Oxford eagle., 1904-02-18
TITLES WON AND LOST.
A Florida Senator's Rise and Fall In
the Esteem of His Fellow
Towusmen

Tom" Darby, a former state senator
in the Florida legislature from Putnam
county, is now prosperous and popu-
lar broker '.on the curb, with an Office
not a thousand miles away from No.
26,' where all the stocks are said to go
when they get right cheap and the
crowd is selling, relates the New York
Commercial. Darby is North Caro-
Imam, but lived in Florida many years,
where he had a varied and rather pic
turesque experience He is still on the
sunny side of so, and has well-marked
vein of humor 1t is funny story that
he tells about the evolution" OF Tlili-
tary titles down in the state that grows
alligators and oranges and strawber-
ries, and is now said TO be held political
ly by Standard Oil mana republican
AS in the hollow of his hand.
When Senator Tom was only about Is
years old he had good-paying sawmill
down on the gulf coast close TO Cedar
keys.
He employed lot Of men, paid them
their wages promptly, had good bal
ance always in Gainesville bank, was
a good fellow withal and very naturally
he soon came to be known as "Cap'n
Darby Il was no captain he ex-
plains, ''but that was the habit OF the
country and had to stand for it. Why.
even the railroad conductors are 'capns'
down there"
Pretty soon he got some big contracts
for getting out cedar logs for some OF
the large lead pencil companies, en-
ployed more men, and had bigger bank
balance. Then it was Major" Darby
the whole county catching on at once.
By-and-by came big contract for
lumber for the IL road, then building
here in New York. More men, bigger
mills, longer piers and more schooners
loading at them. Now 1t was Colonel
Darby.
81 got me a good pair of high-step-
ping mares and a red-wheeled top bug
gy, in which drove about good deal
looking after my numerous lumber
camps and gangs of men." as the sena-
tor tells it now, tand | smoked good
cigars, dressed we'll, talked some politics
and read the New York papers. The
first thing l knew they were addressing
me as General Darby. 1t was no use
protesting 1t had to go And the
country papers would now and then in
terview General Darby-so was high
line all along the gulf and up the road
into Alachua county"
Along came a gulf storm one day In
the late autumn and the hurricane
swept the whole coast to destruction.
Next morning General Darby's
wharves and mills and booms and YES
sells and logs and sawed lumber were
all out in the Gulf of Mexico, scattered
ard lost, and he was 10000 poorer than
when he went to bed the night before.
He hustled to pull himself together
and save the foundation of new bust
ness out of the wreck but it was uphiR
work He paid all his men their wages
in full and let other creditors wait-a
proceeding that kept him solid with the
people-butpretty soon somebody called
him Colonel" Darby one day and in
less than month his title of general
was thing of the past After fire and
a railroad wreck which had still further
impaired his fortune it was Major"
Darby again, and about year ard a
half after the hurricane all the county
people were addressing him by his orig
inal title of captain"
Things weren't going very well with
me-" says Senator Tom, "and one fine
day as | was standing in front of the
post office reading my mail overheard
a tall cracker say to another, looking in
my direction: That's old man Darby
over yander. What do you reckon he'd
say if asked him for a job?"
THAT settled me. From General
Darby down to 'ole man Darby inside
of two years was too much for me!
| quit that country and went up to
Palatka and into politics. The sen
ator' seems to stick better than all
the others, after all"