The Ocala banner., 1922-09-22
LONG, EVENTFlJL, FIERY
POLITICAL CAREER

nounced for the senate; ana with the
red blood Of southwestern enthusiasm
coursing his veins, he went to Texas.
bought an automobile, and started into
a personal campaign of state that
extends tor 900 miles, as a crow flies
from east to west, along the Rio
Gcande.
But The magnitude Of the under
saking only added to young Parrishs
Determination, for his own life. though
short in the span Of years, had al
ready revolyed around tie two ex-
tremes Of bitter poverty ami exces-
siye wealth.
Born in 1873 on a farm, early
orphaned. and finding himself as IS a
plow hand in the Panhandle without
a dollar except the title to $50 acres
of grazing land in the northeast sec
ton of the state, left to him by his
grandfather, he mortgaged the land
for $3.50, half of its appraised valua-
ton, and started to college.
He fought his way, with that be-
ginning, not only to graduation but
through law school; and began the
practice alone, and with the usual
hardships attending young attor-
ney.
The mortgage had fallen due and he
had renewed it, and it fell due again
when the young lawyer had not
dollar to his credit in the bank, and
was heavily in debt.
His first impulse, as he personally
told the story to me, was to let the
land go under foreclosure, and then
the sacredness Of the thing appealed
to him 1t was his grandfather's old
homestead--the place the first of the
Parrish's had established in Texas
when the old pioneer and his faith
full family had braved the plains from
Alabama.
He secured an extension Of six
months. and started out with the de-
termination that he would make and
save the money in the meantime.
favorable legal wind blew his
way, ana at the expiration of the
last extension he paid the mortgage
Up.
Then he settled down to an unevent
full practice Of the law with only
fair success, and in 1918, when he
made the race for congress he bor-
rowed the money to meet the expense.
He paid his benefactor back in two
years with D donated interest in an
oil development that had materialized
in the meantime, that yielded him
hundreds CT thousands OF dollars in
profit.
That 100 acre legacy was in the
center OF the Burke Burnett second
oil field that sprung into existence in
1919. and young Parrish had sudden
ly found himself several times a mil
lionaire.
His profits in royalties alone in
1921 amounted to nearly half mil
lion dollars
Ne remained the same unaffected,
tireless working. boyish and smart and
dependable and likable "Lucian" to
all who knew him, and it was in the
midst of this happy condition that
Congressman Parrish left for Texas
to capture the seat that he believed
at the time Senator Culberson would
voluntarily surrender.
And then-and then?
Lucian, it seems, had spoken at
some place in the afternoon and was
driving at high speed to another for
a night engagement.
The automobile was wrecked, and
the young millionaire, as fine a char
acter as ever walked in shoe leather,
budding into a life of great promise
and usefulness, rich. very, very rich,
but of too recent achievement to have
been put to practical use or to have
been personally enjoyed-was killed.
The Texas senatorial campaign for
few days stood still and quivered
Every candidate took off his hat in
respect for the fighting young Par
rish whose end had been so tragic and
so untimely-
And then it moved ahead again.
And now the battle is over; and
Congressman Mayield has been nom-
! mated.