The Cartersville express. (Cartersville, Ga.) 1875-18??, December 26, 1879, Image 1

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page.

I ' ' OIIIH ■■■■ 1 1 ■ " The Cartersville Express. VOL. XX.—NO. 48. GREAT SEAL 6 F GEORGIA. Rcminiscenses Gathered from Secre tary Barn ell. “Send that medicine for rheuma tism” said an old gentleman who got aboard the cars at Ringgold the other day, and from his careful move ments I inferred that he was the sufferer, and so he was. It was not long before I improved tho opportu nity to talk with him, and he told me that he had been so afflicted for sixty years. In reply to my querry as to his age he said in his seventy ninth year. He has been sensitive about his age until recently. Now, like Talmage, he realizes that he is younger than he'll be to-morrow. He is “of age” as secretary for the great State of Georgia, having al most completed his twentydirstyear. In 1843 he was first elected and was re-elected for two other term-. By a return of the democrats to power he was out for two years, and then re elected another term. After this he was not in office again until 1861, at which time he was re-elected and he held over until the war closed. When Sherman’s army had nearly reached Miliedgeville, the assembly in session at that time concluded to adjourn, and did it more promptly than is psual. It appeared that most of the representatives were from “the low er countries” by the route they de parted. The capital was surrendered to a party of thieves on Sunday evening. They were treated with marked consideration by the citizens and in return they carried away as relics all the watches, jewelry and money they could find Mr. Bar nett had gone to see a friend in “the low country,” but not until he had carried to his residence, the many bills pending action by the legisla ture with those signed oy the gov ernor and other important docu ments. Upon the arrival of Sher man’s army, the secretary of state was at once sought.. His where abouts was huskily demanded, after the men had been addressed as ‘"gen tlemen” when the Irish blood of Mrs. B. became suddenly heated, and she replied that he had gone to es cape his persecutors, and with tears streaming down her face declared she would kill the first man who insulted her. Immediately she obtained the respect of this party. They stopped at her house and furnished a guard for the premises, little dreaming that they were protecting the only record of Confederate Georgia legislative. The “great” seal of the state had been hid away by the secretary in the darkest corner of an occupied cel lar. In ’6l anew seal had been adopted as the great seal, but inferior to the old one of 1799. This old seal had remained there until its “keep er” had forgotten its whereabouts. The next meeting ol the assembly met at Macon. It will be remem bered that the state government was organized by chosen representatives, and that Jenkins was governor until it was declared a territorial govern ment in 1867. The old great seal had been re-ordered as legal, and the sec retary allowed to use the seal Oi. 1361 as his office seal. When Gen. Huger assumed, by appointment, the office of Governor Barnett, through the influence of Gov. Brown, as it was important to the state’s interests,-remained in of fice. He told Gov. Jenkins that be would not give up the great seal, and determined not to do anything tnat would compromise rightful authors ties. He met Gen. Huger, who treated him with courtesy and kind ness, even after he had declined to assign and attach the seal to an im portant paper. Of course he was su perseded. His old clerk continued jn the oflice and used the seal of ’6l to official papers. A negro legisla ture passed resolutions repudiating the suit of Jenkins before the supreme court, and ordered that the great seal he affixed. Then Mr. Barnett thought of going to see his friends in the low country again, but the de mand upon him for the seal was not made. So the native Georgian, the honored secretary of state, has noths ing but a noble record, a proud legacy for his children and his childrens children. EDWARD B. STAHLMAN. The reminesence of ex* Governor Brown when on the bench, as pub lished elsewhere, his admirable rul ing as President of the Southern Railway and Steamship Association at the Atlanta meeting this week, and the prominent part taken in certain proceedings by the gentleman whose name heads this article, calls to mind certain facts in his personal career which we dare print. They will be read with the greater inter est since the powerful railroad com pany with which he is prominently connected has decided to make At lanta one “terminal poirP ” For years a personal friend and admirer of 3ir. Stahlman, we point to him as most eminently “self-made.” His