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I SECOND SECTION The Atlanta Georgian. (SECOND SECTION VOL. 1. NO. 134. ATLANTA, GA., SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 29,1906. Atlanta TWO CENTS. MAYOR-ELECT jj Scenes and Incidents From His Home Life. % ((f* A ^ j; Interesting Family of Atlanta’s Next Mayor, ij 1 1 11 .It Clio , JOYlTCR-c^ X only grand- > Y\ daughter of )/ ATLANTA'S , /V M AYO R-EL ECT, / CAP” JOYNERS I-NTERESmG T'_A_r-IIX J ‘Y —. STANDING - RICHARD W„ RALPH. HARRYS. - . . AND W.R.JA. 1 SITTING - MRS RICHARD JOYNER, W A JOYNER. HOLDING HIS GRAND-DAUGHTER CUO S- —^ MRS. W.R. JOYNER J yUl You Sore ^ \\ / CAUGNTffiE / l this 'time J Boys > AND HER , diminutive 1 Jp NURSE a HELLO CAP i Ho CROPS, By EDWIN CAMP. T O begin where all stories should begin, his name Is Walthal Rob ertson Joyner. To at least 149,990 of Atlanta’s 150,000 beauty and chival ry this story will for the flrst time tell the real name of their next mayor. He haa for 45 years signed his name "W. R. Joyner” and has been known as "Cap." And so it will continue for matty years to come. "Your honor, Mr. Mayor," will hardly supplant the "Cap.” To resume, Walthal Robertson Joy ner, now entering on his twenty-sec ond yearns chief of Atlanta's paid Are department, will In a short time re sign and leave headquarters to enter upon what has always been to him the ambition of his life—the mayoralty of his city. His desire for public life "extends no further than this, he achieved it without undergoing first the disappointment of defeat, and now he la about to become the flrst cltlxen •of Atlanta. As such, the public is Interested In the personal Walthal Robertson Joy ner and his family. For 20 years he has to most citizens been a mere vision In a red wagon skidding and carom ing through the streets at a 2:10 gait, to the glamorous clangor of a brazen gong, v . The Other Sunday a trio of newspa per men, chaperoning Artist Brawer- ton anA Photographer Nelson, made a little informal visit up to Falrohks, the summer home of Chief Joyner's fam ily. It can hardly be called Ahlef Joy- ner*s home. He Just drops up for a few hours Sundays during the sum mer. The newspaper men went with the ' avowed Intention of getting a story and • pictures: 'neath the glim dttermlnatl.jp written OTer their feature* lurked a foretaste of a gigantic, a Titanic, a mastodonlc dish of fried chicken. Tho cuisine at Fatroaks Is famed far and wide. Both story and chicken were got. NOT MAYOR-ELECT JOYNER, BUT FARMER JOYNER, B'GOSH. As the newspaper men left the trolley car two miles this side of Marietta and executed a hike up the road about a quarter of a country mile, they saw In the distance, not Chief Joyner nor Mayor-elect Joyner, but Farmer Joy ner, of Cobb county, b'gosh. A won drous hat, the major portion of whose sweeping brim had been chewed off by the late lamented Yaarab, and pair of overalls that looked as though they had seen active service In the corn fields, lent the rustic touch to'the three-times president of the Interna tional Association of Fire Chiefs, and as the newspaper men-shouted, "Hey, Rube,” he smiled guiltily, Fnlroaks Is the name of Chief Joy ner's summer home and farm. It’s two hundred-odd acres make one of the prettiest places In the state. The poet In the party said that the little cot' tage was a pearl set In a sea of enter aid, though he didn't explain why a sea should have a setting. Up at Falroaks on this Sunday were the entire Joyner family—Mrs. Joyner, the mater famlllas; four sons, Richard, "Little Cap,” Harry and Ralph; Mra. Richard Joyner, and laat and least yet greatest, the little grand-daughter. Clio, age six months. This was the story secured: Walthal Robertson Joyner was born June 30, 1854, from which It may be computed that he Is still a young man. HI* father waa Richard W. Joyner, who In 1852 hunt five miles from Marietta on the Ponder Springs road what waa known a* the "white house,” because of its Impressive architecture and Its color. The house has now fallen sadly Into disrepair, but the beauty of Its lines remain. The property on which It stands Is now owned by Slate Su preme Court Justice Samuel C. At kinson. The house Is occupied by J. D. Polsston, a farmer. HAS LIVED IN ATLANTA SINCE OUTBREAK OF WAR, In 1861, Just before the outbreak of the civil war, the Joyner family moved to Atlanta, young Walthal Robertson being then 7 year* of age. He has lived In this city ever since. His father opened a drug store at the corner of the railroad and Peachtree street, at the place now occupied by Plnkusaohn'a cigar store. The old Na tional Hotel, of profound memory, was at the corner and Mr. Joyner's drug store occupied a part of the ground door. When Sherman marched through the drug store was hauled out-lnto the middle