Woman's enterprise., 1922-02-10

dollars after my tour chllulei' nav.
made equal the Rest and Residue Oh
nv property if there be any to De
Eouely divided and what they have IN
nossession is theirs own as have no
other demand but that is stated IN
this instrument in the manner to make
equal. hereby appoint my executors
! William Thomas and John Gayle Will
liams to act for me and carry out
with tru intent and meaning OF this
nv last and only will by selling the
property or if they can equly dividing
the property so that all to be satisfied
and I plead with my children not to
fall out of the way in witness l here
Unto set my Hand this 10th day OF
December, 1886"
General Thomas was man OF peo-
pie with very little education, but
natural leader and power IN the
communities which he adopted as his
home, He was born in Orange Coun-
ty, Virginia, in 1764, his family hav-
/ ing come over from England shortly
before his birth. The unsettled condl-
ton of the country during his child
hood afforded him little if any oppor-
tunity for education. When the call
for war was sounded, Philemon
Thomas, then a boy Of thirteen, was
eager to go; but his parents objected
because of his extreme youth. He per-
sisted So in his desire that his father
hid his clothes and hat, to insure his
remaining at home. One morning ne
was missing. When he returned after
eleven years, the lad Of thirteen had
become man, rugged and strong
His people learned that the call OF
the revolution had been too strong
, and he had taken up arms for his
country. He had fought at Guilford
= Courthouse and Eutaw Springs, anc
, in other battles of the war.
Philemon then adopted Kentucky a:
6 his home, and remained there for
number Of years, serving in the state
r legislature and in other public posi-
tions, until he moved to lower Missis
r sippi. He remained in this part O.
. the country until he was called to taxi
4 up arms in 1910.
That section of Louisiana, which to
day lies east of the Mississippi river
bounded by the Pearl river on tn
east, Bayou Manchac and the lake
on the south, the Mississippi on tn
west and the 31st parallel on tn
north, was not included (said Spain
in the Louisiana purchase of 1903, bu
! was (part of WHAT known as Wes
Florida. 1t had been transferred t
Great Britain by Spain lin 1862 il
return for Cuba, and had been take
by Galvez (in 1779). When Napoleo
transferred to the United States al
claims of France to it's original terri
tory, Feliciana and West Florida wer
not French possessions.
| In 1908, when Napoleon remove
Charles " and Ferdinand VII fro1
the Spanish throne, the colonies wer
divided in their sympathies. Man
took advantage of the uncertain time
I to declare themselves freed. Wes
Florida at that time possessed a pc
culiar population, notable congrega
ton of evil doers, English, Spanish
renegade Americans, trading specul:
tors, fugitives from justice and pil
ates. They eagerly seized upon tn
chance to set up a new government
After much factional feeling, indeper
dence was declared, president electe
and a standing "army" Of 1O4 me
gathered.
III Philemon Thomas vas ordered I
take charge of the fort at Bato
Rouge. Rapidly getting together
number of boatmen, Thomas move
up the river, crossed the shallow lax
known today as university Lake
| bayou Grasse) by putting stacks
hay upon the dixie to make it possib
for the horses to cross easily, ar
moved upon the fort. About twent
Spaniards, incapacitated by sicknes
garrisoned the fort, under the leade
ship of Louis de Grandpre. Th
young Spaniard made a gallant stan
but seeing all was lost, broke h
sword across his knee, just as he W;
fatally wounded by a bullet of the o
coming force. Baton Rouge was ca
tured and, amongst others, the Spa
ish governor was taken prisoner.
II West Florida was then declared