The Weekly Tallahasseean., 1901-05-23
THE PAN-AMEHICAN
Exposition and the South'S
Interest in it
GEORGIA & ALABAMA LEAD
l. co,,,.;-,o, DIocoe Of HOudr IN the
In Securing Places of Hondr IN the
Big Shows Managemd int.

l am very mucn gfagllleu III
the interest the Southern States
are taking in the PAM Amerl-
can Exposition. In facf many
southern people are already in
stalled in positions here. AmOng
these is Lieutenant Richmond
Pearson HobsOn of AlaRama In
charge of the exhibit of the
Navy Department in til Gov
ernment Building. Hid won
his spurs when he sunk the
Merrimac in Santiago Harbor:
I happen to have a Il PERSONAL
cognizance of this young mans
fighting ancestry, which cannot
fail to be of interest to lis fel-
low citizens, regardlessI OF the
section from which theV come.
1t shows in a marked degree
the wonderful intlue1ces Of
heredity. His mother Was the
daughter of Chief Justice Pear
son of North CARDINAL Chief
Justice Richmond PfarSOn's
father was Richmond Pearson
of Revolutionary famei In a
quaint book in the LibEary OF
Congress this incident isFelated
by one of the forgotten fhroni-
cles of incident of the ReVOlu-
tionary war. 1t is as foil lows:
"a British Captain was drill
ing a company Of colonist4, when
a tall, and stalwart nah from
what is now Surry county,
North Carolina, was rudfly rep
rimanded for some slight breach
of discipline. Mr.. Peareon did
not like the tone in which he
was addressed. 1t was about
the time many of the cdlonists
were beginningt to think Pf sep
arating themselves frOmt Great
Britain, and Mr.. Pearsdn was
one,o the earlier patriot who
had made up his mind ht the
first opportunity to thIp Ipw off
the yoke Of George the Third.
Instead of obeyiDg his superior
officer he stepped boldly tout of
of the ranks, made an appeal to
the other men of the company,
dared the Captain to h}S face,
and asked the men to join him
as their commander and form a
company to fight for liberty.
Nearly every member Pf the
company followed him and Capt.
Peason commanded thisI body
in many of the rd-fOug4t bat
ties of the Revolution" IChief
Justice Pearson's wife vas a
Miss Williams of Knok kville,
Tennessee, whose fathf was
Colonel of a Regiment in the
war of 1912. Themas Benton
was Lieutenant Colonel under
him and Sam Houston of Texas,
though mere boy, a Likuten-
ant.
Capt. Peter C. Harris Of Geo
gia represents the War Dispart-
ment on the Government i HOard.
He was in the Philippinessfight-
ing for the flag when he was re-
called to this country on ACCOUNT
of the death of his faith Eer-in-
law, Major Guthrie, who's then
had charge of the exhibit Of the
War Department. Vita the
Army and the Navy in charge
of sons of Alabama and Georgia
the interests of the old flag are
in safe keeping, but it you'd
sound a little strange if we
could roll back about thirty
five years of time. Bothi gen
tlemen are of North Ca1olina
stock.
Thomas w. Criddler, Third
Assistant Secretary OF state and
a native of Leesburg, Virginia,
is the moving spirit in all inter
national ExpositiOns. Be is
really the man who helps form
the bills and put the thing in
good legislative shape. Every
exposition commission that has
been appointed within, perhaps,
the last decade has had tp re-
ly more or less on Mr.. Criqler's S
executive ability and thor pugh
knowledge of the subjects He
is not here for there is MOI one