Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-01-28

an extra quantity printed and mail thou
sands of copies to people in his district.
He was in the habit of making speeches
on every subject of importance that came
I'D in Congress. or securing leave to print
In the Record and invariably distributed
them by the thousand.
Interest in Constituents.
He carried the list of his constituents
with him into the army, and you may re-
call story published at the time that he
sent leaf from the tree under which the
surrender of Santiago took place to every
one of them. Officers and newspaper men
at headquarters declared that the general
sent orderlies out to gather leaves from
all the trees in the neighborhood and kept
them busy for a week putting them into
envelopes and addressing them to people in
Alabama. The general insisted that this
was an exaggeraton, and it probably was
but he admitted that he had sent few
leaves from the surrender tree to his old
friends as mementoes of the war.
An amusing incident occurred in street
car while he was in Congress which gave
him great annoyance, because he was ex-
tremely sensitive ard he did not like to
be teased. He was riding to the Capitol
on rainy day and was seated next to
large. red-faced, belligerent looking wom-
an. Several of his colleagues were along.
and he was busy talking with them when
the car stopped at New Jersey avenue. In
an absent-minded way the general Jumped
up from his seat and grabbed an umbrella
that rested between him and the woman.
He had reached the platform and was just
stepping off when she discovered that her
umbrella was missing and made rush for
him. The general apologized and explained
the mistake In his gentle way, but the
woman was so indignant that she would
not listen to a word and insisted upon
having him arrested. She called him q
thief and "a nasty little scoundrel,' and
told him that he looked like a pickpocket.
and bestowed upon him torrent of IN
vective. The poor general was so morti-
fed and nonplussed that he did not know
what to do. Finally some of his friends
grabbed him by the arm and rushed him
away while the woman was sun taking,
and the car moved on. He could face a
hostile army or an assembly of poilucal
opponents without f1nching, but that
woman was altogether too much for him.
After the civil war was over the general
settled down in Alabama and bought a
plantation in Lawrence county, IN the
northern part of the state, near the Danks
of the Tennessee river. He built COM
Portable house in a grove of trees. and
there his children were born and reared.
Two miles away, a station called Nv heei-
err In his honor, on the Memphis dlvlsicn
of the Southern railroad, was gateway
to the outer world, and there little set
tlement gradually grew up. The general
was never very successful planter, put ne
was a good neighbor and exercised almost
unlimited influence among the people OF
that state. His war record made him nero:
his kindly disposition and sincere interest
In the welfare of everybody made him adj
wiser and confidant for the entire COM
munity. He was sort of patriarch among
his people, and they loved him as much as
he loved them.
His family relations were most delight
full Mrs Wheeler was charming woman
and his sons and daughters were his most
intimate friends.