The Semi-weekly leader. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1905-1941, 1921-03-23
STORY OF WOMAN
SENATE CANDIDATE
Sketch of Remarkable Career Of
Lady Who Has Risen from
Lowly Rank.

L
A writer In Sundays Commercial
Appeal gives the following interest
Ing sketch Of Miss Belle Kearney, the
noted Mississippi temperance and
suffrage leader, who has announced
her candidacy for the United States
Senate to succeed Senator John Sharp
Williams.
Nothing is more interesting than
a life-story worth reading.
When a man or woman achieves
greatness, whether through wealth.
worthy deeds or heroic acts; when
one human being towers above his
fellow beings like a mountain peak
above the foothills of earth, natur-
ally lesser mortals wonder hiw it was
done.
In the lengthy list of our country's
great women the name of Belle Kear-
ney, Mississippian and candidate for
the United States Senate, ''leads all
the rest" Her success was built up
on that foundation more enduring
than stone-an Unsuitable longing to
From little country girl without
educational advantages, without ev-
en- words of encouragement from
those among whom. her lot was cast;
hedged about by the barbed wire en-
tanglements of the million world-old
pfejudices concerning women that
existed during the days of her young
glrlhood, Miss Kearney now stands
as the peer of intellectual women of
all lands, represents the spirit of
modern and progressive womanhood,
and is often spoken of as Americas s
foremost woman orator.
BORN IN MADISON COUNTY, MISS.
In the Vernon neighborhood in
Madison county, Mississippi, about
the time that the tocsin of the civil
war sounded its last call, Belle
Kearney was born. Her parents be-
longed to the aristocracy of the south
and their ancestors were of the no.
bllity of Scotland and Ireland. Not
realizing the terrible changes that
had come into their fortunes, the ex-
tragavant life of ante-bellum days
was continued for several years after
ter war. During the dark days of
reconstruction industry was dead.
Mortgages were unfortunately, en-
tered into by the Kearneys, and fail
ure to meet them was speedily fol-
lowed by foreclosure. Finally only
q few hundred acres around the old
home we're all that was left of the
vast estate that had come by inheri-
stance.
During these sad days of financial
and social convulsions little Belle
Kearney looked around her with eyes
full of comprehension and heart full
OF bitterness. When only nine years
old she put her small shoulder to the
wheel 20 ease her invalid mothers
burdens. For four years the greater
fert Of the housekeeping duties fell
er lot. But by shrewd domestic
noeri n she managed to attend
seA s6of regularly Her little brothers
ais younger than herself. ably as
s.zted her in many duties AS re-
ward for their help they were told
one of Dickens stories every night
We can see them now, can we not2-
little fellows with chairs drawn close
beside their little "big" sister, listen
ing intently to every word she ut
tered, sometimes trembling with ex-
citement, sometimes wild-eyed with
astonishment, sometimes doubling up
with convulsions of laughter. They
constituted her first audience, and
Miss Kearney has declared that a
more sympathetic and inspiring one
has never greeted her in all the af-
ter years.
These little brothers-whose num-
Der was four-growing to manhood,
continued to render to their only sis
ter the highest homage, ever her
most loyal allies, upon whose sym
pathy and assistance she could al
ways rely.