
folks will pursue the same occupations
in the next world that they do in this.
but with greater diligence and to
greater perfection.
My venerable friend. Maj. Aver, lives
on Howard street. the Peachtree of |
Rome. It extends from Broad street
to the bridge. and was thickly settled
IS years ago and is yet, but this is the
only family that lived there 80 years
ago, when he built his house. Think
Of II. All gone within 30 years. Rome
is 80 miles distant from Cartersville,
and the river lands are all occupied by
farmers, but not one of them lived