career, like that of Governor Brown, from a business stand point has been marked by method with commendable aspiration, from his youth. . , _ Sixteen years ago, a high minded lad, he was driving a mule and mule to cart on the works of the Baltimore and Ohio railroad. A little later he walked in the office of Albert Fink, superintendent of the Louisville and Nashville railroad, and asked fora situation. Mr. F. looked at the dig nified lad with handsome face in good clothes, and said he had no place for him. “O, yes sir, replied young Stahlman, surely I can do something. Let me go down on the road and I’ll see if I can’t find some thing to do on the road bed, and you can pay what my wages are worth.” Surprised that a boy of his appear ance should seek such a position he consented. Some weeks afterwards, Mr. Fink went down the road and found young Stahlman at work in blue denim pants and striped over shirt. Already he had won favor with his boss, and was named to the superintendent as efficient to take charge of a lot of men at another point. In the new sphere, he more than satisfied expectations. With increased salary fie accumulated means and invested in a supply store. Besides, he had bought several suits of fine clothes—he always wears good clothes—when a band of rob bers carried away his accumulations. In conformity with the rule of the company at that period, be presented his bill for losses in watch and wear ing apparel. Mr. Fink thought it “pretty high” and suggested his buying another outfit and sending him the bill. Ks didn’t like the compromise, so he declined to take anything and quit the *road. Fortu nately Mr. F’s. secretary had paid the bills and was witness to the jus- tice of the' claim. Stahlman soon af terward secured a position with the Southern Express Company, and his comprehensive business capacity was made prominent at Chattanooga, in bringing order out of confusion in transferring express at that point. Then everything, even hay, was sent express—with a much less force he by brought order out of chaos in a day or so. Subsequently he held important financial positions for the company. He had been in its ser vice as route agent, undergoing many hardships, (we remember now when he was shot in the arm, seriously dis abling it for life while in the line of official duty), and had become dis satisfied because of so much necessary absence from home —be had mar ried ere this—when approached by Mr. M. H. Smith, general freight agent ot the Louisville and Nashville railroad company, as contracting agent at Nashville. Mr. Smith re signed afterward and Mr. Stahlman became his successor, and he is to day entrusted with the entire Ireight management of that great corpora tion. Really, while the New York Central, and other roads are stron ger, Mr. Stahlman has the charge individually, of more miles (about 1400) of railway freightage than any other agent on the continent, and his pgy is larger than that of a congress man. In his office at Louisville there are three stenographic reporters and seventeen clerks. The pressing char acter ol his engagements was illus trated last week by the necessity to go on a special to Nashville, that he could arrive at Chicago in time to attend an important meeting there. CARTERSVILLE, GA., FRIDAY. DECEMBER 2G , 1879. Mr. Stahlman is a useful man to society as well as to the business of the country. As an active member of the Young Mens Christian Asso ciation, when not so deepV occupied with business, his attriljites to a channel of good works ihieh will last longer than any railnad official will serve his company. \ JOS. E. BROWN AS jJDGE. Riding on the Western 4 Atlantic railroad the other day in company with a distinguished miniter, the train darting along at from (dirty to forty miles an hour, without) festle, I referred to the excellence ofMb fcoad and the conversation led tjf. a Com ment upon the character of its Illus trious president. Theie was i |disa greement .between us a>nceriu|g the merit of that gentleman Sill my companion, “I was admitted £o the bar In his court. He tjade in ex tensive . reputation as ifudgj, ixid while he was severe on atorrftysAe gained great favor with Uo aiapOs* Unless the case was an he seldom ever would aW more than one speech on a sideAad I li/n --it was given as to time, pajy two witnesses were allowed ffilprivdthe same fact. The attorney,ln pri-ent* ing anew witness, was pqufrcl to state what additional evince jp ex pected to prove by him Iff case was called and the attoriiy onpther side had neglected his iifhav ing his case ready, it was totajpwed a hearing during that ttrrni The same admirable system by him as chief executive j the State, and it is by the same le in business that .the traveling jiblic are so generally and eomfiably