The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1911-05-09
inextinguishable laughter" The good
doctor seemed 10 take no ofYen-e.

doctor seemed TO take no oYen-e.
There was another frequent. and ex-
earnest. peakc I can recall
his remarks before the convention
nothing or his remarks before the Com
burnings. slaughters. rapes and o,her
horrors OF an invasion by the hated
foes. As was usual with him tears were
Vention but an anecdote connected
with Il harrangue OF his In his court
house during his visit TO his conss,tu-
entS after the capture OF Roanoke ISL
and. deserves to be recorded. To "a
crowd OF frightened men and women
he was depicting in tragic style III.
in his voice, tears in his eyes, tears
running down his cheeks In the mids.
OF his climax he espied through the
window some friends refreshing them
selves out of q whiskey bottle. Pausing
in front OF the weeping audience and
gulping down his emotion, he shoat-
ed. Jim save me n drink out or that
bottle! He was a heightened man
and universally respected.
VIM A. Smith. of Johnston. 1often
called Blow Your Horn Billy be-
cause after the war he boosted that
when n major Of the militia. he al
ways blew a horn TO give deserters
whom he was hunting. time TO get out
OF his Way). sat next to me and we
became quite intimate. This was his
first step from uneducated boyhood
upward in q successful career, which
lea him to seats in the State Legisla-
ture and in Congress, to the Presi-
dency Of the North Carolina Railroad
Company before it was leased. ard
the Receivership of the Western
North Carolina r. r. The following
Will fairly show his manner. One
morning he said. Battle, write me
an ordinance making it a crime 10
sell cotton yarns for more than a dol
lar and a half a buch. There * a
factory in ohnst and they have
raised their price and the people are
mad about it" l drew it and he
arose and with becoming gravity
said. NJ President" The delegate
from Johnston said the dignified
President Edwards. Il have an ordi-
nance to Offer The delegate Will
send it forward The clerk will read"
Colonel Steele. the clerk. read ii orc
~rOiunda. What disposition does the
delegate wish mad OF the ordi-
nance Smith. u ask that it be re-
ferred to a special committee of
five" If there is no objection" said
the President. "the reference will be
made as requested" AS a matter of
course Smith was chairman. He said
to me in a low tone. That is the last
YOU will ever hear of that fool ordi-
nance. My constituents will think I
am a big man to be Offering an ordi-
nance mons these big men, but YOU
will not catch me making an ass OF
myself. I'll never call the committee
together
All through his career he would
talk in a peculiarly frank, often
satiricaI manner. but do it in such q
humorous way. that friends and OPP
ponents would laugh and forgive him.
He once owned h Republican news
paper. the Standard. He soon sold il
saying, I'll n % own a paper for a
party that can't read?"
I fear that. in writing these RENT
n~isccnces, / have not done justice in
emitting the names Of many worthy
men. / have lone my best in the
space allowed me. 1t saddenS me TO
recall that out of all the delegates to
the convention of 1861 and its officers.
las. in umber, including those who
filled vacancies. only Battle Of Edge
combe,' and Battle OF Wake can
answer. to their names. / have en-
deaVOred to be fair but may possibly
be warped. having been a Union man.
President of the Wake County Union
| Club in February. and voting for dis
union in May. I was almost like
Vance who SAID that he went TO bed
a Union man and awOke a Secession
man" If anyone wishes to know
| moro about the Convention. its per
| sonnet and its acts and omissions let
him consult James Sprunt Histori-
cal Monograph No. /. Personnel OF
the Convention Of 1861 and its officers,
christ Mccormick. Legislation of the
Convention of 1861, by Kemp Plum
rner Battle pamphlet issued by
/ the University of \. G. Mr.. McCor-
mick has given sketches of all dele
| gates and officers, and Battle. con
tributed all the actions of the con-
yention. and all the fefusalS to act.