Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1904-03-02
TITLES WON AND LOST.
the Esteem of His Fellow
TOVvnSmen

TOwnsmen.
Tom Darby, former state senator
in the Florida legislature from Putnam
county, is cow prosperous and pCpu-
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 a North Caro-
Imam, but lived in Florida many years,
where he had varied and rather pic
turesque experience. He is still on the
sunny side of so, and has a well-marked
vein of humor. 1t is funny story that
he tells about the evolution" of mill
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 sawmil
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 a Gainesville bank, was
a good fellow withal and very naturally
he soon came to be known as "Cap'n"
Darby. 81 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 'cap'ns'
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 a bigger banI
balance. Then it was Major" Darby
the whole county catching on at once.
By-and-by came a big contract for
lumber for the 81" road, then building
here in New York. More men. bigger
mills, longer piers and more schoOners
loading at them. Now it was Colonel
Darby.
II got me good pair of high-step'
ping mares and a red-wheeled top bug
gy, in which l drove about a good dea,
cooking after my numerous lumber
camps and gangs of men," as the sena.
tor tells it now, "and 1 smoked good
cigars, dressed we'll, talked some politics
! and read the New York papers. The
first thing knew they were addressing
me as General Darby. 1t was no use
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 II
| the late autumn and the hurricane
swept the whole coast to destruction
Next morning General" Darby's
wharves and mills and booms ard yes.
sells and logs and sawed lumber were
all out in the Gulf of Mexico. scattered
ard lost, and he was $4,000 poorer thar
when he went to bed the night before
He hustled to pull himself together
and save the foundation of new busi
ness out of the wreck, but it was uphill
| work. He paid all his men their wages
| n full and let other creditors wait-e
proceeding that kept him solid with the
people-but pretty soon somebody called
him Colonel" Darby one day and il
| less than month his title of general
was thing of the past After a fire arc
railroad wreck which had still turtle
! impaired his fortune it was Major
| Darby again, and about year and 9
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, land one fin,
day as l was standing in front of the
post office reading my mail overheard
tall cracker say to another, looking il
my direction: That's old man Darby
over yander What DO you reckon he't
say if asked him for job?"
That settled me! From General
Darby down to 'ole man Darby inside
of two years was 700 much for me,
quit that country and went up t.
Palatka and into politics The sen
ator' seems to stick better than al
he others. after ALL"
(