The Montgomery advertiser. [volume] (Montgomery, Ala.) 1885-1982, 1902-05-11
NEWS OF CENTRAL CITY
DIR MoTTER OF INDIANA VISIT.
ING SELMA.
His First Trip to che Dallas Metro.
polls In 81 Years-The Corner
stone Of the New
School Laid.

Il . -
polls in 81 Years-The Corner
stone Of the New
School Laid.
Advertiser Bureau,
a.. Selma, May TO-
AFTER an absence Of thirty-seven years
Dr; T. s. Motter OF Dayton. Ind. Is 1
visitor to Selma. He Is ACCOMPANIED BY
t ms aau aug ter lovely young woman. ans
z. Vaughan at their elegant home on Ire
mont Street. - w. :
| In 1850 DIR. Motter, then mere youth
| took tour through the South and fell
| completely in love with il, He was SO
| much infatuated with the climate and
people that he decided to 60 home, COM
piete his education and then come South
70 live. He got his diploma from q med
| icai college and hung out his shingle for
| tne practice OF his profession in his ma.
tive Indiana town. but after he had re-
| manned there six months the old desire
70 go South to live came over him and
| ne packed his trunk and started out to
IL s p gsses q ni
towns In Georgia. Atlanta among the
NUMBER, but was not pleased with any
OF them. He then came to Montgomery
and gid not like that city, it being. very
small at that time. Some one suggested
TO him that he come to Selma. which he
did. and was so much pleased that he
commenced to practice medicine in Sell
ma In November 1854. He joined the
only became q Southern man by resi-
dence. but soon imbibed the principles
OF his people and became a Sputherner in
When the bugle called to arms DR..
Motter had become so attached to the
South that he enlisted in the Magnolia
Cadets. N. H. r. Dawson. Captain, and
went to the front to fight the battles of
his adopted home. He was elected sur
geon Of the company, and he not only did
his duty as soldier, musket in hand.
but after battle was over he went
about the field, doing what he could to
save the lives Of those who had been
tative of DR.. Motter this morning, George
b. Burns said:
Il knew Dr. Motter well. You can GO
up to Mr.. Vaughan's and see him, but
he is 30 modest that doubt whether he
VIII tell you anything about himself. AL
though he was born in Indiana, when he
came South he enlisted in the Confeder-
ate army and the South never had a
more gallant defender. l remember how
DR.. Motter. after the desperate charge
at Gaines's Mill. saved the life. for the
time OF a verv dear friend of mine, Need
ham Beddingfeld. My friend was miss
ing after the fight and ] was going over
the battlefield hunting for him. At last
from the loss of blood. Just then DR..
Motter came along and staunched the
dow OF blood and Beddingfeld would
have gotten we'll except for some impru-
him his life. DR.. Motter was true sa-
marian. and after doing his duty on the
battlefield, he would go about after each
night, and many poor fellow can testi-
~ now that he owes his life to the good
ness and skill Of the Yankee boy who
came South to cast his lot. If live a
thousand years I shall meyer forget the
manly impulses and goodness OF heart
of DR.. Motter."
p. T. Vaughan. whose guest DIR. Mot
ter is. says that the last time he saw the
doctor was at the battle of Knoxville.
General E. NJ. Law said Mr.. Vaughan,
had sent detail of twenty-five Of US
to feel the enemy. We deployed and
We found the advance skirmish line of
the enemy General Law had instructed
us to follow the enemy when We found
them. and I must say that we got into
one of the warmest places that l was In
during my whole four years of service
in the Confederate army. AS soon as we
struck the skirnlish line OF the enemy,
| they ran, our twenty-five Confederates
and the enemy turning every now and
| then to return the fire: We charged
through an open field and the first thing
We knew We were right up on regiment
of Yankees. Tom Melton OF Summerfield,
was on the extreme end Of our line, DR..
Motter was next and I was third AS
soon as We saw the trap that We were
in, each man lay down behind the first
convenient stump and they Kept US lying
there for an hour and a. half. When the
Yankees flanked us by going down a raw
inc and We had to run for our lives. DR..
Motter jumped a fence like deer, was
shot through the thigh as he went over.
and that was the last I saw of him until
now" 'At-
Mr.. Vaughan said that he crept up to
the fence and showed IL down, rail by
rail, and got through without being hit,
and escaped to the woods. DR.. Motter
was so badly wounded that he could not
escape and was captured and carried to
Fort Delaware, where ne was kept a
prisoner until two weeks after the close
of the war.
DR.. Motter was born in Lafayette. Ind,
and joined the Magnolia Cadets of Sell
ma in June. 1860. 1t will be OF great in
terest to all old Confederate soldiers and
their descendants to know the officers
Of the company. Here they are:
N. H. p Dawson. Captain; G. ID. Short
ridge First Lieutenant; Newton McCraw,
Second Lieutenant; John r. Wilson. Third
Lieutenant: E. r. Waddell. First Ser
geant; Alfred C. Price, Second Sergeant
Iucius Daniel. Third Sergeant; Boykin
Goldsby. Fourth Sergeant: Bushrod Bell
First Corporal; Robert Garrett. Second
Corporal: James Brown. Third Corporal
Louis Cohen. Fourth Corporal
D. Motter will have warm welcome TO
this. his old home When he began prac-
ticing medicine here, his office was in. one
of the rooms over Crozier Gray's store:
Major Wales. DIR. Bayne and other old
Confederate, who knew and loved nm IN
the long ago, have called on him, and
many othecs will do so as soon as they
know he is here. He went back to MS
old home in Indiana and settled a1ter he
got out of prison at Fort Delaware.
The old Confederates. those WHO stood
by him when shot and shell were flying;
are glad to see him in Selma and will
make him feel Young again as they meet
him and recount the scenes Of danger and
privation through which they passed
Without any ceremony and in presence
only OF the Building Committee. A. G..
Parrish of the Baker family. and the
workmen. the corner stone of the new
public school building was laid at a.
m. this morning The stone is of white
marble and bears the simple inscription
Baker School. 1902.