The Tupelo journal., 1905-07-21

Structed clSternS. was playing
Dixie" on a fife, and the re
cruiting officer was actively en-
lgaged. It did not take me man,
minutes to make up my mint
| to step out into the line and vol
unteer as a Confederate soldier
III was mustered in right yondel
at the crossing of the railroad an(
Il this street, and in January
we went to Meridian, and after
i ward returned here and organic
ed the Forty first Mississippi Reg
| iment. Colonel w. L. Tucker
1 of Okolona, was our colonel, and
La more gallant and chivalrous
spirit never lived any where ir
any age. We went to the war,
| leaving our people at home.
Verona was raided some three OF
four times during the war. In
fact it became the border-line
i between two great contending
armies very unenviable po-
Sition to occupy. The war ended,
and we came home. / was then
about nineteen years Of age, poor
and uneducated, but / had learn
ed something about men during
the three and a half years had
been in war, and | had been fore
ed to know that man must de-
pend upon himses& came home
and found the people were one
in heart, one in purpose and
sympathy. Whatever one neigh
Dor had he shared with another
There was no caste. and there
was no distinction. The return
ing Confederate soldiers, in their
rags and poverty, were treated
as tho they were lords of creation
instead Of paupers. | have new
er seen such patriotic self-sacri-
flee by the people of any commun-
| ity as was exhibited by the cit
liens of Verona after the war
was over. | went to school
yonder, as stated by my friend
Mr.. Leroy Taylor, to Captain Lev
| el and my father, who was also
a school teacher. Afterward I
began the practice of law. Iknew
very little about it, and don't
know much now, but manage to
deceive some people and get into
practice. The merchants Of this
town knew / was a lawyer, but
said | had been a soldier and was
honest and trying to make a
living, and that they would give
me their business. They said;
He is honest, and will do his
best. !" / took the business, and
in four years time | was offered
the general solicitorship Of the
Mobile and Ohio Railroad Com
pany. That was nearly thirty
years ago; it was on the first Of
April, 1876, the circular, covering
my appointment, was issued.
/ was a comparatively young
man, about twenty-eight years
of age, and have been the gen.
eral counsel of that property ever
since. When | went to Mobile
I.was a stranger, / did not know
anything about city ways or
methods. The very brick build
ings looked as if they were my
enemies, and as if they were try
ing to force me to walk down the
middle Of the state. But went
to work with great concentration
of purpose, and faithfully gave
my time and my efforts to the
affairs of the corporation / had
been called upon to serve, and
in course, Of time | began to
grow in the estimation of the
owners of this properly. The
people of Mobile began to take
notice of me, and from that day
to this, with full possession of
esteem of its citizens, | have
been living in that community.
] have some friends here to day
who know how stand in Mobile
what the people think Of me
| can say at one time my highest
ambition was to have the absolute
confidence and affection Of the
people of Verona, and to stand
as the highest citizen in tilas
community for learning, inteili-
gence and fidelity to duty. After
I got into wider field my am
bition broadened. Twas for five
years president of the Mobile
and Ohio Railroad Company, and
| am now the vice-president in
charge of that property and !
want to say to you that / have
never forgotten the people of
Verona. ] have felt that the
support you gave me in my youth
was still at my command, and /
have always known that when
ever / called you would respond.
It has been and will ever be, a
source of inspiration to me. It
encouraged me to achieve what
ever success ] may have reached
in life.
Well, | am here today with you
and feel very grateful to you
for this demonstration. At your
suggestion, |. have brought with