Pocahontas star herald., 1911-04-21
INTERESTING LETTER
FROM JUDGE MEEKS
Says Remains of Gov. Drew Should
&c Brought Back to Arkansas
and is Willing to Help

/" TPllh9, april 10, 1911. |
Editor S,ar Herald,
x Pocahontas, Arkansas,
Dear Blankenship;
| Pm pleased to note through this
weeks issue of yourpaper that there
is alnove en- foot en- the part of the
citizens of Randolph county to raise
funds by private subscription to
bring the remains of Gov. Drew
from Their resting place in Texas and
have them buried by the side of his
wife IN the cemetery at Pocahontas.
Since our present legislature has re-
fused to make the necessary appro.
priauon to carry into effect this
sacred duty, it is highly proper that
this should be done. Senator Hen
derson ard Representative Jackson
from your county, deserve great cred
it for their unsel6sh and untiring
efforts to have this measure passed.
The measure was defeated and why
or wherefore we know not, bu. this
action was received with surprise
and astonishment by the public.
Whether from a false idea Of econ.
omy or Indifference to the history of
our state and the memory CT one of
her pioneer Governors, or whether
the members voted on the measure
without being advised as TO its i'm
port we know not. The measure
was defeated and it is up to the peo-
pie of Randolph county, who have
long been noted for their chivalry
and public spirit, to rise up and re-
sent this afront and with the as ist-
apce of the people of the state at
! lare who desire to aid them, and
by IA subscription show to the
k9sl pd to the public at larg'
taaeSS - reprssen,stasss-sre no
'lA9T pthat the pu6re shall bea
the Expense, they will do SO. Thos
S. Drew was at one time citizen o
Randolph county and went from
POcahontas, then small village, L
the governors chair. As a man h
was the soul of honor, as a neighbo
highly respected and for many year
public idol known TO almost ever,
man, woman and child IN the state
Finally when broken with age ant
cares, he died among strangers il
the state of Texas, far from tn
scenes of his brighter and more sue
cessful days.
In the past, our sister states hav
freely invoked on themselves tn
duty prayed for in the recent meas
ure of Senator Henderson and 1t wa
to be hoped that Arkansas, prompt
ed by a similar spirit in the stat
of Tennessee, would furnish a par
allel to the occasion when that stat
brought back at the public's expens
the remains of her first governor
John Sewer, that had land so Ion!
neglected in the borders of anothe
state. 1t is a matter of history tha
in that last funeral cortege NOR
than IS, 900 Tennesseans marched
Let some of our public spirited citi
zens, R. N. Hamil, A, J. Witt, BeI
Brown, Mont Armstrong, Wibl
Conner, w. II. Waddle, W.wC
Brown, B. F. Bigger; Dennis Rey
nolds, of Reyno; Uncle Bill Lewis
Jack Weaver and Doctor Wilson o
Maynard; John Fry of Ravendel
Springs, Jake Foster of Foster, will
a host of Others that ! could name
LEI few such men as these TAX
the matter in hand and the neces
sary amount to cover all expense
and erect a suitable monument to bi
memory will be raised without de
lay. Itis sacred duty that we owl
to his memory and to the faithful
services that he rendered his stat,
in its infancy, that his remains
should be brought back and there
laid to rest with that of his family
amid the scenes of his early day
and among the people he loved Sc
well. l was informed while in Lit
tie Rock a few days ago that the
snaaker Of tho Iower bouse of thC