The Tupelo journal., 1905-08-25

the parents in their homes, and
remain over night with them and
eat out of their baskets with
them the next day at noon. In
! this way | saw much ofthe home
life Of the people. Rev. j. J..
Stone, father of our worthy
townsman, Powell Stone, resided
in that neighborhood and owned
a home there. He was a local
preacher in the M. E. Church,
South, a man of about forty-fve
or fifty years of age, an accept
able preacher, in personal APP
pearance somewhat like Powell,
but more compactly built and
having a decidedly military bear
ing, straight as an arrow and
quite stout and active. | have
heard him preach sermons equal
to any of that day, throwing fire
and power into his preaching.
Although a minister of the Cos
pei, he was essentially a military
man, born to rule and command.
When the war broke out he en-
listed in Capt. Taylor's company
and served a year in Virginia,
though twice exempt. At the
conclusion Of his term of service
he returned home and was elect
ed Colonel of the eastern regiment
Of Pontotoc county Of the State
MALTA, as | was of the eastern
regiment of Itawamba county,
where / then lived. Soon after
two companies of each regiment
were called into active service in
the field, and each Colonel was
ordered to attend those compan-
les to the place of rendezvous,
which was Pamela, for North
Mississippi, and there | met Col.
J. j. Stone with his command,
ready for service in the field. He
was elected Lieutenant Colonel
of the regiment composed of the
Pontotoc and Itawamba compan-
les, with others added to make
ten companies. Col. w. G..
Brownley was the Colonel of the
regiment, but Col. Stone was
mostly in command of the drill
ing and maneuvering of the reg
iment. He del from disease
while in service, and the State
and Confederacy lost a valuable
man in his death. He had a
very interesting family and |
have spent many pleasant hours
in his home. Col. Stone was the
young mans friend and showed
me many kind attentions in those
long ago days of my boyhood.
He died at Oxford, Miss, and
was brought back home and bur
led at old Harrisburg. Whether
Mr.. Stone was any relation to
Governor Stone, formerly Colonel
of the Second Mississippi Regi-
ment of Confederate troops, | do
not know. His people know of
no such relationship, but they
had the same military bearing
and exhibited the same flxedness
of purpose in the countenance,
the same flashing eye, and IN
fact the general facial coante-
nance was SO similar il the two
men that they might easily have
passed for brothers.
Another old timer who lived in
the same neighborhood with Col.
Stone was Col. l. H Taylor. He
was a very genial and agreeable
man, though he had a very stern
face. | remember very well how
kind and considerate he was to-
wards brother James and when
we went to his house in the fall
of 1857 and applied for a school.
He carried us to the school build
ing and to see all the patrons, and
his other neighbors, and seemed
to be as much interested in us as
if he had known us for a life
time. When the war came he
raised a company and was elect
ed its captain and served under
Lee in Virginia for a year, and
at the termination of his enlist
ment returned home, and was
captured by the FederalS on one
of their raids and carried off to a
Northern prison, and. / think,
remained there until the close of
the war. Capt. Taylor was a
great reader, and has told me he
had clerked in a store all day and
read Scott all night, blowing
out the candles after day light,
and going on to his work again.
He also informed me once of
having read a poem by someone
in which all the different charac-
tiers Of SCOTS novels were rep
resented, in characteristic suit
ableness, as pouring over his
grave their several lamentations
Of his loss, After the war Capt.
Taylor moved back to Virginia,
where he originally came from,
but later he returned to his old
home in Lee county and spent
his last days on his magnificent
farm, but it was no longer the
lovely home it had been, as the
r-Lo-I lev, o,J cpns1o IF thn