The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1905-05-24
To WRITE LIFE OF
JEFFERSON DAVIS
DR.. VIM. E. Dodd is in Mont
gomefy
Is STORY FULL OF PATH0S
Arthur Haynes Thanks Governor for
Being Allowed Privilege of See
ing Mother Before She
Passed Away.

Montgomery, May 23.-(Special DIR
William E. Dodd, professor of history in
the RandolphMacon college at Ashland,
IN the outskirts of Richmond is spending
a few days in the city, looking over the
files and papers of the state department
OF archives and history, with view of
gathering information for a history of
the life of Jefferson Davis, which will be
the first thing of the kind produced out
side of the memoirs by Mrs Davis, and
the book, which he wrote himself as an
explanation of his conduct and convictions
about and incident to the war.
The book will be the third of a series
or the American crisis, being gotten out
by George w. Jacobs and company of
Philadelphia, the others being of Lincoln
and Benton. DR. Dodd has written his
tory of Nathaniel Macon, the great North
Carolina commoner, for whom the many
Maeons, counties and towns, have been
named. He found many things of in
terest about the life of the subject of
the book, one being that in 1920 he sketch
ed the boundaries of what was later the
Southern Confederacy, indicating then
people In the time then TO come. Macon
was a member of Congress. from 179i TO
1872, longer than most any other man, and
was speaker of the house when Mr.. Jeffer-
son was President.
DIR. Dodd is one of the young men of
the day who has made a reputation in his
calling of life. He paid Dr. Thomas NJ.
Owens, director of the department of ar
ehiyes and history. a high compliment
saying that no other southern state had
SO well conducted and valuable a system
of history keeping as has Alabama, and
that DIR. owen has everything so well
arranged that he has been able to do his
work in half the time that he would have
had to put in it in other states. where
no such Organization is kept
Pathetic Story.
The sequel of one of the kind and merci-
fun acts of Governor Jelks came today
when the executive received a telegram
from Arthur Haynes that his mother
was dead. Haynes is convict serving a
ten-year term in the penitentiary of the
state for manslaughter and wrote last
week begging to be allowed to go home
and see his mother who was then dying.
@fhe appeal had come from the old
lady, lettering to her grave, to be allowed
to see once more the face of her son,
loved as her hearts desire, no matter
what disgrace the laws of the state had
heaped upon his head, and the Governor
could not bring himself to deny it. He
said the young fellow might 60 and al
lowed him liberty until the first day of
June, which viii make it possible for
him to close up VIVA. has been brought
about by the demise of his parent. The
message was bries: Mother died last
night. Thank you for your kindness" But
it told of a sorrow too deep for words
and a gratitude that found not express
sion in the mere writing or speaking OF
sentences. He had been allowed TO see
his mother again before the dews of
death had covered her brow. The Cover
nor made it possible. He thanked the
Governor. That was all but there was
not a man who saw the few words of the
telegram, or woman, who did not feel
that in them the heart and gratitude of
the motherless criminal were intertwined.
Sexton to Nashville.
Chief Clerk A. C. Sexton to the Secretary
of State will go to Nashville tomorrow to
attend the meeting on May % and 26 of
the National Association of Secretaries
of State. The meeting will take up the
methods of the offices of this class and
discuss uniformity of system with a view
of making the work on all lighter. They
will have especial to do with the corpora
lions laws which are regarded by all as
so vastly different in the several states
that confusion is always coming up.
Capt. F. F. Baber and First Lieut. w.
e. Weiss of the Montgomery True Blues
have been reelected and recommissoned.
J. Thomas Heflin, congressman from the
Fifth district. and j. c. Wood. probate
judge of Lowndes county. passed through
the city today to Tuscaloosa to attend
the closing exercises of the Tuscaloosa
Female college. Mr., Heflin to make the
literary address.