The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-01-28
MUSGROVE GIVES
 A POSSUM DINNER
A Most Notable Social Event at
 Corona
COMER AMONG THE GUESTS
MT. Musgrove Happy as Postmaster. Forty-seVen 'Possuns and Some thing to Wash Down the
 Dinner-Ladies Present.

Breek Musgrove gave his annual pos sum dinner at Corona Friday night. Among his guests were Mr. Conner, can didate for the gubernatorial nomination; Capt Richmond Pearson Hobson. Gov ernor Jelks and other distinguished men in public life were expected but were unavoidably prevented from being pres ent.
 MT. Musgrove is the vice president of the Corona Coal and Iron company, and Is known throughout Alabama as re- sourcefu1 politician and dispensary prophet, as well as successful coal op- orator. But on these several occasions he is known above all things as a prince of hosts. His hospitality was never more gracious or lavish than it was Friday night.
 The Corona hotel where the entertain ment was held. was brilliantly illuminated with electricity and the dining hall was tastefully decorated. The table WAS a revelation from the view point of the caterers art as it was 'possum spread everything was in keeping with the occa- sion.
 At the head of the table sat MT. Mus grove, as toastmaster At his right was Mrs c. B. Ryan, wife of the general passenger agent of the Seaboard. Seated at the toastmaster's left was MT. Conner. Other persons at the dinner were J. w. Richardson and William F. Hughes of the Southern railway, J. R. Ryan. general manager of the Corona company; John Mcqueen, solicitor of this judicial circuit; Scott Maxwell, Bradley J. Saunders James W. Randall. Capt. Hughes B. Ken nedy, George Kelley, Charles Martin, MT. Cheney. Mir. Mcintyre. MT Dean, Mrs. Kelley, Mrs. Dean, Mrs. Mcintyre, Mrs. Martin and Mrs. Hughes and about twen- ty-five additional guests.
 The menu included forty-seven pos sums, a whole roast pig, quail by the dozen, hams, yams, and-hush, keep it dark-a certain choice, bubbling vintage. And to cap 1t all, two dandy duskies from the Hotel Hillman of Birmingham.
 Happy Toasts.
 The toasts were happy Mir Musgrove, standing majestically at the head of the grooming festal board first told the won derful tale of the capture of the forty seven 'possums. The whole lot, he said had been treed in a single night by him. self and his friends. He claimed having made the banner killing, eyerring that fir fifteen minutes he caught and killed six large 'possums, with the aid of only onc 'yaller'' dog, one waller" man, and one axe. It was necessary to cut down six large trees to get these 'possums. Doubt being expressed as to his having accom- plished this feat Mir. Musgrove affect ing indignation, and sent for the very axe with which his work had been done. Sure enough, the axe had six large hicks in it and what more proof was necessary?
 In his introductions MT. Musgrove was in great form, and made a clever hit on every speaker He first introduced Solic- itor Mcqueen, who made some humorous references to the time when he and Mus grove were pioneers together.
 The next speaker was Scott Maxwell of the Indian Head cotton mills, who was to respond to the toast of Walker County And It's Future" MT. Maxwell said:
 "The cotton crop of 1905 is really to small subject to talk about" Then he decided that he had the wrong topic, and after deliberation, passed his turn to talk to the next man.
 MT Musgrove then said: "We have in Corona some few men who pose as Beau Brummels In Birmingham there are many limitations. But, mark you well, in all the multitude there is but one real, genuine 24-karat Beau. Moreover, we have him here with us. l call on Bradley J. Saunders, the Beau Brummel of the East Lake Land company. to respond to the toast of Governor Comer.'
 MT. Saunders said he didn't feel equal to talking but asked for rising 'bottoms up'' to Mir Conner MT. Conner himself was the next speaker.
 MT. Corners Story.
 He talked about what he called the faith we are asked to have in the good intentions of the railroads in regard to rate improvements. As an illustration he told this story about a country parson. "some years ago." he said. there was a parson so strong in his faith in the Bible that nothing could shake his belief. One Saturday he was telling his nephews the text from which he was to preach the next day. The irreverent rascals promptly pasted few leaves of their uncle's Bible. so that the next morning the preacher read his text as follows: And it came to pass that when Noah was 120 years old. he took unto himself a wife and she was-then came the pasted pages)--14o cubits long, and 40 cuoits wide, made of gopher wood, and pitched both inside and out
 "Well the old parson didn't quite know what to think about this but finally said T never saw that before, but it's here in the Bible, so I believe 1t; and 1t goes to show how wonderfully we are