The Tupelo journal., 1905-12-08
PEN.plCTURES OF THE 0LDEN Time
BY COL w L. CLAYTON.

years only before myself moved
to Fulton. Lindsey was a coun
try raised boy, and rather {
roug asher to begin with. | dt
not mean that there was any.
thing inherently bad in him, but
really had few of the polishes o1
refined life. He was a very agree
able man to deal with and asso.
ciate with, but you had to look
over his gruff and rough ways.
He had been practicing law only
a short while when he came tc
Fulton. He was alone in the
practice till about the first of the
year, 1861, when Bullard and
Kitchener dissolved and Lindsey
formed a partnership with JAS
per N. Mitcher. Lindsey was
forging toward the front in his
profession when the war put a
stop to it all. He was a man of
good ability, a hard student,
more than an average practition-
er, having a good legal mind and
possessing a discrimi n a in g
judgement. He was a man of
much good humor, and enjoyed
a hearty laugh with the best of
them. In 1860 Lindsey and Col.
John M. Simonton made a mem
orable canvass for the state SEN
ate in Itawamba. In the last
few campaigns the Wings and
the Knownothings had been
pretty badly showed under, and
the Wings were pretty badly
cowed, as the saying goes, and
they did not have a man of their
old timers whom they could risk.
But in the meantime John M.
Simonton had moved into ta-
wanda county, having bought
out Col. Hill, where Joe Clark
now lives in Shannon, and being
a new man, he had no anteced-
ents here to trouble him. So, in
looking round for a candidate to
run against Lindsey, who was
the regular Democratic nomiuee,
the Wings selected Simonton.
But they were too wise to meet
in convention and nominate him,
but the leading wise acres among
the Whig politicians, threw their
heads together and brought out
Simonton as an Independent can
didate, a man who could not be
controlled by cliques and tricks.
So the campaign was not made
on the old issues at all, but the
Independents charged the un-
fairness of the old style conven-
ton for making nominations, and
urged the Independent voter to
condemn it, while the entire
Whig vote, understanding the
situation, voted the Independent
ticket. Lindsey made a gallant
fight, but Simonton was fully
his match on the stump, if not
his superior. Besides, Simonton
was a man of fine address and
suave manners, tall and well
proportioned, about Lindsey's
age, having nice family, and
coming we'll recommended from
his old Tennessee home, well
connected. All things consid-
cred, he had the advantage of
Lindsey, and he came out sever
al hundred votes ahead, notwith-
standing the strong effort of
Lindsey and his friends to rally
the unterrified democracy on
time. Lindsey lost no time
though crying over split milk, !"
but buckled down to the study
and practice of law till the war
called him to the front. | never
saw him but one time after he
entered the Confederate service,
and that was at the front during
the memorable Georgia cam
paign. But / have always un-
derstood he made a fine soldier.
He was a liutenant in his compa-
ny, and / think he belonged to
Capt. Ben TONERS company of
infantry. He was as brave as
the bravest, fearing not the face
Of man, and in all contests and
conflicts he had the courage of
his convictions. Amid the smoke
and blood and carnage of the
disastrous field of Jonesboro,
Georgia, Janus J. Lindsey fell
covered with wounds and wreath
ed in glory. Where he fell. he
still rests in the field of his glo-
ry. His soldiers blanket and
Confederate gray were his wind
ing sheet.
Soldier, rest, thy warfare DER;
Dream of battles fought no more.
Lindsey, we drop a tear at the
mention Of thy name! We re-
member thee when we Wreathe
the beautiful flowers and place
them on the graves of the old
soldiers of the Lost Cause.
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