The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-05-11
TUpELo, MIssfsstppi. FRIDAY MAY II 1906
pEN-plCTURES OF THE OLDEN time.
BY COL w L. CLAYTON.

:. CLAYTON.
empty sleeve, the left arm being
amputated at the shoulder joint.
Some may have doubted the ca
pacity of Gen. Gholson as a wise
commander, but none ever doubt
ed his loyalty to the cause of the
South nor his courage in the pres
ence of the enemy. After the
war was over Gen. Gholson was
a regular attendant and practi-
toner at the Fulton bar. | re-
member at one court immediate
ly after the war he and Gen. Da-
Wis both rode horseback from Alb
erdeen to court at Fulton, and l
happened to be at the hotel when
they came in, and know | was
struck with the difference in the
way they stood the trip, Davis
being worn out and almost ready
to go to bed, while Gholson was
game to the bottom and gay as a
fighting cock. He was a man of
great powers of endurance. He
was a very earnest practitioner
of law, but he did not have the
reputation for legal learning pos
sessed by some of his compeers.
He had a very warm heart to-
wards his brethren of the bar,
and was especially kind to young
men just entering the profession,
and ever ready to lend them a
helping hand.
w. F. Dowd, commonly called
Bill Dowd, was a prominent fig
ure for many years at Fulton,
both before and after the war.
He was rather a small man,
somewhat sallow complexion,
black hair, very large and we'll
proportioned head. He was a
very fine lawyer, and a most ex-
cellent practitioner. Quick as
thought to take in the facts of a
case, with a wonderful memory,
and when he had the facts he
was ready to apply the law.
always considered him as the
equal of any lawyer | ever met
in grasping the whole situation
Of a case and that with wonder
ful rapidity. In 1859 the cele-
Ibrated case of Hayden VS.. M. C.
Cummings and others was tried
in the Federal Court at Pontotoc.
and Dowd represented the plain
tiff, and the defendants were
represented by almost the entire
I,bar of North Mississippi. Itwas
a case in which the whole town
of Fulton had met and ordered
Dick Hayden from the town and
making divers accusations against
him, and having removed to Ken
lucky, he brought suit against
very nearly all the townsmen and
some living in the country. Bill
Dowd was enough for the entire
bar representing the defendants.
He won one case and the others,
several in number, were COM
promised. remember very well
the celebrated case of the state
VS.. DR.. j. A. Leech, on a charge
of murder in the killing of w. B.
Robinson at old Richmond. The
killing occurred in June, 1861,
just in the edge Of the old town,
and no eye witnesses except the
defendant and the man killed.
Leech remained in jail for sever
al years, and was finally bailed
out, more because no trial could
be had during the war than on
the idea of its being a bailable
case. After the war, and | think
in 1866, possibly in 1867, the case
came on for trial at Aberdeen, tc
which place the case had been
removed by change of venue.
Col. j. A. Blair was then District
Attorney, and he was assisted in
the prosecution by Judge Joel M.
Acker. The defendant was rep
resented by Sale. Phelan & Dowd,
Gen. Reuben Davis. and the
writer of this, DoWd being the
w. f. Dowd of whom have
been speaking above. We per-
mitted Gen. Davis, in his inim-
table style, to manage the case
for the defense in putting the ev-
idence before the jury, and he
certainly did it to our entire sat
isfaction. Col. Blair being a
young man, it was thought best
for the interest of the state to
have Judge Acker make the last
speech. When we ascertained
this, we proposed to submit the
case to the jury without argu-
Fment. This they declined. 1t
was then late Saturday evening,
and we only had time for Col.
Blair to make his opening speech
before adjourning time. When
he closed his argument, court ad-
iourned till Monday morning.
DoWd thought we had made out
q good case, and was strongly in
favor Of no argument on our side
Iif we could prevent Acker from