The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-05-25

10 nave Deon the mOSC lOVaDle
character of any minister who
has ever lived in our community.
An old friend of mine, modest
and retiring himself, and who
knew Absalom Stovall in old
Alabama, where they both for
merly lived, and who kept up
with him all through the subse-
quent years, agrees with me in
this estimate Of him. | never
knew any Of his family except
two boys, Pete and Jim. He
managed to educate the boys
well, and Pete was a splendid
physician and a good surgeon, and
did fine service during the war
for the confederates. Jim never
believed in using a shorter word
than valetudinarian for a sick
man. He and some friends were
on trip before the war. and one
of their number took sick, and
they were CARRYING him in a car
riage, and wishing to get some
milk for him, they stopped at a
farm house, where the people
were of the ordinary uneducated
class. Jim went into the home
and told the good lady of the
house that they had a "valetudi-
marian" out in the carriage and
they wanted to get some milk for
him, and they readily granted
the request, and sidled out and
watched to see them feed him to
find out what kind Of an animal
a veletudinarian could be! The
body Of A. L. Stovall has long
rested in the graveyard at Tu-
pelo, he having been the first
person ever buried in that Gem
etery. But if we accept the
Book Of Books as true, and espe-
cially the declaration therein
contained, "by their fruits We
shall know them," we may read
lily say ere this he has known
what the welcome plaudit means
from the fathers lips.
Samuel Owen, brother of B. L.
and D. w. Owen, lawyers aboat
whom | have heretofore written
in these "Pen Pictures" was
an interesting character. l knew
him from 1850, when | first saw
him hunting deer near my fa-
theirs old home. His father was
what was then considered veal
thy, having a fine plantation on
Mantachie and negroes to work
the same. Sam seemed to have
to do, beinga gentleman
of leisure, living at his fathers.
He never married. He was old
er than Buck and younger than
Ben, a rather slender man, of
fine appearance, beard all over
his face, rather sandy color, but
dark sandy, as genial and COM
panionable man as any | ever
met. When | was married in
November, 1860, he stood up with
me, and | remember very we'll
the downpour of rain we had to
pass through and the difficulty we
had in getting through old Town
Creek swamp, coming out just
below the Fish Hatchery in the
part of Tupelo, passing
on into Pontotoc county for my
bride. Sam then said if South
Carolina seeded from the union
he did not consider it any of his
business to fight for her. 1t
seems he did not, think there was
any danger of Mississippi taking
the same course. But when our
state passed the ordinance of Sc
cession, and a call was made for
volunteers, Sam Owen went out
in Capt. Bromley's company, and
was attached to the 2nd Miss.
Reg. of infantry, and he who
had never known what it was to
work or engage in any business,
went out as first sergeant of his
and the scene Of his
service was with the Virginia ar
my until it's close, though he had
been promoted to be adjutant of
the regiment. When the last
battle was being fought. and in
the very last firing the End Miss.
Reg. did for the Lost Cause, Sam
Owen fell. In all the stirring
scenes of the war, and in the
fierce engagements in which his
and regiment had been
no wound had pierced
his body, and it seemed so hard
that he should fall when all was
over and the home coming was
just ushering into sight. When
we come to casting flowers oyer
the last resting place of our hon
ored dead, let us not forget Sam
Owen, and in our minds eye at
any rate, let us hang a chaplet
Of flowers in his memory.
NOTICE DISSOLUTION.