The comet. (Johnson City, Tenn.) 1884-1916, 1912-04-11

Al 0cuAbOE AhyLOL hdu AiOFCO W dhJ
other state in this union and they had
given him his citizenship in fifteen
minutes after he arrived, he could have
run for the highest honor in the gift of
that state and under all reasonable
conditions would have won out over
any man pitted against him.
"Some have been so ungrateful or
unthoughtful as TO hint that Senator
Taylor was not deep nor strong
man in the affairs of state.
81 am sure that those who knew
him best never made such statement.
He was always deep enough to get to
the bottom of things, and that is deep
enough. He was always strong enough
to tear down the Notifications of all of
his opponents and carry the day, and
that was strong enough.
al have seen him when whole null
tudes came floating into port upon the
tears that flowed down his manly
cheeks. / have seen him with mere
wave of the hand silenced or stirred
the crowds just as he willed. l have
seen the mere cut or twinkle of his eye
change the whole atmosphere of the
listening throngs. / have seen the
pucker of his lips make his hearers
laugh or cry.
"But it is of the humber things in
this life that l wish to speak today. He
was a complete exception to the rule:
"A prophet is not without honor save
in his own country lie was most
highly honored at home. The people
believed in him and followed him.
Again and again have seen him step
off the train at his home town after
weeks of absence and his way was lit
orally blocked by people of all grades
and distinctions, even the negroes and
the little children followed him. Anx-
ious though was to get home, the
crowds about him often eXacted a
speech before they would let him go.
have seen his family play trick on
the town people and sending closed
carriage to some secret place and notify
him to get off on the opposite side, slip
to his carriage and steal away home.
His Relations to Negro.
"His relation to negroes was remark
able. In his dealings with them there
was that same open and frank and ten
der interest. With him there was no
axe to grind. He simply cared for them
and they responded graciously to his
great spirit. In some of his great lee
lures where he mentions the names of
Rastus' and 'Epraham,' you may
have thought those were fancies, but
they were the real names Of the real
negroes that belonged to the senator's
father before the war. In one of his
lectures he tells at length the story of
sUncle Rufus and how he had come to
his home from time to time and how
that one afternoon he stayed with him
in his yard and talked of the days be-
fore the war, till In memory the boy
was again upon the old negro's back,
riding along the banks of the beautiful
Watauga. But, as he tells 1t, when the
evening shadows were lengthening,
sUncle Rufus grew serious and said:
"Bob, my boy, Use not gwineto be
he'ah much longer. Use already had
two visions Of the chariot OF de Lord
and when it comes de third time Use a
gwine to step in and 60 home, and
sure enough, in just few days after
that afternoon the chariot Of the Lord
descended for the third time and Uncle
Rufus went home. He tells you this
in one of his lectures, but there is an
other part of that story his personal
modesty would not allow him to tell.
/ tell it to you today. When the old
darkey died Bob Taylor bought his
shroud and casket, and chartered a
whole train to take the darkies and all
of the white people who wished to go
back to Happy Valley, the burying
ground of the Taylor family. AS they
put the remains of the old darkey away
close beside his master, Senator Taylor
stood at his grave and wept, as ON an
other day he had stood at his fathers
grave and wept.
"Here is another story setting forth
his tender relationship to his fathers
old darkeys: Returning from one of his
lecture tours, he said to me: have
had the greatest. trip of my life this
time. Over in Arkansas found thai
| had few days to spare, between my
lecture engagements, and found thai
was within few miles of some of my
fathers old darkeys, moved away t.
that state after the war, whom l hac
not seen for thirty years. | gave d.
Long Rice, my manager, the dodg'
and went to spend the time with thes'
old negroes. When got into the com
munity and told them that / was Bol
Taylor, they gathered around me in I
circle and looked me in the face ant
cried out in ur son: lis dat you, Bob
/ said, Yes, this is Bobp They fel
back and laughed. They gathere'
around me again and more excitingl,
said: Is dat you, Bob9' and l said
This is Bob Taylor Then they cries
and said: Bob, we are mighty glad t
i 80 x,o,, W. havenit seed Won sine