The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1910-10-03
NAPOLEON B. BROWARO
HIS Brave Str1GEle Against Over.
whelninE Difficulty, Success and
UntfAely Death

Broward. ex-governor Of Florida and
democratic nominee to the United
States Senate. passed into the great
beyond at 1890 o'clock yesterday At
the DeSoto Sanitarium, where he had
been removed for the purpose Of per-
forming an operation.
The entire state Of Florida is bow
ed In grief for the loss Of this great
| man. who was respected by friend and
foe alike. who possessed a giant in
| tellect. and who fought his way. rung
by rung, up the ladder Of success.
! against overwhelming odds. until he
| laurels snatched from his outstretch-
ed hand.
Napoleon B. Broward was undoubt-
eddy one Of the greatest men the
South has ever produced. Without ed
| ucation and financial resources. he
| battled singlehanded for a goal. to
reach which the barriers seemed I'm
passable. and would have been to one
| made of less stern stuff
His career was a most picturesque
one and since his nomination in the
democratic primaries last June. he HAD
been hailed by the press of the coun-
try as a man Of sound wisdom. daunt-
less courage and rugged determine
tion.
Cause Of HIS Death
The governor had only recently re-
| turned from the convention Of the Ma
tional Waterways Association, held at
Providence, r.. l., and after spending q
| few days in Jacksonville proceeded to
| his old home at Fort George island,
where he became stricken with jaun-
dice, caused by gall stone trouble. He
was removed to his home in this city
| last Tuesday and everything known to
| medical science was done to alleviate
his sufferings. The best physicians of
Jacksonville and other cities were
called into consultation. but other
complications set in and yesterday
| morning it was decided that an opera
| ton was absolutely necessary. He
was removed to the DeSoto Sanitarium
for the purpose. and expired shortly
| after being placed upon the operating
| table.
Born in Duval County
Napoleon B. Broward was born in
| Duval county, near Jacksonville, April
| 10. 1857. When he was but years of
age his family removed to Hamilton
| county, where they remained until
| 1857. when they returned to their
| nome IN tn1S county.
| A great transformation had taken
place. The old homestead and fences
were all burned. The house was on
the southeast edge of the farm. at the
| mouth Of Cedar Creek. 1t was here
that torpedoes had been set by the
Confederate troops and the house was
fired by shells from the Union gun
boats.
Commenced Work Early
| 1t was at this time that Napoleon
Broward did his first hard work. His
father fenced in the field and built a
single pen log house. into which the
! family moved at once.
Without money to buy either mules
horses or cattle. they began to clear
away the weeds. bushes and grass
from the heavy ground on the margin
OF the river. This accomplished. they
turned over the soil with their own
hoes and planted Irish and sweet pc.
| tatoes. sugar cane. beans. English
peas. etc. In addition they had a gar
| den of cabbage. turnips, beets, lettuce
asparagus and onions. This work was
done chiefly by his mother. brother
and himself. the largest Of his sisters
doing chores, such as bringing water
passing measures Of seeds. ETC.. while
his father was busy securing some.
thing for them to eat.
| Left an Orphan
The following year the entire fam
| lily suffered from chills and fever. Be-
ing dosed with tartar-emetic. a period
| of cholagogue followed, bitter enough
to have cured. but 1t did not. Finally
in quest of health. they moved from
the old place to a now one. The change
| and the liberal use Of what they had
| learned was a new cure for fever and
ague. tO-wit: quinine. restored them tC
their wonted strength again. With the
use of a drag seine, they caught fish
enough to supply the table His moth.
er procured contract from an uncle
by which they earned one cent each
for making l KIP inches water oah
pins to be used for rafting timber
Thus they struggled along until Ma
poleon attained the age of dozen
years. lacking two months. at which
time his beloved mother passed away
They then moved back to the old
Broward place, where an uncle and
two aunts lived. A few months later
his father died and his two aunts NOV
ed to Jacksonville, taking his sisters
with them.
Napoleon ard his brother remained
on the farm. accomplishing about as
j much growing corn and potatoes and
caring for the hogs, as two boys OF
their age could be expected to do. in
the absence Of any directing hand tt
aid and encourage them. Each OF
them possessed dog and a gun. The
woods abounded in deer. turkeys and
II squirrels. the hunting Of which fur.
nished them a profitable and pleasing
recreation.
| Their nearest neighbor lived tive
miles distant. At night they had tC
bar the doors before commencing tC
lcook supper. which frugal meal usual
, ly consisted OF hominy, peeled sweet
potatoes and piece Of pork, all boil
ed together in the same pot. The sup
n per completed and eaten, they would
lean their guns against the wall. neal
the head of the bed and place a Bowie
knife in a crack Of the log house with
in reach. AS soon as the fire had gone
out they were in bed. with the quill
Isecurely covering their heads to pre-
, vent hearing the doleful sound Of tn,
screech owls crying, which the sus
picious old darkies had led them Il
believe was the omen Of Ill fortune.
They remained there for two years
visited occasionally by uncle
Sometimes on the Sabbath day, they