Evening star., 1923-06-24
Capital Sidelights
BY WILL p. yENNEDY

degree (the only honorary degree this
ancient institution gives) to Repre-
sentative r. Walton Moore of Vir-
ginia and former Gov. Frank Low
den of Illinois.
This is a reminder Of the leaders in
American politics from the earliest
days of this first real republic the
world ever knew who received their
accolade from William and Mary.
Although George Washington had
no college education, he received from
William and Mary his commission as
surveyor, which gave him his first
opportunity Of distinction, and from
1858 till his death he was it's chan
cellor. Thus in youth and in old
age his connection with the college
was close.
Her alumni gave to America the
Declaration Of Independence and the
Monroe doctrine.
Three Presidents head the honor
roll of alumni of this college-Thomas
Jefferson, James Monroe and John
Tyler. Next come two signers of the
Declaration Of Independence-George
Wythe and Carter Braxton. Seven
members of the Continental Congress,
including the president. Peyton Ran
dolph, graduated from William and
Mary. Scores of members of the Judi
ciary, headed by the great John Mar
shall, first Chief Justice of the Su-
preme Court, and the first Attorney
General; f1ve cabinet members; more
than score of governors and count
less members Of the United States
Senate and House of Representatives
are on this roll Of honor.
Away back in 1855 this college con-
ferred an honorary degree on Benja-
min. Franklin. and fifty years ago it
conferred an honorary degree on SEN
ator George Frisbie Hoar of Massa-
chusetts. who was it's firm friend in
the time of it's deepest distress.
The fate of William and Mary was
worse than that Of Louvain, for her
destruction came during the civil
war, when there was no community
of nations to extend sympathy and
poverished and her destroyers too in
censed to restore her. Though her
burning was the act of a drunken
soldiery, and many chivalrous north
ern commanders, such as Grant, Sher-
man, Mcclellan and Meade. expressed
their disapproval and their hope of
her restoration as early as 1872, the
response was but slight.
The loss of her buildings was the
smallest part of the injury done her.
II prevented her resumption, at the
close Of the conflict, with equipment
which would enable her to compete on
equal terms with sister institutions.
She finally had to close, thus break
Ing her continuity Of attendance.
But she is now enjoying restora-
colleges. no empty urn within her
withered hands," but pulsing with
new life, in the same historic setting.
again rejecting glory upon her great
names Of the past and holding them
out as exemplars.
II you have not heard Jim" Davis.
the handsome. genial Secretary OF
Labor. who will not be fifty years old
until next October. tell how he whip
ped the town bully in Sharon, Pa,
thirty years ago. you've missed some
thing-so here's the story second
hand:
He calls the bully Babe Durgon."
He was older than Jim. and had pes
tered our hero from the time he was
ten. Jim was then eighteen and a man,
an iron puddler and musician in the
town band. He was entertaining two
|out-of-town workers and took them to
a saloon for a cool drink. intending to
there and taunted "Jim," calling upon
the bartender not to serve him because
he was a minor. Humiliated, Jim's
dander rose and he accepted the chal-
in boxing. and being outweighed and
outreached.
Babe" was an adept at gouging-
stubbing his thumbs into his opponents
eyes-at biting and kicking. and had
across the line into Ohio 70 fight. '@sa But
bal be" stopped in front of a church,
school. half completed, and proposed
that they fight it out there. With their
coats off and using suspenders as belts,
they went at 1t. Here's how Davis tells
the story. Babe rushed me like q
wild boar and tried to thrust his deadly
thumb into my eye. / threw up my
head and his thumb gashed my lips
almost knocked me over, but my teeth
had closed on his thumb. and when he
terked back he put me on my balance
again. 1 clouted him on the jaw and
knocked him down. He landed in the
lime box. The school had not vet been
plastered, and the auicklime was in an
open pit. | started in after the bully,
but stopped TO save my pants. There
was hose nearby, and L turned the
water on Babe" in the lime bath. The
lime completely covered him He was
whipped and in fear Of his life. Chok-
ing and weeping he hollered 'Nuff' We
got him out too weak to stand, and
gently leaned him up in corner of
Davis gave him this parting shot:
Tt wasn't what you said in the
saloon that made me mad. I didn't
u W6r0
right in saying was a minor Where
you made your mistake was when you
made fun Of my breeches seven years
ago''-but that's another story"
which will have to be told some other
time.
Now let's switch from the story OF
fight to the story Of a fright. Senator
Kenneth McKellar Of Tennessee is not a
practical joker. He was cured of that
early in life--he admits. In the Ala
bama village in which he was reared
there were about fifteen boys, two
stores and saloon. Five miles away
there was a river landing. called Elm
landing was named Watts. He had a
wife and nine children. Every Sat
urday afternoon about o'clock Watts
would ride his old gray horse into the
village, hitch him to swinging limb
saloon. several hundred yards away.
and drink whisky until he got thor
oughly drunk. About 8 o'clock he
would stagger down to the graveyard
with much difficulty, get on his horse
and ride home.
1t was said that he never went
home in this condition that he did
not whip his wife and nine children
McKellar determined to chastise the
crowd of boys together and they de-
cidsd on organized action. Each bor-
rowed a sheet from q bed at home,
couple OF brooms and q pair Of
pillowcases. Then the whole crowd
oamped in tho graveyard one Satur-
day night Just before they knew old
Watts was coming down.
1t was not long till Watts came
staggering along the road. and TAX
ing up most of the road. When he
got to his horse he had great DIFF
hculty in untying the bride from
the swinging limb, and while thus
engaged in efforts to unhitch the
horse, the young cavalcade. wrapped
in white sheets and Haunting pill