The Montgomery advertiser., 1908-06-28
HILLLARD AND YANCEY OR THE FUNERAL AT MOUNT MElGS

0fH8WA2MH4M.aihMa MaA - &Rhz zzMMh Mh MH&1H8 fetching notices like "Sic semper ty- rannis.s That they never "see by the dawn's dim light what so proudly they hailed at the twilght's last gleam- ing fS That they had no Fourth of round the world.' No Bunker Hill; no Bennington. The ruse fell Hat The crowd would listen awhile in respectful attention. and then burst out into up- rparous peals of laughter, till Hiliiard, not knowing whether they were guying him or laughing at Beman. fncontI- nently withdrew.
 But am losing sight of my purpose. started out to tell you about that funeral at Mount Meigs in iS47, so 1 must return to my mouton.
 It began in Jim Belcher's ofice. I know that he wrote his name Beiser. know that the firm name was "Belser and Harris" but I also know that hid country clients. who had known him longest and admired him most called him Jim Belcher. You see 1t was inn possible to call him anything else. His clothes were iil-fitting, his collar so mussed. his shoes so untied, and hlm- self so altogether 'keerless" that for anybody to have called him by a name as stiff and formal as Mir. James Bell ser, would have been painfully absurd; so the people, without calling a mass meeting or passing any resolutions, just took 1t in hand and called him plain Jim Beicher. He may not have been christened that way: I do not think he was. He was named like Ba- bylon. That, you know. was first call ed Babel. When the old pagans built the tower on Shinaar. and God con founded their tongues, 1t was called Babble, and when they continued to babbie, Babbble-on. and finally for short, Babylon.
 At the precise moment of the occur renee I am about to relate there were several persons present. Belcher's of-
 flee was on Market Street, now known as Dexter Avenue. I readily recall the name. for Mir. Dexter himself might have been found, at any hour of the day or night. a few doors up Perry. at his palatial residence. The Rialto The office in question was on the sec ond floor. close to the City Hotel. My lodging was the back room on the second floor, so, that anything I may have to say about the locality may as well be accepted as Gospel. If my friend, William B. Moss. were living he would corroborate all I say and more besides. for many's the bout and many's the carousal. in an innocent way. we enjoyed together in that eel ebrated little cuddy. We played back. gammon in the wee hours till the dice wore perfectly round. and had dwindied to -pewees.
 Beicher was fin the office at the time. So was Judge C., so was s., so was T.. so was Perez Coleman. These are all remember except Harris. whom Moss was teasing about a recent love affair. heard Harris say, She has brought her pigs to a poor market :" Then I cast down my eyes, seeming not to understand the ailusion. Judge Goldthwaite. having on large. bell crowned hat. was standing before a bookcase, his back to the crowd. boring over a knotty case in a Sheepsxin vol- ume. P. D.-Sayre was vaporing around. making the air blue with oaths. none of which were more profane than By George!" Jack Thorington, in a blue. check suit, was pacing the dooP as was his won't saying nothing. Now come to think of it, never saw him when he was not in biue-check suit. never when he was not pacing the floor, never when he was not fiickfng q big seal attached to his fob over. and over again. When I tell you that Judge G. always walked the streets. head up, eyes turning neither to the right or left, speaking to no one, but absorbed to the verge. of vacancy-the traits of my assembISge arc well be- fore you.
 But stop! forgot to mention that there was one more individual present, a man not oversize, with blue eyes and brown hair, with lips compressed, very round, very compact. very pro- nounced. He was talking quickly to Belcher. when all of sudden heard a loud voice explain. T am watching that fellow B. and If he does not quit abusing Chapman in his contemptibIe sheet, I will draw his claret for him. '"