The leader. [volume] (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1895-1905, 1902-05-28

give it the French accent! Reachin
the station, Malmaison, we were me
by body Of representative citizen
and the elegant old family carriage
so years old, which is now preserves
as relic, but was brought out to d.
honor to the Mississippi Press, decora
ted in red, white and blue, the color
SO Loyalty honored by it's owner durinI
his life. Over the hills, through tn
summers sun, following the band tina
| played "Dixie" or yankee Doodle
and, alas! some "Rag -time", we toilet
upward and onward, until from shee
exhaustion, though mingled with pro
found reverence, eve were ready t.
kneel Tor sit) on the green sward tina
swept out from the massive portict
pillars of the Lef1ore home, where tt
the fourth generation dwell his de-
scendants. We have no space at this
time to go into minute details. AS tx
the exquisite furnishings, purchased
in halcyon days without regard to ex
pense and with faultless taste, we will
mention the curtains of brocaded Grim
son silk damask, satin lined, beneath
which hung shades, hand painted
representing the royal palaces of st
Cloud, Versailles, Fontainebleau and
Malmaison castle; the "parlor set, oi
richly carved mahogany, overlaid in
gold and cushioned in crimson silk
damask; the "center table, of highly
polished ebony, carved and hand-in-
laid with tortoise shell and gold; car.
pet, seamless weave, of exquisite
French tapestry; walls decorated with
three large French plate mirrors, and
mantel of black Italian marble, with
golden candelabra and magnificent
clock. We rambled over the whole OF
the magnificent ''ancient" pile, which
is kept with both modern and ancient
neatness and elegance, and then on to
the grave where Lef1ore had rested
since 1865. The ante bellum silver and
china, the square piano, the side
board, the old four posted bedsteads
and many other things that inspired us
we must pass over. We failed to
mention that in an eloquent speech
Maj. B. G. Humdhreys, on this occa-
sion, presented to the Association a
gavel made from hickory, cut from the
Malmaison estate. His address was
responded to and the gayel accepted
for the organization by Hon. ]. T.
Senter, of the Vicksburg American.
Turning the lid of the old family
Bible, which rested on the exquisite
center table mentioned, and which we
opened with reverential touch, we
read on the fly leaf, beautifully in
scribed by hand long vanished:
Respectfully presented to Col. and
Mrs. Lefore, by their friend, j. S.
Copes. New Orleans, May, $780,.
This brought wildly to mind dear
old friend, Mrs. Jane Criswell, who
lived and died in this city few years
ago and who was a devoted sister of
DR.. J. S. Copes, the same whose in
scription we accidentally stumbled
upon in the mansion of Greenwood
Lefore, bearing date of fifty two years
ago; and how life-like through the
mist of years came the face of one de-
parted.
Wednesday night, after the literary
program by those assigned, banquet
was served the guests and visitors by
the people of Greenwood at the Green
wood Hotel, and for three hours, dur
ing which the menu was served in
courses, and toasts were drank and
wit sparkled in eloquent response,
the several hundred guests We'd with
each other in the whole-souled hospi-
tality extended them as they sat about
the sumptuous tables laden with
every delicacy money could buy or the
earth could produce. With Thursday
came the delightful boat excursion up
the Yazoo River and this was truly a
pleasure, not only by reason of
the pleasant company, but because of
of the cooling breeze, the first we had
felt since we left Brookhaven.
On board this boat occurred
the final meeting of the association,
when the new officers we're installed
after which the singing of ''Till We
Meet Again" rose like benediction
from amid the clash of machinery and
the ripping of the river. A brilliant
ball Thursday night was the climax