The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-01-15
CHIEF EXECUTIVE OF ALABAMA
 ONCE NAUGURATED IN CHURCH

islature in the Court Street Methodist Church. There he delivered his ad- dress. The old church building was given to the negroes, and it is now known as Old Ship Church. The pres- ent Court Street Methodist Church Is built on the site of the church in which the inauguration exercises were held.
 Takes Oath in Bed.
 Governor William j.. Sanford took the oath of office while he was lying dangerously III In bed at his home in Opelika. To enable him to do this, special act was hurriedly passed by the Legislature. Governor Sanford was stricken with dangerous illness at the close of the strenuous campaign which resulted in his nomination by the Dem- ocratic Party. From that illness he never completely recovered, and from 1t he ultimately died.
 He left his sick room December 26, 1900. and came to Montgomery to as- sume the duties of his office, but his and. June IS, 1901, he died at Tusca- loosa, where he went to attend q meeting of the Board of Trustees of the University of Alabama.
 Governor Jelks was absent on a bus mess trip to Texas at the time. but he was called immediately home to as- sume the duties of Governor. He had already taken the oath of office, quite simply, the previous December, and no inaugural exercises of any sort marked his entry into the office.
 But the inauguration of Jefferson Davis as President of the Confederate States made for Montgomery its great raising of the curtain for the dark and bloody drama of war.
 Mir. Davis was elected President of the Confederacy directly after he had left the Senate Chamber of the United States. having represented Mississippi in that body. He came to Montgomery from his home in Mississippi, but he came a circuitous route by Chattanoo- ga, Tenn. A committee of distinguish ed Alabamians met him and his party as 1t crossed the Alabama line at West Point, Ga. MT. Davis was accompanied by Alexander H. Stevens, vice-Presi- dent of the Confederaey
 Inauguration of Davis.
 In the committee which met him were such distinguished citizens of the State as William Lowndes Yancey and Edward c. Bullock, who were des- tined by fate to see the end of the war storm that was gathering; Charles T. Pollard. the famous railroad builder: Judge s. T. Rice. Alexander B. Meek and Dr. Charles Lucas.
 The speech of welcome to Alabama was delivered by Edward C. Bullock very young man, but recognized as one of the most eloquent orators of the South. To this speech MT. Davis briefly replied. From West Point to Montgomery. MT. Davis made the trip in the private car of Charles T. Pol lard. President of the Western of Ala bama. The car was manufactured in the old shops in North Montgomery.
 At Opelika a big demonstration was rendered President Davis and his par ty. An address was delivered by Dr. Thornton of Opelika, and the response was made by William Lowndes Yan- cey At Auburn another large crowd had gathered, including the local mil. itary company, which was drawn up to salute the President Of the Confeder. acy.
 At Montgomery large crowd of cit- izens awaited the arrival of the train. A committee from the City Council of Montgomery welcomed MT. Davis to the city. The welcoming address was de- lfyered by Judge II. F. Watson.
 MT. Davis and Vice-President A. H. Stevens, with Messrs. Yancey and Bull lock entered carriages and were driv- en to the Exchange Hotel, where apart ments had been reserved. An enthusi- astic crowd gathered in front of the Exchange, and insistently demanded speeches from the leader of the South ern Copfederacy and members of his party. MT. Davis and Mir. Yancey ap pedfeQ on the DatCOny ana delivered brief addresses to the crawd.
 Ceremony Was Simple
 The next day the inaugural parade started from Montgomery Street, and from there followed the route that was taken by the inaugural parade of yes terday Judge H. F. Watson, of Mont gomery was Grand Marshal of the pa- rade Among his aids on that day was William Knox. of Montgomery. The President was driven to the Capitol in the handsome carriage of Col Ten nent Lomax, drawn by six white horses. In the carriage with him were George A. Jones of Alabama, and Dr. Basil Manly.
 There were only four military com ranies in the procession. The battal- ion was commanded by Captain Sem mes of Columbus, Ga. The companies in line were the Eufaula Rifles, com manded by Captain Bayer; the Inde- pendent Rifles of Montgomery, com handed by Captain Paris; the Colum- bus Guards. commanded by Lieutenant Ellis: and the German Fusileens of Montgomery. under command of Cap- tain Schuessler. The line of march was ul Commerce Street to Court Square and from Court Square up Dex- ter Avenue, or Market Street, as it was known then.
 At the Capitol, MT. Davis took a seat on the portico. At his right was Vice. President Stevens, and at his left How ell Cobb, president of the Confederate Congress. Immediately in his rear on the portico was Governor A. B. Moore of Alabama.
 The simple inaugural exercises open ed with prayer by Rev Basil Manly The oath of office was administered to the President by President Howell Cobb, of the Confederate Congress. As MT. Davis rose to speak a great shout went up from the people It is record ed that his inaugural address was de- livered calmly and forcefully."
 The Weekly Advertiser of the fol- lowing day, in its account of the in- augura1 exercises. which covered quite a full column, says:
 "OnIy a nasty sketch of the moment ous scene Is attempted. The crowd V as so large and so dense that four re- porters could not get near enough to write an adequate description"
 When MT. Davis had completed his address, the reporter says: "The la- dies wreathed him with flowers"
 Reception Rt Night.
 That night the City of Montgomery was brilliantly illuminated in honor of the occasion. MT. Davis held re- ception at Estell's Hall, where hun dreds gathered to shake his hand.
 Harking back to the first inaugural Alabama had. 1t might be said that as many people were in the city of Mont gomery yesterday as were in the Ter ritory of Alabama when William Wyatt