The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1905-07-28
pEN-pICTURES OF THE OLDEN TIME
BY COL. w. L. CLAYTON.

ly married twice, first, to Miss
Ann Murphy, of old Richmond,
and secondly, to Mrs. Lizzie Will
liams, widow of Col. J. d. Will
liams, and who was also original
ly-that is when Col. Williams
married her from near the same
place where he found his first
wife. He was safe and reliable
lawyer, but after moving to Tex
as he quit the practice of law
and has since followed merchan-
dising.
Drs. Bessonett and Will Wren
are both dead. DR.. Bessonett
lived in Guntown for many years,
for a time practicing his profess
sion, and part of the time in the
drug business, and made a sue
cess of both. He was genial and
companionable, having few if
any enemies. DR.. Will Wren was
killed by J. A. Monaghan and
whom he killed in the same un-
fortunate difficulty. DR.. Wren
was very successful as a physi-
clan. DR.. Ed Wren is still living,
practicing his profession to the
satisfaction of his patients and
friends in Monroe county, Miss.
Both were gallant Confederate
soldiers. w. C. Bessonett was a
merchant, and then elected
Chancery Clerk Of Lee county,
which office he filled creditably
for eight years. He now lives
with one of his daughters in one
of the northwestern states.
There were two of the Fisher
boys, Platt Bull Fisher, but the
christian name Of the other has
escaped me. | have learned that
one or both of these boys were
killed in the war. There were
two of the Stovall boys who were
nearing manhood, j. P. Stovall
and Dallas StovalI. Dallas has
been a merchant for years at
Saltillo. They both made gallan t
Confederate soldiers. J. P. Sto
vail might have been lawyer
or doctor either, if he had so
chosen, but he chose the quiet
life Of the farmer, after all the
most independent life a man can
lead. The mental strain is less,
the freedom more, and the home
life more satisfactory He has the
pleasure of looking out upon his
growing crops and lowing herds
and cackling fowls, and being
under no ones command, except
that of his own wife. My un-
derstanding is that all these 9th
er young men whom | have
named made good soldiers in
the cause of the South. l know
that Billie Bessonett received a
severe wound in the ankle, which
has given him much pain and
trouble all these years. Wing
Richie was a boy about sixteen
when we attended the Martin
school, gentle and kind, not in
clined to study, but SO timed his
conduct as to keep on the good
side of the teacher, and never
gave any offense to anyone. But
it was the general opinion that
Wing would never make a sue
cess in life, yet | have heard
that he went into merchandising,
made fine money. and was and
is respected by all who know
him. AS for myself, | will only
say, | may speak occasionally OF
what | have done and suffered.
on the theory that 3'he that blow
eth not his own horn, it shall not
be blown" to use the classic
language of Col. Russell 0.
Beene, of auld lang syne.
Some merchants only last for
a season, and many only for a
little longer time. But in old
Richmond in 1855 there was a
firm of merchants doing business
then under the name of Raymond
and Trice, composed of Alfred H.
Raymond and Robert L. Trice.
and they continued their bus
mess there until the Mobile and
| Ohio Rail Road was built, and
then moved themselves and their
business to Verona, where they
were connected in business In
one way or another till the death
of Mr.. Raymond. and now a son
of each is engaged together In
business in the town of Tupelo,
under the firm name of Trice
RAYMOND Hardware Co. | dealt
with Raymond and Trice from
| 1856, more or less, for many years
and I must say never dealt with
more square and accommodating
gentlemen than they; and then
when you owed them and could
not pay, all they asked Of you was
good faith and an honest effort
to pay, and they would indulge
you as long as you could ask.
They collected their debts with
out suit, and you always thought,
lin dealing with them, you were
/ in the house of your friends.
When / went to Richmond, twas
mot quite nineteen, a poor boy
MI hn1af means and even having