The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-29
LATE GENERAL WHEELER.
Striking Incident in the Great Sol.
 dler's Life.

There are few men of attainment who have true appreciation of the real mean ing of the doctrine of noblesse obllge. AS general rule, they place an inverse in- depreciation upon 1t, acquieselng to the thralldom of convention. and acceptinr without thought the restrictions of a code of imagined social obligations imposed by their rank. Egotistic, incapable or unwilling to recognize the part played by their fellowman in raising them to their station in life, they arrogate unto them- selves the entire credit for their attain ments
 The man who devlates from this rule is an exception, and to be an exception is to be truly great Ruskin, William Morris and Tolstoi, in the literary world, have furnished illustrious examples Lin coin was an excellent type, and while the American army has furnished several ex- amples, possibly no one man has ever exemplihed this type of greatness to a fuller extent than the late General Joseph Wheeler. Wheeler was great through and through and an incident occurred in An nston during the days of Camp Shipp that offered an excellent opportunity for a demonstration of his broad sympathy and utter lack of petty pride, or false dig nity.
 General Wheeler had been commissioned to Anniston for the purpose of reviewing the troops stationed at the local camp and on his arrival in the city he was given a welcome that amounted to an ovation. In the afternoon, the troops were called out on dress parade. Wheeler, riding coal black steed, took a position with the camp commanders in front of what was then the Anniston City Land company building, facing Anniston col lege, the spectators grandstand being inn mediately in his rear. Little Joe had just returned from the war with Spain, where he had made a brilliant record, and on this occasion he was the exposure of all eyes
 About three regiments had been Inspect ed, and the Fourth Wisconsin, neatly uniformed and handsomely drilled regi- ment, with an excellent band, was pass ing. when suddenly from behind the grandstand a hardworking, poorly clad old fellow from the rural districts, evi- dently pretty full of bad corn whisky, staggered into the officers ranks and stopped beside Wheeler,
 Hi, Joe I-hic-aln't seed ye since the war" he said, he steadied him self by holding to the Generals stirrup.
 A policeman came running across the review grounds to arrest the impertinent fellow and the eyes of ten thousand sol diers and five thousand civilians were turned toward Wheeler whose accom- panying officers sat stiff upon their horses with imperial dignity. What would Wheeler do?
 The little man of battle leaned down from his horse, took the horny hand of the farmer in his and said, An l ain't seed you since the war. either, Johnston; but l remember you nevertheless.
 Then he smiled and asked the police man to be lenient with his prisoner; for, said Wheeler Ines good at heart and means no harm"
 This little man retained his individual ity his independence of action under all conditions. He was truly great. Kindly, courteous and sympathetic, he never forgot nor ignored a comrade who had fought by his side under the Stars and Bars or the Stars and Stripes. the two flags that will shroud his body in the St. Johns church today.
 HARRY NJ. AYERS. Anniston January 2S 1906