The Aberdeen weekly. [volume] (Aberdeen, Miss.) 1878-1933, 1909-12-10

BY E. F. PICKETT. B. S. 'O9.

had turned republican. He was
born in Cherokee county, Alabama,
Nov. 80, 1888, and was educated
in Texas. 1t was in Texas that be
captain. He came to Monroe county
soon after the war and began To
take an active leadership of the
republican party. He was a man
Of force of character and had cour-
age to stand up to his convictions.
He was practically the mainstay of
the republican party during its
period Of success, and he succeeded
in keeping it alive until defeat
seemed inevita BILE, when his inter
est Jagged and his efforts were
naught. He fell with the great
host of republicans on November ?,
1873. He was Mayor of Aberdeen
from 1871 TO 1873; Sheriff, 1873
1873; was Postmaster once In 1880
S6 and again in 1890 He Is now
living in Birmingham, Alabama,
and is doing a very good whole
sale business, and is regarded as a
very respectable citizen. His wife
was one of the lady managers Of the
Colum bian Exposition in Chicago.
lG. J. Leftwich; Goodspeed s
Memoirs, |, 1112; and others
Another Southern Republican
was Col. ]. l.. Herbert. lie was
shot in the body before the war in
a personal difficulty, and on ac-
count Of this he turned republican,
and was appointed Circuit aJudge.
Mr.. F. c.. Barry and Judge r. c.
Beckett had some serious difficult
ties with Herbert on account of
some court matters. 1t was claimed
that Herbert was cOnsOrting with
the negroes and using his home as
an arsenal. The outcome of it all
was that Mr.. Barry went to Her
bert's residence one night and
called him out. He came with a
double barreled shot gun, expecting
trouble. They had a duel across
the fence. When one would shoot.
the other would manage to dodge
behind one of the large gate posts,
so thus it continued until both
were out Of ammunition. At that
time a man by the name of j. ;.
Roberts ran up and handed Barry a
gun loaded with buckshOt and told
him to shoot Herbert. But Barry 3
heart failed him on seeing Herbert
standing before him totally un-
armed. BY this time soldiers had
come up, no one being hurt, and
arrested Judge Beckett and Barry
and J. ID. McClusky, who fwas
associated in the shooting. The
next day they were brought up for
trialLw hich proved "a burlesque.
1t was a military trial, -butt they
"bluffed" the whole tribunal, put
ting up a boldEfront considering the
fact that they were, in a military
court. The way they answered
their names showed the attitude
they took toward the authorities.
Barry responded to his name: Il
am Frederick Napoleon Wellington
Barry J. ID. McClusky said, Il
am Oliver Cromwell McClusky"
and Beckett echoed back, L am
Richard the Lion Hearted Beckett. +"
They were turned loose. The ne
groes then took up the matter and
surrounded Beckett and Barry one
night i'm the latters office. 1t looked
as if violence was to ensue, but the
prisoners were prepared for the
occasion, having been warned dur
ing the day, and they were pre-
pared to shoot the first man that
entered the room. If pressed they
intended to enter an ally and es-
cape by crossing the Tombigbee
river. which Barry had already
done before on account of his beat
ing a big yellow negro for denounc-
ing him in public meeting OF the
Republicans. During the night the
the negroes Withdrew and Moth
ing was done to them. Her
bert was addicted to long protraced
sprees, often lasting for months at
a time, and it was on this account
that he was turned out of office.
tThe above information Is found IN
article by r. c. Beckett in Publica
tons of Mississippi Historical
Society VIII, 177-1S6, and i'm
Pamphlet edition, S2-Leftwich. J
George Pennington, another scala
wag, was circuit clerk for a short
time. He turned republican in
order to get office. and but for that
fact he was pretty well thought of.
He died while holding the office of
Deputy Sheriff some years later.
He was nominated to run for cir
cult clerk in the election of 1851
but resigned the nomination. I'D.