The Tupelo journal., 1905-12-01
MISSISSIPPI. FRIDAY DECEMBER |. 1905.

| Wncn ne Dogan Cnc prdcLlce u
the law thatif he were prosporet
for fifteen years he would return
to the ministry again and devote
his whole time to preaching the
gospel. He was very successful
financially, having accumulated
some thirty thousand dollars, anC
think the fifteen year limit was
drawing to a close whom the wal
closed. But he made one mistake
| in his investments, having
bought negro property altogeth.
er, and even sold his country
home and plantation in 1864 ano
received pay therefor in negro
property altogether. So, wher
the war closed he lost all, not
even owning a residence.
He was a very fine lawyer and
an excellent practitioner. He was
logical, eloquent and well groun-
ded in legal principles, good on
reply and strong on summing up
cause. In going to and from
the courts in the adjoining counl
ties he rode a very large sorrel
mule, instead of riding or driv-
ing a fine horse, as most men
would have done in his circum-
stances. | remember going with
him to the September term of
the Circuit Court Of Pontotoc
county in 1860. On our return
left him before we reached, Tu-
pelo, which was then in it's in
fancy. Iguess Billiards. sorrel
mule had never seen locomo-
tive or train of cars, nor heard a
whistle. The railroad was just
beginning to run trains through
on the Old Reliable at the time |
speak of, and Bullard afterwards
told me of this incident in rela-
ton to himself and mule as he
returned. AS he got on the track
of the railroad at the crossing,
an engine whistled above, and
the mule became affrighted and
turned right down the track
south, making the best headway
possible, and he was wholly una
BILE to turn the mule to the right
or to the left. After the animal
had gone some distance down
the road, an incoming train
whistled from below with that
wild danger scream calculated to
frighten stock, when Billiards.
mule, not able to stand between
two fires, jumped the track and
took to the woods, and he was
not able to check her speed till
she entered old Town Creek bot
tom. In thinking of this Incl
dent l have often thought mo
wonder the mule acted so strange
ly. If we had never at any time
heard of railroad and train of
cars and locomotive, nor heard
their scream, nor seen their Won
derful headlight, flashing out
like a fire furnace seven times
heated, and all on sudden, some
dark night, as we should be pas
sing through some lone wood,
the rumbling wells of the on
coming Of the train should be
heard in the near distance, while
the stars were keeping their SEN
tinels above, showing it could be
no cyclone; and at the proper
distance, we should see and hear
for the first time the headlight
and the thousand times worse
than panther scream, how much
better would we act than the
poor mule? We would be like the
poor ignorant people in 1882
when the "stars fell" This |
do not remember, not having
been then born, but have heard
my father and mother speak of
it often. They were neither phil
osophers nor astronomers, nor
had they ever read of meteoric
showers, and they did not know
what was coming, but father
was an upright man fearing not
what God might bring, and moth
er was not only a christian, but a
woman of wonderful courage
under all difficulties, and so
they weathered the storm all
right. But a tenant on father $
place thought surely the ;udg-
ment day had come, and was
praying for help, and finally he
said to my father, Collier, the
world S certainly coming to an end
Look yonder how few stars are
| in the heavens" My father said
he looked towards the east and
saw the day dawn was coming,
and of course the stars were
dimming under the advance Of
the sun. Pardon this DEPRESSION
/ from Bullard and his mule and
the screaming locomotive.
Some years before came tx
/ the bar Judge Bullard was cleo
tied Judge Of Probate of Itawam.
ba county, and made an able anG
lincorruptible officer, but as the
i practice Of the law was mucl
i - u -1. -.