Cherokee scout. [volume] (Murphy, N.C.) 188?-1961, 1915-05-21
DEATH CLAIMS PROMINENT CITIZEN

d. w. Deweese, who died at his
/ home in this city Friday morning
May 14th, after a long illness, was
born in Cherokee County more than
90 years ago. At time the log home
and the log school house were perman-
ent features of which he was wont to
speak with as much pride as king of
his palace or the university scholar of
his alma mater.
He attended school at these log
school houses and obtained such edu-
cation as could be obtained, until the
war between the states. He was fast
in the belief that from these unpre-
tentious houses and schools came
the greatest intellectual. moral and
political heroes.
Just at the point where boyhood and
manhood met. a call of the President
for volunteer troops to suppress the
rebellion was made. This ambitious
bowman kissed his mother goodbye,
bid adue his friends at home, should
cred his musket andmarched' away to
the camps of the Federal armies;
where every march was q battle and
every battle field grave yard. He
remained faithfully at his post until
peace was declared in 1866. He held
to the opinion that no state had the
right to ceceed from the union.
Therefore the best years of his
young manhood were spent in the
preseveratin of that union. He was
frank to state that it was wrong for
any man to eat his bread in the sweat
of another's brow. Therefore he was
an abo1ftfonist. - ''-7 7 .'---s----'---s,--
The war over, he returned to the
old homestead in this county, to find
many of his old friends gone; the old
home devastated; the people without
schools, churches or laws.
But did this young soldier despair?
No he went about advising, teaching
and helping until there were estab-
| lished schools and churches all over
the county. In fact, it may be tru-
Iy said of him that no one during the
last 80 years of this county's history
has exerted greater influence over
the public mind than he, and may it
be said to his lasting credit that when
the war was over and peace declared,
every spark of enmity for the Con-
federat. soldiers died within his
breast, and he ever spoke 9f them in
the most tender and afeotiohate term
and this spirit was fully demonhtrated
when he was in the general assembly
of this state, he added some Confeder-
ate soldiers to the pension roll and
voted to raise the pensions.
Drew Deweese has been honored
with almost every Office within the
gift of his county people. He had by
nature fine executive ability which
he strengthened by culture and habit.
He possessed tact; that is he knew
better than most men how to accom-
plish his purposes. He was life
long student, especially of public
Questions. In conversation he was
clear, distinct and to the point. He
made no pretentiOns to eloquence or
display, but his utterances were plain
sensible and emphatic. So much so
that the emphatic almost became the
dOgmatic. He always had definite
point to drive to and generally got
there in good time and order. In his
social life he was plain, genteel and
courteous, but possessed some peculiar
tiles, the most striking of these was
that he never. divulged his sorrows or
troubles, if he had them, to any one
but bore them silently in his own bos-
som. He lived true and consistent
life, it may be truly said that he set a
standard by which it would be well
for us to live ourselves.
He is gone. No more can we have
the benefit of his wise counsels in our