Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1913-05-23
Early RetOlIectiOns
Of Old NOxubee.


Quitman. Mas, May Is. 1918
70 ne Beaconi
Letters stiIl continue to come to m,
from persons who were either forme
citizens Of ''Old Noxubee" or else has
kindred living there, touching the day
Of which write and 10 that extent ar,
interested, one among them being tn,
following, which received this morn
Ing:
'Mobiie. Ala. Nay l7th. 1913.
Qaitman. Mas.
In : -revious article published in ths
Beacon where you referred to the hang
Ing Of the negro (Simon) before tht
war, viii say your statement Is ex
actiy as ! saw It, and had the same
exrerience that you did when the traI
fell and the blood began to stain tht
white can. | became deathly sick anf
had to sit down for some time before
could walk. Iwould like to know If We
are the only two that are living who
were present that day. / remember
the circumst almost as wdll as II
Il had occurred yesterday. Your let.
tiers interest me verv much. As Bic
Bud says, ~ live in the past" Hope
you will continue them. I have all OF
them in my scrap book. Please excuse
pencil for am too nervous to write
with pen. Yours truly.
M. ]. CLARK. I"
So it will be seen from the above
that my ''recollections" are not "fanci-
ful' but based upon actual scenes and
happenings.
Another thought or two occur to me
here which | failed TO connect with the
Noxubee Rifles 4th Of July visit to Shu-
quala< in 1859. I remember that their
dark green, Prince Albert style uniform
showed yellow velvet heart about the
size Of q large pear on the left breast
of each Of them, and that they brought
with them (Capt. Massey commanding), },
q. 10.lb. calibre solid brass cannon
mounted on a platform car. and that
at intervals Of thirty minutes. all day,
salutes were fired.
also remember that the dinner was
spread in the pine grove just east Of
the lower railroad crossing, where the
Stone college building few years back
burned down, and that just as all were
lined up at The improvised lengthy ta-
BE 4 drenching rain fen and spciied'
much Of the dinner and ruined many
costly hats and dresses, a pell-mell run
being made for the church building and
for the spacious Col. Haynes residence,
which since the war has served as ho-
tel building.
A drum corps made up Of three ne
groes (slaves) came along with the
company, two of the negroes being
Dick Gray, Qater circuit clerk) and Joe
Hart, barber.
Treating my recollections at random,
as the thoughts occur to me, l having
already told you of the county's tallest
man, Isaac White, a seven-footer, will
now tell you Of the county's, then.
heaviest man, Bill Galloway. who lived
just two miles west of Shuqualak, on
the Summerville road, his weight hav-
ing been 440 pounds.
] remember that it took ~ yards of
cloth to make him pair Of pants, and
that his shoes had to be made to order,
size IA. I also recollect that when he
got in his buggy, (he couldn't ride
horseback) that the springs would flat
ten down on the axles and stay there.
At the time ] knew him he was about
fifty-five years Of age. always jolly and
full Of life.
He had two sons, viz: Crit and Bill.
both Of whom served in the Confederate
army, the former distinguishing him
self on the field Of battle for daring |
bravery and being promoted to a cap
taincy in regnition and appreciation Of
1t.
During the war, my father being star |
route mail contractor, ! was. in case of
sickness of the hired mail rider, often i
called on to ride the ''short route" to
where the only signs of
life were a blacksmith shop, owned by
the lamented Maj. Nunn's father, John
Num-, slave being the blacksmith,
and the postoffice presided over by an
old gentleman by the name of Stands,
the stores having all been closed and
their owners gone to war.
Often, in order to get off a little ear
Iier, I would assist Mr.. Stands in max
ing up the mail, the bulk of the mail
being letters to soldiers from their
sweethearts, mothers and sisters, many
Of which bore addresses something
like the following: