Newspaper Page Text
z / c j I t 7 7
i ‘'//x"’ ~ :t I n Er Vj \'
\ z W& ■ ■■ v 1
ft 3 Axil
WkJl i
VOLUME EOUK
NUMBER TORT7-SIX
STALWART WT ’BILOXI
Hon. IL bon 71. Harber, Tearless Citizen a,. atriot, Does Wholesome Work Tor Lalu and Order
IGHTING the devil alone! The specta .
cle is inspiring. It is a great thing to
meet his Satanic Majesty in open com-
Jea bat when one of a grandly
r ' ‘‘‘ l meet him single-
•V js enough to
‘‘S iRW 110 ranks of
likewise
is of the
. ' ' <■
'i ; ■ ‘ z •" 1 :
;1 ■ 1
. ■ .' ■ ■ • . t? . • -
: i r ■■ ■. .
?• if <
; ‘ '■ & , ■; ■ \ , ■ fit, .
■ 'p ' ' ' ' ‘p-■ ,■
; r
fll3Utfrv7mial who led the
as a stimulus to other individuals
and communities who may be inspired to “go and do
likewise.”
Barber Stirs Up Biloxi.
A few weeks ago while touring Mississippi in lec
ture work, the editor of this paper heard the thril
ling story of the plucky fight led by Hon. Evon M.
Barber against law-breaking in the festive coast
town of Biloxi. It will be remembered that Biloxi
is that beautiful old town that boasted “a saloon
that had not been closed in two hundred years,”
when the brave legislature of Mississippi asserted
its democratic right to speak for the entire people and
Ikrose in its grandeur and swept the “wet” blot from the
fair face of the state. Os course, a “wide-open” town
that would affectionately coddle such a dirty dar
ling on its bosom for two brief centuries, and then
hang on its closed door: “Gone, but not forgotten,”
would hardly be expected to regard such a little
matter as “enforcing Sunday laws,” even tho’ those
laws be enacted by the sovereign majesty of the
—lllMir inn irni ffl niy maun v >
W r V Barber’s “lonesome” tigm as it
was so fascinating and inspiring that
. Mined to get at the facts first hand. Con-
secured a file of The Biloxi Daily
Wring last September and October, where
strenuous months has been read
story of the martyrs during the
the eyes of those who made
to Faith and Love.
Mr - Barber’s from the s andpoint
him, and if we had never
nor -‘card his eloquent
; Ljuld be fo’ ■mi t, believe that
natives," end accomplished
< •' H standard of im- and order in
IF, 1 ;. - - K $
STLE ROYAL—LET IT COMEi-Pag* Four
ATLANTA, GA., JANUARY 6, 1910.
in Festibe Mississippi Tolvn.
From Five to Fifty Per Cent.
As an illustration of the change of sentiment that
has come during this fight, we have it on good au
thority that while not more than five per cent, of
the citizenship favored the crusade against Sunday
law violators when it was begun last August by Mr.
Barber, now all the 2ruit stands, cigar stores, all
mercantile stores and peddlers’ wagons—everything
except drug stores have stopped business on Sunday,
blind tigers are hunted down, and over fifty per
I ■— — :
■ v lib t
% *
.w ♦
> - Willi ♦
I a aS
iV M ;
: > JF :
t I 1
5 ’ 1 =
t 1
♦ HON. EVON M. BARBER, £
+ Who “stood on the burning deck, +
t Whence all but him had fled.” >
t :
cent, of the people have come to ndorse Mr. Bar
ber’s sane and fearless “cleaning up” crusade.
Began Fight on Sunday Air Dome.
The story goes that a wide-awake little preacher
(one of those “meddlesome fellows,” who, the law
breakers say, oughtn’t to have anything to do with
politics) said to Col. Barber, who is one of the lead
ing lawyers in Mississippi: “How can we close up
that Airdome Theatre and stop other Sunday Vio
lations?”
“Get a few leading citizens to swear out warrans
and stand by me, and we will close them up,” replied
Barber.
But the coterie of “leading citizens” could not be
found. Then he playfully said: “I’ll go the Lord
one better than He said about preserving Sodom—
if one or two of you preachers —not as preachers, but
as citizens, will stand by me, I will make the fight
and close ’em up.”
But by and by, when one of the men prosecuted
put Barber on the stand, demanding the names of
those who were prosecuting him, Barber bravely took
all the responsibility on himself, and fought the
winning battle alone, with none save Right and Law
on his side. = t
It is thoroughly amusing, as well as invigorating,
to follow the hostile columns of The Biloxi Herald
during the two exciting months, while the lawless
were squirming unddr the forceful application of the
law - ,
It begins:
Airdome case, “Abley Case Today”;same paper,
10th September, on first page, “Barber Assumes Role
of Reformer,” and then a kindred editorial; same
paper, 11th of September, on first page where sever
al people who are supposed to be leaders in public
thought tried to execrate him for his attempt to en
force the Sunday law.
September the 14th, short editorial headed “A
Fresh Out break.” It is noted that one of the gentle
men who was very glib of tongue on the moral
question of the coast is one of the druggists who is
continually violating the law and one who was
prosecuted.
September 15th another editorial, “Outside Opin
ions of Biloxi.”
September 20th, prosecution of a druggist, and
where the attorney for the other side attempted to
make Barber disclose the names of* the parties who
had employed him, but he seemed opposed to being
driven into anything, and so he declined to give
names of parties behind him and assumed the whole
of the burden. Same paper, September 20th, editor
ial on “The Sunday Law Question.”
September 24th, “Barber Causes Two More Ar-‘
rests.”
September 25th, “Where These Parties Were
Convicted.”
October 23rd, page 1, “Twenty Affidavits Against
One Man.” It is noted in the same paper where
the editor attempts to execrate Barber by pluming
him as “Saint Evon,” but all of these little flings
did not deter him.
October 25th, “The Biloxi Law and Order Organ
ization.”
October 26th, “Ideal Commonwealth —The New
Biloxi.”
October 27th, “Affidavit against Biloxi Drug
Store.”
October 29th, page 1, “Barber Has Brain Storm,
Says Bakeler.”
Just “Lots of Fun.”
But one of the funniest things we ever read is the
following lurid editorial from the ironical pen of
the exasperated Biloxi Herald —it ought to be pre
served among the “Letters of Junius”:
(Continued on Page 8.)
IWO ‘DOLLARS S 9 IE AR.
LIVE CENTS A COPY.
