The Birmingham age-herald., 1916-04-03
NEW EVIDENCE OF ROBSON NERVE IS FOUND IN JASPER Efforts to Buy "HOme" in New Location Stir Real
 Estate Men
ONLY THREE HAVE
 APPEALED TO HIM
But Jasper Enjoys the Joke and Is Letting Captain HobsOn Pursue His HOme-Seeking Tactics
 Serenely
By Leon c. BRADLEY

Jasper, April 2-(Special.) al.)-That Capt nerve, even his bitterest political oppo- nent has never charged. The sinking ot the Merrimac was sufficient ground upon which to base his claim for this trait of character. But it is not upon deeds of arms or acts of warlike valor thai Hobson will go down in history as the possessor of a remarkable amount of nerve. It is upon his political acts, and upon his supreme self-confdence.
 It requires nerve for a man to declare that he has "a passion for service, V when his record shows that he attended to his duties as a congressman nearly one-fifth of the time. It would be ar indication of some nerve were the ordi- nary public official, in the face of such a record, to declare that "the man die Tot live who could say he had ever neglected his dutY.''
 But in all the acts of his career-and there are many which would indicate the possession of an inordinate nerve nothing Hobson has done ever equaled his move to Jasper He did not even take the trouble nor the time to learn the name of the mayor of his home city, Neither did he come to Alabama to inform the people that he was again about to take up his citizenship among them. He had not been iii the state ir two years, the last visit being upon the occasion of his race for the Uui.ed States Senate
 His postage stamp removal from New York to Alabama was splendid illus tration of the nerve possessed by the captain. Even the stationery Upon which he wrote illustrated his possession of this trait of character to a high de- gree. The letter-head and the envelope were marked "R. P. Hobson, Tuxedo Park, N. i.'' Even after ne started the campaign voters in the Tenth district continued to receive letters With that postmark, and written upon that sta tionery.
 HOME IN JASPER
 But it is in the matter of selecting a home in Jasper that Hobson has won himself lasting fame as the possessor of an iron nerve. To be sure, he wrote a letter to one of his former supporters telling him in substance that he had nc intention of removing to Jasper and bringing his family until national pro. hibition should become effective. But thai does not stop the captain from '"figur. ing" on a residence in his newly adopted home town.
 While in Jasper the captain spent much of his spare time riding over the city looking at prospective homes. He kept the real estate agents busy But up tc the present time, none of them has been so fortunate as to get his name on .'the dotted line" The captain is still looking.
 It is stated that but three houses in all Jasper have appealed to him. These are the only ones he has seriously con- s1dered. One is a residence adjoining the home of Tom l.. Long. Between rom Long and Hobson, none of the Damon Iythias nor the David-Jonathan affec- ton has ever existed. In fact, Mephis- tcpheles himself has a love for holy water about like the feeling between these two well-known Walker collr+-- ,l- iticians
 Another home which has struck the fancy of the captain is that of W. c. Davis. It will be recalled that a few years ago Captain Hobson killed whatever congressional aspirations Mr. Davis pos sessed after a race which was marked by unusual personal bitterness. Inci- dentally, it might be "1do1 that the home of MT. Davis adjoins that of Sen- ator Banlhead, the father of Hobson S present opponent, and twice an opponent in the race for Congress against the captain. r or bitterness and personal viii if1cation, Alabama has never seen the like of those Bankhead-Hobson races.
 The other. home in Jasper which has struck the fancy of the captain-strange as it may seem--is that of Senator Bank head himself It is stated that the cap- tain has even proposed that he exchange his home in Washington for that of Senator Banllhead at Jasper. In the minds of many people in Jasper, by this suggestion, the captain is simply add ing insult to injury and, incidentally, is adding to his well-known reputation as the possessor of monumental nerve That such a trade will be consummated is not generally believed.