Webster City freeman. [volume] (Webster City, Hamilton County, Iowa) 1884-1946, 1916-01-11
YALE CLASS BOOK
TO Be RETURNED
Will be Sent to Mrs. Rosa Johnston
Robinson, Daughter Of Late
Col. William Preston
Johnston.
SON OF FAMOUS REBEL GEN.
Book was Bought by Father Of J.
W. Let's From a Soldier
Comrade.
SON OF FAMOUS REBEL GEN.

At least one OF the great wrongs
committed during the civil war will
be made right within a few days,
when j.. w. Let's of this city will
return to Mrs. Rosa Johnston Robin
son Of Louisville, KY, the Yale class
Book Of 1852 belonging to her faith
er, the late Col. William Preston
Johnston. The pilfering Of some
southern homes during the civil war
and the keeping of these relics and
mementoes, has called forth a storm
Of stern rebuke by pen and tongue
since that period.
This book in question, was bought
for 81 from a soldier comrade by
the late j. r. Let's, veteran of the
civil war. It had been pillaged from
the Johnston home by ruthless
despoiler's hand, although it is a
volume which could have no possi-
Bile value for any but the owner, to
whom it would be priceless. Mr..
Let's always felt that if the oppor-
tunity offered, he would be glad to
return tho volume to its rightful
owner.
The volume is q handsome one,
heavy, bound in gold lettered calf,
MEthsthe name of the owner and the
Year stamped upon its cover. The
paper is OF heavy vellum, and the
book is filled with exquisite steel en-
cravings of the entire Yale faculty
Of 1852, and also the members of the
class. The blank pages opposite
each engraving are filed with the
autographs OF Col. Johnston's class
mates. Among the names promi-
nently stands forth that of William
H. Odell. Some of the autographs
are verses from favorite poems; 9TH
ers are OF a sentimental nature and
still others were written with a cer-
tain dignified facetiousness which
marks the college wit of 1862.
The engraving of the owner shows
him a dignitied young man with
beardless face and grave, brooding
eyes, while his broad brow is over
hung with a heavy thatch of dark
hair.
At some time in 1899, the elder
Mr.. Let's found a newspaper dis
patch from Lexington, Va, announc-
ing the death of Col. William Pres
ton Johnston, president of Tulane
University, of New Orleans, La. This
notice Mr., Let's pasted in the book
beneath the engraving Of the own
er for future reference. Last sum-
mer, the surviving members of the.
Let's family agreed that the just
thing to do was to make extensive
inquiry for the living descendants
of Col Johnston and deliver the
book to them This duty devolved
upon j. w. Let's, who, in his several
months search for the family, re-
tains an interesting correspondence
with many well known and notable
people, including William Howard
Taft and Rev. Anson Phelps Stokes
of Yale, and also members of the
Johnston connection in the south
land.
These have vouchsafed the infor-
nation that Col. Johnston was the
son of Albert Sidney Johnston, who
was killed at the battle OF Shiloh;
that he went into the war from
Louisville, KY, and was colonel of
regiment at the first battle OF Man.
assus. After this, his health be-
came impaired and for the remain
der of the war he was on the staff
of jefferson Davis in Richmond. Col.
Johnston was with Davis on his re-
treat and was captured with him.
He was confined in a southern prison
for six months after the war, after
which period he returned home.
The story is an interesting one;
the scattered family of six children
he left, of whom only two daughters
are now living-the eldest, Mrs. Ro-
sa Robinson, who will receive the
precious memento of her fathers
honorable college life-perhaps the