The Tupelo journal. (Tupelo, Miss.) 1876-1924, 1906-01-19
TUpELo, MISSISSIPPI FRIDAY JANUARY 49, 1906

10. Beene had made a nice com.
potency, and had bought him 9
plantation in the country, a little
south east of Baldwin. had a fine
lot of negroes to cultivate the
land, and had himself moved or
to it, but still attended the courts
regularly and kept up active
practice as a lawyer, being often
retained in important civil suits,
even while discharging the ardu-
Gus duties of District Attorney.
l have myself stayed over night
at his country home, and found
him to be a very pleasant host,
and his wife, Eunice, most
charming hostess. There was
! nothing on his place too good for
the humblest man who might
visit him. His laughter rang out
all over the premises, and his
smile and ready handshake were
for all. He was unfortunate,
however, in having so long been
under the habit of drinking that
it finally got the mastery of him;
and in his old age, he was COM
PEELED to accept a small home in
the Twenty Mile country of old
Itawamba from his son, Domby,
and there he died at a good old
age. But, if he had been prudent
and careful, his old age might
have been passed in as comforta-
BILE home as any the country af-
forded, and left a reasonable
fortune for his family.
Pretty generally have confn-
ed myself in these 'Pen Pictures"
to facts and incidents, hoping
that my readers would remember
that History is Philosophy teach
ing by example, - But, to the
young men who have read my
"Pen Pictures" wish to say,
there is no absolute safety except
letting the vile stuff alone. The
best men, most generous and no.
BILE hearted, will fall and do fall
beneath his treacherous touch.
Safety lies alone in taste not,
touch not, handle not the unclean
thing If anyone who reads
this use intoxicants as a beverage,
and do not cease the use, remem-
ber when you are old and gray
headed, and your bodies are rack
ed with pain and anguish conse-
quent on the poisonous effects of
such use, | warned you faithful
ly.
Now, | turn to speak of a very
dear friend, who had only pre-
ceded me some four or five years
in admittance to the practice of
the law at Fulton. Who can tell
what the future has in store for
young and hopeful hearts? And
who can so far act the prophet
as to be*able to say this one Of all
the number will write the histo-
ry of all our transactions? When
we all began together in 1859,
each full of life and hope, and
whose horizons were flashed alike
by bright anticipations of the
coming years, who could guess
that | of all the number would be
telling of myself and all the 9TH
ers as they acted on the stage in
the olden time-in the long ago?
Man proposes, but God dispo-
ses." We all walked and talked
together in the long ago; sur
rounded by each other in our diff
ferent places of meeting, we
blessed the stars that brought us
in contact, and really thought
not of a historian of the band, nor
of who should go or who sur
yive. Yet, here am now, sixty
nine years old this Christmas,
solitary and alone of all the law
yers who were at the bar when |
was admitted, writing, writing,
of the things that occurred, and
Of the men and measures | came
in contact with in those olden
days. Forty years from now who
will Pen the Pictures? The fin
gers that now hold the pen with
both hands as write these lines,
will soon drop from the pen and
the pen from them, and the
tongue that so loves to talk to
the friends and friends friends
of the olden time, will be silent
forever on earth, and the warm
hand grasp I enjoy SO much, will
relax its pressure, and the eye
that so sparkles at the mirth of
the old time friends will be CLASSY,
and nomore respond to the cheer
full sal tations that now greet
me. B. 7 am here at the Christ
mas tloe o tell that
There is land of pure delight,
Where saints immortal reign,
Infinite day excludes the night,
And pleasures Danish pain.
And he who has made his ac-
quaintanceship with the meek
and lowly Gallilean, and has
walked by His side here. and SO
conducted himself that he has re-
allied the presence Of the dear
One close to him amid all con-