The Tupelo journal., 1905-10-06


chance to attend school, while
Hope, the last solace of the poor
and wretched, had fled forever
from that home. There is one
criticism upon his writings, both
prose and poem. He was so full
Of words that they almost spark
led in and through his compost
tons, and many would say there
was an unnecessary number of
words to express the ideas. This
is probably true, but he not only
designed expressing ideas, but
also intended to clothethose ideas
in language which would attract,
and even charm. And after the
criticism has been made, and we
have again gone over his writ
ings, we feel like there is such a
fitness in the words used, and so
much Of the dove-tailed exact
ness of words into ideas, that we
feel like saying, the beauty and
charm would be narred if we
were to subtract anything from
it. It is like the scene Of a Won
derfully starry night, when the
heavens are filled with the beauty
of their coruscations, as compar-
ed with the same heavens, but
only bedecked with few stars.
Buck Owen was also a lawyer of
no mean attainments. He was a
young man in the practice at the
beginning of the civil war, yet
he had been retained in many i'm
portant civil cases and in most of
the criminal cases in his county
of a grave character, and his rep
utation asa criminal lawyer had
extended throughout the district
in which he lived. When the
secession movement came about,
Buck Owen opposed it; but after
his state cast her lot with the
Confederacy he no longer held
out. He enlisted in Capt. Fin
ley's company, in the 10th Miss.
Volunteers as private soldier,
and served as such for some time,
when he was electe d a first lieut..
in Capt. Belts company. Only
recently l was talking with an
old soldier who served with him
as private soldier in Capt. Fin
ley's company, and he spoke in
the highest terms of his suave
and gentle manners, and what a
fine companionable man he was,
and how attentive he was to the
rights and interests of others,
and what a store of information
he possessed and how willing he
was to talk to and for the bene-
fit Of the common soldier. On
the last day Of Dec, 1862, while
leading his company in a gallant
charge in the bloody battle of
Murfreesboro, Tenn, Buck Owen
surrendered his life in the cause
of his country. Only a few days
ago talked with Comrade Willis
Austin, Of Capt. Finley's COM
pany, andh told me of the burial
of Owen. He fell near beauti-
full walnut tree, and the day af-
ter he was slain Mr.. Austin and
Lieut.. J. J. Lindsey, a man who
knew him well, but an officer in
another company, wrapped him
in his own blanket and laid him
to rest in a grave which they dug
with their own hands. ! have
heard that the reason his widow
never removed his remains was
because he was buried in trench
with others. This Mr.. Austin tells
me is mistake. Willis Austin
says Owen looked as natural as
any one he ever saw, and al
though killed the day before they
buried him, his appearance was
as one in sleep, eyes beautifully
closed and countenance natural;
but the eye no longer flashed
upon him, and the wonderful IN
telligence Of the face was gone.
Buck Ow N was dead. The pen
could no more give us the rithm
Of beauty and the orator never
again entrance his audience with
his oratory. Can it be true that
!" it's all of life to live and all OF
death to die?" Surely there is
some home beyond, where the