Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1901-04-27

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he left Lockport for that metropolis of
the South, New Orleans. He found on
reaching there that he had chosen an
unpropitious season for a change of
homes, as yellow fever, that dreadful
scourge of the Southern border, was
then raging in New Orleans, Indeed,
he had a slight attack of the fever on
board the diseose.smitten steamer on
which he Travelled southwark.
New Orleans, with her usual hospi-
tality toward strangers, opened up a
ready and profitable employment to
the young printer; but in the spring
following his arrival there he was Of
fered a situation in jackson, Miss, the
thriving young capital of the proud
commonwealth, and with his usual dis
cernment young Power saw that the
tide in the affairs of men, which must
be taken at the flood, had set in in his
case, SO he promptly accepted position
with the True Witness" of which
Frank NJ Gailor, father of the present
bishop Of Tennessee, was foreman.
Mr.. Gailor and one other of the en-
ployes Of the True Witness were the
acquaintances young Power had in the
State for some time. As his name is
familiar as a household word to the
people of Mississippi now, we see that
his circle of acquaintance has expanded
considerably.
In 1851 Mr.. Power was married to
Miss Jane Wilkinson, of Jackson, and
returned shortly afterward to New Or
leans to take charge of the True Wit
ness" which had been removed to that
city, The paper was the synodical or
gan Of the Presbyterian Church of Mis-
sssippi and Louisiana, and was pub
lished by Rev. Richmond McInnis, a
Presbyterian divine of considerable
note.
After year or two in New Orleans,
Mr., Power again returned to jackson,
first as business manager Of 1.-The
Baptist" published there, and later of
1.-THE Mississippian,' of which Major
Barksdale was publisher.
In January, 1860, he opened up a
printing office Of his own, publishing
and editing small morning paper
called "The jackson Daily News" 1t
advocated the election of the Bell
and Everett" ticket, and was so sue
cessful that in a short while it was
enlarged and changed to a tri-weeIlly
journal,
When the war broke out Mr.. Power,
every drop of whose warm Irish blood
beat for the South, enlisted in the First
Regiment, Mississippi Light Artillery,
c. S. A., in the capacity of private,
though he was soon afterward raised,
first to the seargeants and afterward
to adjutant's position. lie served
through the long siege of Vicksburg,
and among his historical treasures the
cbiefest, perhaps, is a daily journal he
kept through all the vicissitudes of that
trying season. The fact that it is to be
published soon gives great satisfaction,
not to the veterans of Mississippi alone,
but to all who love to read stories of
heroism and sacrifice that stir the
blood of the old and thrill the blood of
the young. The fall of Vicksburg de-
stroyed the regimental organization TO
which Mr.. Power belonged.
After the surrender and parole of the
brave defenders of Vicksburg he re-
turned to jackson, and as the terms of
exchange were not arranged for nearly
year, remained there quietly during
that time. In the meantime the Con-
federate Congress passed an act Great
ing the office of superintendent of army
records for each State, with the rank,
pay and privileges of colonel" and
Col Power received in that way the
title which has chung to him still, and
which is used almost affectionately by
the people of the State in speaking of
him.
The winter of 1s64-65 was spent by
Col. Power in the camps of the three
Mississippi brigades in Virginia, and he
was in Richmond when the city fell on
that fatal day-April 2, 1865. On his re-
turn to Mississippi, he was like many
another returned Confederate, for many
months without employment; but when,
in the summer of 1865, Judge William
L. Sharkey was appointed provisional
governor, and called convention, Col.
Power was elected secretary of the
same over three formidable competi.
tors. His earnings from this served to
tide him over this crisis in his business
life, as with them, he formed partner,
ship with Messrs. F. T. CooE err and b. i.
Jones and started a newspaper in Jack
son called the Mississippi Standard, y
afterward merged into the Clarion, i
and becoming the official journal of the
State.
AT the beginning of the military re-
construction period, however, mill
tary order transferred the State print
ing from the Clarion to a journal
more truly loyal" to the party in
power. After the revolution of 1875,
when home rule was established, Col.
Power and a man who had been his
business associate for twenty years,
Hon. Ethelbert Barksdale. were elected