The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-11-24

miles from town, was wealthy and influential planter by the name or sam uel Cowin, who had takekn an active part in the war, and had lost gallant | son in Virginia, but whose two youngest | boys had returned safe from the army These had inherited all the cnaraGterfis- | tic bravery and impetuosity of their Ia | ther, together with his impiacaDie aver sion to all who wore the blue.
 On a certain Saturday these two young men decided to spend the day in the city Now the first stock of green groceries, | with various canned goods, ever opened up after the war, was then fresn ana new upon the shelves of store midway of business block on the main street ! of the city, and was owned by capt: Horatio Wiley. The Captain was absent on that eventful day. He tells me now assortment of mercnandise that he ever saw afterwards. was tow sack con taining a few cans of sardines and sal mon that an honest old negro saved out of the wreck, and brought to him on his return, a few days after the occurrence.
 It happened in this wise: The Cowin brothers were in the store enjoying delicious watermelon. using the counter as a table. Two Yankee soldiers came In together. One remarked, II will take this for my share" and, suiting the ac- tion to the word, caught up one-half or l the melon with the intention Of appro- priating it to himself. -s
 The elder Cowin demonstrated in rath- | CT vigorous language, for which ne re- celVeQ a pl0W that knOCheu mn uoW h As he staggered from the floor he began to draw his pistol Seeing this. the sol dier ran from the store. and reached the | sidewalk before the fatal bullet struck l him. He fell in the middle of the street. l At the same time, Tom Cowin, the young CT brother, fired at the other soldier and wounded him in the arm. The oiuer brother made good his escape by running through my fathers store to the rear or 1t, where one of the fieetest horses In the country was standing. He mounted this, and succeeded In eiuding all pur- suers The younger brother made no ro,sr e1- ed. A seetning, surgng mob Of mad dened men rushed into the store where the afiray occurred. and wrecked the en- tire establishment, appropriating every, thing that could be carried away ana setting fire to the building three distinct times. Fortunately, each effort at burn | Ing was frustrated by some more sym pathizing hand, Runners were despatch | ed to search eVery house In town for fre- arms, so as to have the people defence less against the high handed measures about to be instituted by the mob Of SOL | diers-for at this time they were utterly regardless of discipline.
 | Probably the calEfest person in town at that moment was Tom Cowin. Though hauled and pulled about, and handled | roughly by numerous enraged blue coats, he never lost his elf-control, or denied participating in the shooting. lie only claimed not to have done the kill ing. The mob, however, seemed to be | determined to have a victim. and as eacn moment made it less probable that the elder Cowin would be captured, they oe, termined to satiate their thirst for blood by hanging Tom to large signooaro before the Greensboro Hotel.
 By this time the officers in charge had l somewhat gained control of their men. Then occurred the novel sight of regi- ment of United States soldiers drawn up in a hollow square in the main street or the town with one prisoner in the midst. tnxy l coil of rope which he nervously fingered as if eager to begin the gruesome work. On the other hand. the gray-haired father and many deeply-interested friends hung despairingly upon the edge of the crowd. | pleading for mercy. The colonel or the regiment belonged to the Masonic order' and the father of the boy was a Mason. This strong tie was used as an opening wedge. The father was in good circum-
 stances,.F and his money was lavsihIy | scattered among the officers and men. It would be handsomely provided for; that his body would be carried home by com | rade who would also take with him $lOOo in gold to the widow. as an evidence or the sorrow which the father entertained for his unfortunate death; and finally the colonel got down on his knees and begged | that the hanging be postponed until the mother of the yosns Sae sWr was 50 when this last point was reluctantly yielded by the regiment. The mother | was twelve miles distant; the messenger purposely Fingered; the newly. .purchased | advocates of mercy, with well-f1lled pock- cts, worked assiduously among the sol- diers
 Besides, as time passed. their passion | cooled, Night began to come on. and still the mother had1not arrived. What disposition to make of the prisoner for tn night was the burning question. His | friends offered all kinds of security Tor his return to them In the morning if he be allowed to stay in town. but the com mand was obdurate-he must go Wlth them and go alone to their camp In the | cry one thought that he would be mur- dered during the dark 1ess of the night As the order was given to take up the march to the camp. the old father press ed his boy to his bosom and said: My son, fear I may never see you again. but If you have to die, dies like a brave l man." In a steady. quiet voice the son replied: You shall not be ashamed of me
 No one who knew him doubted his cour- age. Some one who heard him then had
 pany when. hurriedly ordered into battle.
 his accoutrements made useless by rain the previous day he put himself at the
 head of the company and joined m 1, the And when a mimic ball plowed US way
 through the outer surface Of the tenn poral bone. he said to the surgeoa who | hastened to dress the wuaind, Perhaps you had better look after that poor fellow
 first; he seems to reed attention more than do," pointing to one wounded near him.
 This is the same Tom Cowin who, as
 manager of the Florence Hotel in Bir-
 mingham. denied Senator Sherman-wno
 was on an eectioneering tour-the privl. lege of inviting negroes to the parlors of
 that house. The Senator said he would lf
 either do t. or go to another hotel- Cowin replied that he preferred his seek ing other apartments and so he dlo.
 Suffice 1t to say, he was not seriously
 molested during that eventful nght III camp. The next day, he was sent to 1 Tuscaloosa and confneth In jail The good people of that grand old place kept him liberally supplied with daintles ocu- quets. and all deieacies.
 Tn a little while he was so popular with the soldiers who had him in charge that | one of them actually resented with a
 blow a reflection upon the prisoner oN one of his comrades. After some months of imprisonment, he was allowed 10 go free. ,,..
 His widow and two fine sons now live in Birmingham: while handsome daugh, ter is happily married to suostantlal | gentleman of Livingston. D. C' C' TGT TAW