The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1919-06-27
MEMORIAL

"Sunset and evening star,
And one clear call for me!
And may there be no moaning of the
bar
When put out to sea.
"For tho from out the bourn of place
The food may bear me far,
/ hope to see my Pilot face to face
When | have crost the bar"
Madison Roosevelt Smith, in cross
ing the bar, takes from Pennington
and Southeast Missouri a son who
possessed many likable traits Of char
acter as well as recognized ability as
lawyer and a student of untiring
energy. He was Familiarity known
and addressed as Senator" by his
friends and acquaintance, title that
had chung to him since he ably rep
resented this Senatorial District in
the State Senate from 1887 to 1891,
though he subsequently held several
public positions-among them four
years as Reporter of the st. Louis
Court of Appeals, Representative in
Congress and Minister to Haiti under
appointment of President Wilson.
Possessed of a vigorous mentality
coupled with physical strength that
was none too robust, and being close
student and interchangeable worker, it
is not strange that in 1905 he suffered
a nervous collapse which greatly i'm
paired his vigor. But even this failed
to daunt his wonderful determination
and will power. 1t was after this
misfortune that he represented his
district in Congress and was made
Minister to Haiti, but he was forced
to resign the latter position because
of the enervating nature of the eli
mate and his rapidly declining health.
Returning home he essayed to re-
sumo professional work for a while,
but increasing invalidism held him in
leash and for the past several months
practically bedridden with no prom
Use of relief, until at $3.50 o'clock on the
evening of June 18th, tired Nature
yielded to the inevitable and he fell
into that deep sleep whose awaken
ing is on the illumined shores of
Eternity.
As a practitioner and interpreter Of
law Roosevelt Smith ranked with the
best of the Southeast Missouri bar
and may it not be said of the State?
Like all industrious students he was
not what is known as a "free mixer,
and what professional and public sue
cess he attained was achieved through
sheer force of character and deter
mination, although with his closer
friends he discovered genial socia-
bility and a warm side of his nature
that won their confidence and drew
them in intimacy to him. His was an
earnest, forceful and conscientious
life, and with no claim to faultless-
ness he followed duty as he conceived
it.
Madison Roosevelt Smith was born
in Bollinger county, Mo-, July 9, 1850.
When he was twenty years of age
his father died, and Roosevelt became
the mainstay and support of his moth
er, who is still living at the advanced
age of so years, and of his four
younger brothers and a sister, who
say with affectionate remembrance
that he was more of father to them
than a brother. He was married to
Miss Nancy Leech, June IL, 1881. To
them were born seven children, of
whom are living two sons, Melbourne
and Taylor, and three daughters, AL
ma, Barbara and Nancy. Besides
these there survive him his aged
mother, his brothers, Rev. C. E. w. of
Texas City; DR.. A. j. of Sonora,
Texas; N. J. of Milkitao, Wash; J.
H. of Nashville, Tenn, and his sister,
Mrs. Cynthia Ivy, Of Cape Girardeau,
to mingle their tears in the grief and
sorrow of bereavement.
The funeral was conducted from the
home of his son, Taylor, in Farming
ton Friday afternoon, June goth.
Many beautiful floral tributes from
relatives and friends covered his cas-
ket, and many friends of the town
and from adjoining counties gathered
here to pay to him the last sad trib-
ute of respect. The services were
conducted by Rev. O. H. Duggins,
Presiding Elder of the Southern Meth
odist Church. of which Roosevelt had
been a member many years and a
Bible class teacher, so that when the
call came he answered it with the
courage and hope of Christian
faith.
THEo. D. FISHER.
Pennington, Mo-, June ~, 1919,