The Brandon news. (Brandon, Miss.) 1892-1961, 1920-05-06
SOME EDITORS | HAVE KNOWN
From Days of Civil War.
by COL. R. HI. HENRY

would not fight. and while / don't think
he yearned for the sport, / have seen him
In some rather tight places and / never
saw him show the white feather. For In
stance, ne had been roasting lawless
character down in some OF the counties
south of Rankin, named Pryor. Pryor
had written a letter demanding an apol-
ogy' In default of which he threatened to
shoot Frarftz on sight: which only called
for another denunciation. That induced
Pryor to come to Brandon He reached
there about one O'clock and forthwith
called at the Republican Office and asked
Tor the editor. / was In the editorial Of
flee at the time. and told him Frantz
would return soon. asked him to take a
seat. having no idea who he was He
told me his name. saying he had ridden
up from below to whip FrantZ.
Hearing the Colonel's footsteps on the
stairs. l went down and told him that
Pryor was waiting for him. Without
answering me Frantz rushed upstairs
and approaching Pryor gave the worst
cursing | ever heard mortal man take.
abusing him for everything In the cata-
logue. and ordered him out of his office
Pryor simply smiled. without retorting.
and disappeared. He never returned.
| saw much of Frantz the three years
l worked for him. and besides making
his wood cuts. often assisted In editoal
work when he was away. He had his
fads and fancieS, he had bad and good
parts, but was OF great help to his state
and country. He was patriotic. and will
be long remembered for the good work
he did In helping to rid Mississippi of
carpet-bag rule.
l recall the time when A. t. Morgan,
white renegade of Yazoo county, which
had favored him with several official
positions, came over to Jackson and mar
Iaried negro woman named Carrie High
gate. the ceremony being performed by
Rev. j. Aaron Moore, a blacksmith by
trade and who had been forced to leave
Lauderdale county after riot at that
place.
Frantz asked me If l could draw and
| make cut of the marriage scene.
told him l would try. He wanted g.
column cartoon for his front page. 1 had
never seen any of the parties but made
a stagger at 1t. / represented Alorgan as
mean-looking white man. Carrie as a
comely we1ch. dressed in the prevailing
style. | drew her with long, tight
fitting dress, short In front, with large
hustle attachment and exaggerated bust,
with chignon covering her kinky hair
She held on to the arm of Morgan with
a look of grim death upon her dusky
face They were standing before a table
decorated with fiowers-crudest flowers
that ever bloomed In the spring-behind
which stood q big, hurley, rotund, thick
Tipped negro. holding a book in his hand.
presumably the Bible. He was marrying
the wench and the renegade. for the mar
rlage license was in evidence
marriage notice of explanation was
printed under the picture, and no picture
was ever more In need of exclamation
which was followed by piece of dog
gerel written by General Lowry, which
was exceedingly witty but just a trife
loud. That was the most famous picture
II ever drew, and SO pleased was Frantz
with the effort that he had hundreds of
them photographed by Greenlaw, who
married Dora Runnels, and sent to his
friends. | Kept one of the photos for
years. but like many others, it disap-
While living in Brandon | incidentally
met few editors of the state, Il. B. Man
love, of the Vicksburg press. among
them. He was growing old and gray.
Major BarkSdale came Ito political meet
ings. J. Z. Power used to come over
With his Sunday School scholars and
have union picnic with the Brandon
children In the old academy grove. L
publication bearing my name-the Bran.
don directory, which contained an adver-
tisement of every business firm and pro-
fessional man in Brandon l made two
hundred dollars on the enterprise, and
salted the money down to assist In buy
ing newspaper outfit, which became the
Newton Ledger, which. forms part Of the
name of the Clarion Ledger.
"
Another brief reference to dear Mrs.
Frantz and L close the book of memory
SO far as she is concerned. One dark.
rainy Sunday, she came in her library
WhCic W dS fItdUlIS I1uIIle, ana SAD TO
me, MY boy | am afraid you are dis
posed to be skeptical. / am afraid you
are becoming under old Richardson's in
fluence, who is an atheist, and has done
much harm In the world. l am really
sorry he is kept in the Office l replied
| might be a bit skeptical, as there. were
so many things connected with religious
teachings that / could not understand
Then sne argued this way:
1t is a great blessig TO me to believe
in God and the hereafter If 1t be a delu-
sion, it is the delight of my life, and fills
my soul with overfowng Joy; and, mark
you. lose nothing. But, my dear boy,
If you do not believe in the Immortality
of the soul, ana 1t proves to be a fact,
you lose all. So you see, i am on the
safe side in either event, while you take
chances of losing your soul"
That was the best sermon l ever heard
preached, and if | had ever before been
disposed toward skepticism, with char
aicter, uniformed, and mind immature
Mrs. Frantz's logic saved me; and
have thanked her thousands of times for
her little speech, and the repeating of it.
has caused many a wayward boy to stop
and think and get right in his heart, soul
and mind with God. Should any skeptic
read these lines, I admonish HIM to paste
Mrs EraptzS SarrnOp IN, laic hot ~ corov