The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1913-09-19
GENERAL ROBERT BULLOCK
(Robt w. Davis, in Tampa Tribune)

(RODL. w. Davis, III tampa lFlDUHS.J
Hon. Frank Harris, the distinguish
ed Florida editor, visited the capital
city of Georgia some years ago and
upon his return wrote an editorial for
his paper commencing the patriotic
spirit which inspired Georgians to per
petuate, in marble and with the artist
brush, the memory of her great sons.
He believed, he said, that I'VE cannot
honor our heroes too much, and the
enthusiasm it instills in the passing
generation compensates for all the
money that the treasury loses" He
spoke of seeing, in conspicuous pIac-
es, statues and portraits of her gifted
and distinguished men. I'VE notice,
he said, 'oil paintings of Governor
Oglethorpe, Alexander H. Stephens,
Governor George NJ. Troup, Senator
Benjamin HI. Hill, Representative
Crispp, DR.. Long, and a number of 9th
ers. These exhibitions serve a useful
and noble purpose in that they stir
the ambition of the young and cause
them to try and emulate the virtues
and reverence the characters of these
men. This leads us to say that Flor
ida should emulate the example of
Georgia. Not only the state, but our
counties should perpetuate in bronze
or marble or on canvas the character
of our representative citizens. Marion
county should have in her court houes
square a statue of her civil and mill
tary hero, General Robert Bullock,
and other civil and military chieftains,
as well as the Confederate monu-
ment"
l most heartily endorse this we'll ex-
pressed sentiment. visited Ocala for
the first time in 1879, driving there
by private conveyance from Gaines
vile, the nearest railroad station,
about forty miles away. The present
Brick City" was then small town
of wooden buildings and without a
railroad, but the community was pros
porous, and the people contented and
happy. / went to attend a session OF
the circuit court, and amongst the
lawyers l met there were General Bull
lock, Col. S. NJ. G. Gary, John Dunn
Col Mcconnell, Col. Badger, the bril-.
liant st. George Rogers, and witty
Hugh Miller and the lovable job
Reardon-now all dead. They were
good lawyers and gave the Ocala bar
that high reputation since maintain
ed in its Bullocks of the younger gen.
GRAFTON, its Rockers, its Andersons,
Burford the Greens, Davis, Sistrunk
Spencer, Duval, Hampton, McCona
thy, Zewadski, Gober, Bell, and others
whose names escape me.
OF all of Florida's sons who have
passed off the scene of action, few
| had longer or more varied careers
than the subject of this brief sketch.
| remember some years ago to nave
delivered Fourth of July address in
Ocala, and as part of the program of
the day General Bullock publicly read,
with splendid effect, the Declaration
of Independence. 1t was announced
at the time that on the same anniver-
sary and practically on the same spot,
fifty years before, he had performed
the same duty at the celebration of
this great natal day. AS I sat and
listened to him, my mind was not on
the declaration he was reading, but
on his own career within that period
OF fifty years. He was born in North
Carolina in 1928. His public career
began in Florida when, at the age of
only p years, he was elected clerk of
the circuit court, and he rose along