Carthage courier. (Carthage, Tenn.) 1913-current, 1921-06-02
Smluh County
cNuvch Nows
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Fifty Years in the Ministry
DISQUALIFICATION HI
No. IT..

Twenty six years ago l made my
first trip to Washington City as a
delegate to the S. B. Convention. Leav-
ing Nashville one night at 10 o'clock
in a berth with Uriah Neal of Water
town we went to- sleep facing Chatta-
nooga At one O'Clock our coach
was hitched on to the Southern and
when we awoke near Knoxville next
morning the train was running back
toward Nashville having been turned
around at Chattanooga. / never did
get the train headed toward Washing
ton and after two days and nights
travel we came into the city from
the other side. Our dining room was
at the rear but every time undertook
to go to it I landed at the front end.
/ like to have lost what little sense
did have. The second morning / was
sick as sick could be. The mother of
DR.. Edgar Folk was just across from
me and she was as sick as / was and
for awhile it was a battle royal who
Vomited the loudest and hardest. /
began to think my time had come and
she sure looked like it had come with
her. Once landed in the capitol of
the nation we found a boarding house
IN the old Washington Hotel and be-
gan sightseeing. It was a great Oc-
casion for all of us fellows, born and
reared in the sticks. Grover Cleve-
land was president and gave US a re-
ception and shook hands with Baptists
fc rome hour and fell from grace say
ing, HAS the earth and its fulness
thereof turned to be Baptists? We
elevated to the top of the Washington
monument. / felt little like the En-
giish speaking people when l started
down for they never say elevator"
but say '%hellevator" 1t looked like
we were going in that direction in
hurry. We took in Mt. Vernon, the
governmental buildings, one and all.
Hon. Benton McMillin was then in
Congress and being a fellow Smith
COuntian he gave me special favors
One / shall never forget. He gave me
a written introduction to Mr.. McAdoo,
who held then position in the Treas
ury building and afterwards became
the son-in-law of President Wilson
Having received this note from Mr.
McMillin to give my squad of sight
seers special courtesy he called a tall
lady and put US in her care. She ask
ed which department we preferred to
see first. Not knowing a thing about
departments we said any of them.
She asked if we would like to see the
mint department and we all said yes
sum. One of our crew said that he
didn't know they raised mint there.
He wanted to see something beside
mint. We were shown here and there
and there and also piles of money and
United States bonds and so on and so
on until we were all happy to get out
for none of US knew anything about
money or the making of tie l spent
two whole hours alone IN the little
building where President Abraham
Lincoln died after being shot by Booth
across on the other side of the street.
As | looked at the blood spots on the
chair, his hat, clothing, and read Of his
assassination, my mind ran backward
to little home in Smith County near
Grant. Old man Granville Lindsey
came down to. fathers for breakfast
April 10Th, 1921 and out in front of
the kitchen / heard him say: Cant.
Oakley, Lincoln is killed" | can go
IN two feet of where | was standing
J can see the effect the news had on
father for he was a union man. Mo-
nlentary shoutings followed the news
of Eincoln's assassination in the south
but at this distance from the crueities
and animosities of the Civil War Lin
coin IS held in highest esteem every
where Fifty years have passed but
remember it as if it were yesterday.
An incident in that trip will never
forget. / concluded to see if there
were any Oakleys in Washington City.
l consulted the city guide and found
list of fifty or sixty Oakleys I fiat
tered myself that if should be so for
tunate to find accidentally some of my
Oakley kin / would not have any more
board to pay. The nearest one to our
hotel was Mrs. Anna Oakley, two
blocks away. walked to her street
and number but was told that she had
moved to Washington Circle, some 2
miles away. Consulting my city guide
found on the same street the name
of w. F. Oakley, merchant. His resi-