Atlanta semi-weekly journal. (Atlanta, Ga.) 1898-1920, 1902-06-05
CONGRESSMAN TELLING
EXPERIENCES In SOUTH
BY MILF SAUL.

WASHINGTON, May 3O.-Congressmen
who went with Representative Charles W.
Thompson, Of Alabama, on tour through
the south are relating to their Washington
friends and colleagues many interesting
stories of things they saw and heard in
the sunny land of Dixie,
At Chattanooga the party Of northerners
were entertained by the Chamber of Com
merce. A part of the days entertainment
there consisted Of a trolley ride to Look
out Mountain. On the car just before the
mountain was reached. one of the Chatta-
nooga gentlemen produced a pearl handled
knife, one of those all around articles con-
tanning every implement necessary to ex-
istence, including a miniature handsaw
and a corkscrew.
This knife, gentlemen he explained
to Colonel Thompson and several of his
guests who were gathered about was
brought from France in 1873 by a young
boy who was a friend of my father. The
young boy is now the president Of the
United States. My father was Frank r.
Goulding, the author of Young Maroon
ers.
Colonel Thompson took the knife and
held 1t up so everybody in the car could
see it. He explained its history and at
once the implement became the center Of
interest for the entire party.
MY father wrote the book at Kingston,
Ca" the owner of the knife went on to
explain, land at that time President
Roosevelt's mother was living at Roswell.
Ga. Some years later my father went to
New York and there met the Roosevelt
family, among them the young boy, Theo-
dore. The two became fast friends, al
though my father was So years old then
and the boy was about ten or twelve
Young Marooners proved highly inter-
esting book to the boy and 1t was through
this interest that he remembered the au-
thor while in France. My father was
highly gratified to receive the present and
he priced 1t so highly he would never use
1t or lend to any member of the family.
He thought Theodore Roosevelt was
great boy. Once when 1 was in Washing
ton the president told me he had given
the Young Marooners' to HIS boys to read,
and they seemed to enjoy it quite as much
as he did"
with the party spent, in 1898, six months
in the house where DIR. Goulding wrote the
book. He recalled the fact when the knife
was on exhibition and the coincidence was
declared by the others to be remarkable
The owner of the knife is w. H. Could
ing, secretary of the Chattanooga Cham
Der of Commerce.
General Wilder, who commanded
brigade of Federal cavalry in the battles
around Chattanooga, went with the party
to the top of Lookout Mountain and point
cd out the famous battle fields which may
be seen from the summit of the mountain.
lover yonder to the left" he said as he
pointed towards Missionary Ridge, my
command engaged Pegram's Confederate
cavalry. We fought OF and on for three
days, an a better fighter than John Pc
gram never met"
At this point he was interrupted by Col
onel Thompson, who cried out:
Here's John Pegram's niecep'
General Wilder stopped his discourse. to
be introduced to the young lady, Miss
Eleanor Pegram, of Memphis, Tenn, who
had come with the party from Washing
ton. The gray old veteran took both her
hands in his and as they stood apart from
the others there on the mountain they
made a fine picture on which their com
panions ,gazed with deep interest. Far be-
low them the winding river ran through
fields, where Wilder and Pegram cIashed
sabres in deadly cavalry charges nearly