transported from Georgia’* epit&l, across her northern bo)de| and by which the citizen. wbosi pfsona) prosperity has given ejphtis that well known term ofcn to his honor, “judg-m-ekt# As judge he was quoted on mat ous incidents, some of wh't no existence in fact. This is an Wnce: Judge A. R. Wright of Romfc was told and extensively publishat the time, was practicing in odf his courts. He had bought a s<sking pair of boots, Judge Browisked him their cost, and when tSo.OO ordered that he pay the sheiss.oo more and they would stand I $lO. The fine was paid promptly few days later these same sqfcing boots were a little too loud, t an other $5.00 was demanded the sheriff. The money was land then the attorney took a seatmpt ly pulled off his boots, and tg the legs together, threw them a*s his shoulder and went about biass in his “sock feet.” CINCINNATI SOUTH!. The great railroad conuec Cin cinnati and Chattanooga hajb so far completed as to admit th3sage of trains. Practical proof North Georgia by the pas last Friday of an elegant palate be tween Chattanooga and anta, with gilded name “Cincinnouth ern Railway.” —Dr. Felton has introdifl bill to repeal section 1022 of tf * S. statutes, which is as folio “All crimes and offenses eommittfainst the provisions of chaptertitle, “crimes which are not hous may be prosecuted either Idict ment or information filed n at torney.” Dr. Felton’s bilVides that they shall only be puted after indictment. This bill save parties from being arrested car ried off, by offices with thee© to get a fee and then turn thdose. That much of this has beeiie to the great annoyance of innofien, there can be no doubt.— faille Gazette. A gloomy desponderllow made known his complalo a friend saying, “Even the b*ont sing for me.” He took fresfage in the reply, but as a queS to whether the birds had ceasfiing for other people. —Hon. Emory Speer has be fore congress to prohibit he of peace in the United State#* all dress parades and concert the Sabbath day. Good “WHAT S MINE IS YOURS.” How a Dixie Farmer Gets On in the World—The Family at Home. A Pulaski, Tenu., correspondent of the Cincinnati Commercial pens the following sketch: “Did you see him ? He was com ing out of the door of the Giles Na tional Bank ; he had just damped a handful of the subsidiary into his vest pocket; he was shoving a roll of bank notes into his pocketbook ; he wore no coat; his jeans pantaloons were flecked with cotton, so was his wool hat; he had just sold three five hundred pound baels, and had cash ed the check. Leaving the bank he went into the western door of the court house. In a few minutes he prosed out of the eastern* door. He was folding up his tax receipt, nid you hear him? “Bill,” he says, “I have ju9t paid my taxes. I don’t owe narry man on top of dirt one cent.” He had followed Johnston in the charge at Shiloh ; he was with Hood in his retreat from Nashville; he had proved himself a man of courage; he was an affectionate hus band, a kind father. There was a consciousness creeping over him that if not born a nobleman, he was to day an independent sovereign. He met Ills wife and daughter on the pavement. “What did you get for cotton, husband?” “$11„25; wasn’t that a good price?” “Yes, we can live on that.” She drew him to one side. “Hus band,” she says, “you have more cotton to sell and pork to spare. Our Mary is now seventeen years old, the young men are coming to see her; couldn’t you give her a seal-brown merino dress, trimmed with silk? Mrs. Rudd will fit and baste it for a dollar and I can make it on the ma chine, and go to Mrs. Graham’s and get her a $5 bonnet, she never had one, and Johnny wants a pair of boots, and”—“Wife,” says the farm er, “since the war we have had a hard struggle to make a support; You have done your part without grumbling or complaining. Now my head is above water; what’s mine is yours; there is the pocketbook with the money. Use it any way you want to. “Yes,” she says with a smile, “you know full well I will not abuse any confidence you may repose in me.” She turned to go to the store; he went to look after his team. He is at home, seated in front of a roaring big fire. The black cook is getting sup per in the kitchen. She pauses to smile over her red calico dress and new calf-skin shoes. Johnny is strutting around with his boots drawn over his pantaloons. Mary is before the glass trying on her bonnet. The baby is crowing and jumping in its father’s lap. The wife, dropping on one knee and placing one arm around her husband’s neck and the other around the child’s, says, “Kiss papa, baby.” As the tiny lips approached the moustache she couldn’t help pressing her own between. It was a triangular arrangement, but papa got the most of it. “Early to bed and early to rise” is his custom. It is now 