Oxford eagle. (Oxford, Lafayette Co., Miss.) 1876-current, 1910-05-26

SOLIMN.

OF interest that occurred in our county
during the wa- or the reconstruction
period, are cordially invited to cortrf-
bu.e to this column. Al articles Will
b. published in the order in which
they are received.
Secession m lafayette County.
Continued from last Week.
In the meantime the women not
to be outione by the men few 70
the candle boxes and soon win
dows and galleries seemed 70 be
on FIRE with the resPlsnient light.
All around the square, all up and
down the thorOu yhfsres, all along
University street and around the
campus, thousands upon thous-
anis OF candles were burning and
"hurrah for the Repa5l!c OF Mis-
sissippi, was heard ringing and
singing AMI rafting and bat
Ting, aud booming and looming
ike the waters that CAME dow q
from Lodore. Far into the night
the tempest ragged, candlelights
flashing, tar barrels burning.
the plank walks going whack "a
lack, whack-a-lack, with thous-
and feet, and the air reyerbera:-
ing ana the walls resembling
with a thousand voices yelling.
. Il was an occasion once seen
and heard can never be forgot
ten.
Not long sfterward Captain
Delay organized his company,
tine Lafayette Guards. > In
fact my recollection is he was
drilling them sometime before an
active organization was effected.
Captain Vim. Delay, who former
ly commanded the Lafayette
Volunteers" CO. F.. lst Regt..
Miss. Unfit. in the Mexican war.
was elected Captain, John p.
Grace. LIST Lieut., Thos. II. Ly-
nam, ID Lieut., John Henry, Sd
Lieut.. The company was mus
tered into service, Feb. 30. 1851.
and not long afterward was sent
to Pensacola. Capt. Delay made
a maaful effort to stard the risors
aod exposures of camp life. but
age and debility had done i,s
work and he was compelled to
resign. do not remem Der what
became of John Grace, but the
next time I saw the company. i'll
was commanded by Tom Lyman
who, not long after, rose To- the
rank Of Major. The company
was then combined with ether
companies OF the regiment. The
ssa. and lost its identity. It's
letter was IL. Il had the honor
Of being the only company that
had two flags presented 70 Il. For
the life of ne / cannot remember
the first lag presentation. but the
second Is very vivid. \ few
weeks before the departure II tie
company for Pensacola, Mss
Bruce Thompson, sister u the
late Capt. sam Thompson. male
most elegant flag which .he
presented to the company. The
ceremony Of presentation was
conducted II the basement story
OF the Cumberland church. tn
speech being made ey a lag stu
dent o. the University. q wish /
could remember has name1. In
MS speech he reminded the ei,i-
zens Of the gallant Captains
Mexican record and that Of th@
company which ne cocuands.si-
and then STOPPING down. be took
hold of an object yet unaot.eei.
raised Il on high, and announced
that 1t was the flag that old bat
tie SCARED company rad carried
to the honor ant glory Of Missis-
sippi IN the years q blood N
1857. The effect was rar.c.I-
for none knew that such a Iins-
honorsd relic was in existsnee.
What pity that the 0l1 ard
the new were not faithfully pre-
served Tor generations then uu-
born to honor and revere
Capt Delay spent the closing
years OF his life at MS home IN
Oxford, and died in the early
lO's deeply Ia-aeated.
4 Maj. Lyman vas assistan, SUI
perntenden- u Chickamauea
Park for many years and finally
moved To Atlanta, Ca, where he
died Jan. 5, 1915.
+. A. SxrTH.