The Tupelo journal., 1906-02-09

PEN-pICTURES OF THE OLDEN Time
BY col w L. CLAYTON.

liio hioLO1S y WCltiNt llOt DC will
plete if were to wind up these
Pen Pictures so soon as | had
given a sketch Of the lawyers who
we're practicing at Fulton when
I went there in the heyday of my
young manhood. While my as
sociation was closer with most of
the lawyers than any others,
still | was not at all Indifferent
to the actions, movements and
merits of citizens following other
professions and employments.
M. C. Cummings was connec-
ted with the history and life of
Fulton for a longer period of
time than any other man whom |
ever knew. He did not live in
the town, but about one mile
north in the country for all the
time | knew him, but he was so
closely woven with the woof
and wa D of the town that every
body considered Uncle Mack a
resident. Besides, he lived there
in the earlier years before knew
him. Many, many years ago he
came to Fulton a poor boy, hav-
ing nothing, and worked for
those who were in better circum-
stances, chopping wood at their
wood piles, as I have been in
formed, at fifty cents a day. He
was a man of limited education,
not really being able to speak the
Kings English with any accura
cv, and I do not suppose he ever
studied English Grammar a day
in his life. But he was a man OF
fine judgment in his business,
chat Of farming, milling, stock
raising and trading. He had
fine capacity as any man | eve
knew of turning everything he
touched into gold. The four ii J
which he made working by tn
day, he carefully kept for rainy
day, as the expr assion goes, and
then, when the rainy day came.
he still added to it until he had
enough to begin making invest
ments. He made very few mis-
takes in hiss inV estments. Soon
af yer he came to Fulton it was
generally thought he had tuber-
culosis, and many predicted an
early ae4tn from THAT dceal dis
-a5e; oac he lived 50 nnlcl o.
loors. and sach an active life,
and was 50 full of energy, thai
he lived to about eighty five. He
was simple in his diet, and never
drank anything to intoxicate,
worked much and planned more.
From the time | knew Mr.. Cum
mings to the day of his death, |
never knew him to be without
the means of accommodating
those who wished to pay for it.
If you wanted corn he had it to
sell; if you wanted a horse, or a
horse and buggy, all you had to
do was to call on Uncle Mack, and
during slave time, if you wanted
a cook for a week, or month, Or
a negro man for a days work,
I'll you had to do was to ask him,
and you were accommodated. He
had fine discrimination in making
trades, and was a good judge OF
men as well. When the war came
on he was in good shape finan-
cially, his property then being
worth at least a hundred thou
sand dollars. Mr. Cummings hal
political aspirations also. He was
a member Of the secession coa-
stitutional convention, and was
the one member OF that body
VINO refused to slgn the ordnance
Of secession. During the war he
was also member of the State
Legislature, but Immediately af-
ter the war he ran against Col.
John M. S.monton for the State
Senate and was defeated. Uncle
Mack was an enthusiastic mem
Der Of the nj. e. Church, South,
and a very regular attendant on
the services of the sanctuary, ac-
tive as Sunday School man, lib
eral in his contributions to the
cause of his church; and the
church building in which all de-
nominations now worship in Full
ton, but which belongs to the M.
E. Church, South, is a gift from
him to them, and he served as
the superintendent of the Sun
day School until he was past
eighty. He was not a man Of
osIenJatious giving either, but
the poor widows and orphans OF
the country in his reach were as
sisted from his provident bounty.
Many men before the war in
vested all they had in negro
property, save the small amount
It took to buy a country home
for the negroes to work on; but
Cummings was too wise a man
and far seeing: financier to dc
that. When the War.came up, in
addition to his lands and mill, he
mad laid up a reasonable stock OF
gold, and owed nothing; SO that,
when the negroes were freed, he
was still a man Of some means,
| and still possessed that indomita