9 o’clock. Everything is still and quiet around the farmer’s residence, and the glit tering stars bespangle the frost-cov ered roof that shelters one of the happiest families in the solid south. Anecdote of Patrick Henry. When the celeDrated Patrick Hen ry, of Virginia, was near the close of life, and in feeble health, he laid his hand on the Bible, and addressing an old friend who was with him— “ Here is a book,” said he, “worth more than all ever printed ; yet it is my misfortune never to have read it with proper attention and feeling till lately.” About the same time he wrote to his daughter: “I hear it said that the Deists have claimed me. The thought gives me more pain than the appellation of Tory —for I consider religion of infinitely higher importance than politics, and I find much cause to reproach myself that I have lived so long and given no de cided and public proof of my being a Christian.” S. A. CUNNINGHAM rederal Politics. f Uormpoadence Constitution.’ Washington, December 15.— Mr, Stephens and Congressman Nichols both have bills before the committee ou public buildings and grounds. Mr. Stephens wants a post-office building in Augusta, and asks for SIOO,OOO for the work. He proposes to work for this appropriation, and feels confident that it will be secured in time for work to begin early in 1880. Congressman Nichols wants a like sum of SIOO,OOO for the erection of a custom-house and post-office building in the city of Brunswick. He has many good arguments to offer in favor of his measure and will urge it with all vigor. I am inclined to think that these two, and the only measures of the kind from Georgia, will pass the committee and be got ten through the house and senate with little difficulty. DR. TELTON STICKS TO HIS FLAG. A paragraph in my Wednesday’s dispatch referring to Dr. Felton and his letter has gotten me into hot water. I said that some of the doc tors best friends thought he was not now so well pleased with some of the declarations he made in it as when he wrote them. I was promptly put upon the witness stand by his alert and estimable lady and questioned as to who these “best friends” were. As I am not in the habit of betraying the hospitalities of private rooms and the participants in private conversa tions, I was sorry I could not en lighten my anxious cross-examiner. Asa result of tho interview, how ever, I am now enabled by authority to say that Dr. Felton does not regret a word or line of his letter and that it is his. platform on which he ex pects to stand and make his future record. He does not recognize aa his friends persons who undertake to syllable his feelings about any of his actings or writings. He and his good lady are the only authorities upon JtißCit .. ••. • - Drew’s Drawing. The sensation in behalf of temper ance for the past few weeks in At lanta, induced the taking of a pledge by about four thousand persons. Mr. Jno. W. Drew, of New England, a fair talkerwithout extraordinary ca pacity is entitled to distinction as leader in the movement. The pledge is as follows: “For the honor of GodL and the benefit of humanity, I pronw ise, with divine help, that I 'tyill never make, buy, sell, or use as a beverage, any spirituous or malt liquors, wine, or cider, and that I will, in all proper ways, discourage the manufacture, sale and use of the same.” This “as a beverage” comes in well. Bet the pledge be religiously kept. —lnnate politeness and nobility of character show themselves in every gesture, in every accent of the voice and glance of the eye ; humble dress and occupation cannot conceal therm Vulgarity cannot put on those high qualities, though it be clad in purple and gold, and housed in a palace. It is even said that a gentleman drunk cannot so far forget himself as to im press an observer that his instincts are ignoble. —lt is thought that Hon. Jno. S. Bigby may succeed Mr. Farrow as U. S. District Attorney. We trust he will if he desires it. There is not a man in the state of greater efficiency and merit for it. —The Griffin News, saya the Dari en Gazette, furnishes this item: “Three divorce suits have grown out of the Sam Hill trial for the killing of Jno. Simmons.” —lt is a tact well established by unques tionable testimony that Hall’s Hair Renewer renews, cleanses, brightens, invigorates and restores to its original color and lustre, faded gray or discolored hair, cheaply, quickly and surely. The poorest people prefer to bay it and use it, rather than to proclaim in a man ner more forcible than words can delineate through blanched locks or grizzly beard, that they are aged and passing to decay. A very short trial will convince the most skeptical that it do 3 eradicate the scalp diseases which rob the hair of its color and life.— Fort Scott {Kan.) Daily Monitor.