The Columbia herald. [volume] (Columbia, Tenn.) 18??-1935, 1907-07-12

Ia ocen driven out OF Tennessee.
they held . rally, and. 70 show their
strength and 0veraWe the Southern
people. they had a mounted parade.
in which II is said that Mrs. Latham
participated.
l enclose you a written statement
from Mrs. NJ. J. Somers. widow Of
Judge John Soners. Of Dresden. one
OF the pillars OF the Union cause Ia
Tennessee, and chancellor Of bis dis
trict until his death. Mrs. somers
says Mrs. Latham was a strong sym
pathizer with the UnIonlstA re-
remember her riding with the UniOa
parade in Dresden during the war.
At my house she discussed the situa-
ton. taking sides with the North. and
l remember her speaking OF the rid
ing habit she used in the parade"
| enclose you . letter from w. H.
Gardner. a prominent citizen and late
mayor OF Union City. Tenn, who was
reared in Dresden. He says: "Al-
though in the army I kept posted, how
ever. by the boys coming and going.
and | heard from all sources that La.
than was intense in his hatred to the
Southern people, and especially the
Southern soldiers. | also heard that
be was q blockade-runner. getting
merchandise out of PadScah by the
permission Of Paine and other Yankee
commanders, and reaping enormous
proHts out of this tramc. 1 have al.
ways heard as a matter Of common
report that Mrs. Latham was in full
sympathy with the Northern cause.
j never heard of any act OF kindness
or even sympathy from either Of them
to or for a Southern soldier" This
merchandise spoken Of by MI. Gard
ner was chiefly whisky. Of which he
handled large quantities, having at
one time one hundred barrels stored
in Dresden, when better men could
not get permits to bring out one gal
Ion. It was in this way that he laid
the foundation for the large fortune
which ne supplemented soon after the
war, as register in bankruptcy at
Memphis, which position he, received
as a reward for his treachery to US.
Many of our old veterans who lost
their all by the war were compelled
to take the benefit OF the bankruptcy
act. Latham exacted the exorbitant
fees which that act permitted, and
thus completed the foundation for his
present large fortune.
know that Mr.. and Mrs. Latham
in the early spring of 1864 refugeed
from Dresden in advance of FORESTS
occupation of West Tennessee, and
took refuge behind the federal guns
at Paducah, and when we began max
ing ourselves familiar about Paducah
| understand that they fed further.
After the war and to this day Mr.
Latham has at all times supported
the dire measures of the Republican
party. including the reconstruction
act and all measures connected there
with that sought to degrade and op'
press the South, putting the black
heels of the negro on the white necks
of our people; and yet, through the
active exertion of his wife, he has
been made an honorary member Of
the Daughters of the Confederacy
and. | am told, attended the annual
convention at Gulfport, sporting their
colors. while | and thousand other
veterans who are carrying the scars
of battle can not enjoy this honor.
But" reports Mrs. Latham In her
letter tn me. II have done SO much
for the dear South" Her chief glory
and boast is. What I did for the For
rest monument" and for which she
sought and obtained considerable
newspaper notoriety. Yes, 1t is true
that she gratified her ltcnlhg oesne
for notoriety by rushing around the
streets and begging every old veteran
and Southern sympathizer she met
also attended our reunions and wen'
into the Hobbies of the hotels begging
Of the veterans contributions to build
the monument, and then forgot to drop
in a nickel herself and ask the non
orary member of the U. d. O., mel
wealthy husband, to contribute. Inc
report of the committee, widely pub
lished, shows every cent received and
the source from which it came, aho
for what it was disbursed, and tne
names of Mr.. and Mrs. T. j. Latham
are conspicuous by their absence
Neither of them contributed single
cent toward the erection of the For
rest monument. and, so far as ! have
heard or seen, neither OF them mas
o,,o, contributed a cent to any SOuJp