of the street and was burned. When he moved to Atlanta Mr. Joy ner purchased two acres of land on Peters street, and started the build ing of a house which was finished Just In time to be made the headquarters of G meral Sherman while In Atlanta. General Sherman occupied the parlor of the home and shortly before trouble came he Informed Mrs. Joyner that he feared a fight and urged her to leave the city. He put aoldlere at her dispo sition and the household furniture was packed up and the family "refugeed" to Cuthbert. They lived In the freight car carrying their goods and were three days on the road to Cuthbert. They remained In Cuthbert till the surren der, and then returned to Atlanta In 1867. after spending a year In Macon. Joyner street of this city Is named for Chief Joyner's father. The flrst Job young Walthal Robert son Joyner secured was in a newspa per office. It has been a frequent re mark among newspaper men that reporter ever went to the fire chief and was tumd flown. He haa a 1 ways been willing to give Information insofa hla fluty woaltl allow—an example which other* in pabllc office do not nlways follow. Th» average servant of the people ecems to think that the tall wage the dog and that the public has no right to know Us own business. Maybe Chief Joyner got his tip from hi* newspaper experience, even If that was confined to a few months In the position of office boy on the Atlanta New Kra, a "radical” sheet, edited by gamut 1 Bard, who afterwards gol to bo postmaster of Atlanta. The Repub licanism of the paper made It rather celver. He wound up the business May 1, 1878. Then began hi* official connecilon with til* city government, which 1ms never since been severed. In July, 1879, he was elected deputy city mar shul. Two years later he was electd city marshal and held the office fw terms. In 1871 he had entered the volunteer fire department, being a member of hook and ladder No. 1 for twelve years. For eight years lie was foreman of the company and In 1877 and 1878 was chief of the volunteer department. He was 22 years old when first elected chief, and Immediately became member of the Fire Chiefs' Association, being the youngest member that organization has ever had. Because of his ability In fire fighting, Marshal Joyner was Ip 1883 „ ----- -- elected chief of the paid fire depart- unpopular and pretty soon young Joy- , ment, which was organized In 81, hut ncr left to carry bundles for w. F. declined it, refusing to qualify for the Peck & Co., dry goods merchants at 7 Peachtree street, where the Peters buiidlng now stands. For eight years young Joyner was with Mr. Peck. A short time after his going with the firm, John H. James built Atlanta’s flrst sky-scraper, a six, story structure at the corner of White, hall and Hunter streets on the land now occupied by the J. M. High build ing. This was leased by the Peck- DeSaulIes Co., Mr. Peck having taken in a partner Into his business. From carrying bundles young Joyner rapidly moved up the scale and he sold the flrst piece of dry goods ever handled nt the Whltehnll-Hunter street cor ner, now the center of Atlanta's shop' ping district. It was a calico dress. HOPPING THE COUNTER PROVED TOO IRKSOME. Hopping the counter proved Irksome to young Joyner and at the end of his eighth year he left Peck and went on the road for W. H. Patterson ft Co., wholesale milliners. The senior mem-' her Of that Arm Is the present council man from the Eighth ward. Fo> eigh teen months Joyner was on the road, traveling Georgia, South Carolina and Alabama, at the end of which time he left and went with Jerry Lynch, the tai lor. After two year* with Lynch, he went with C. W. Brunner ft Co., mer chants, who came from Savannah. In a short time, the Brunner Com pany failed and Joyner was made re position before the mayor. BECAME PAID FIRE CHIEF TWENTY-ONE YEARS AGO. Two years laterj however. In 1885, he made the race for chief and waa elected. He has held the position ever since. Now here Is where one may apply mathematics to the work ot Chief Joy ner has done. When he took charge of the Atlantn Are department there was a pink slip pasted on every fire Insurance policy written here. That pink slip stated that owing to the Inefficiency of the lire department there was a 16 per centum Increase In the premium. Six months later that pink slip wan gore, anil It haa never reappeared here. Twelve months later, there wo* In augurated a general reduction of 10 per cent In all fire Insurance premiums. Twenty-four months later another reduction of 10 per cent was effected. Atlanta's fire Insurance rates are now as low as can be expected. Although he has always attended pretty strictly to his Own buslnes of fire bhlef, the mayor-elect haa always been at the forefront of any movement for the advancement or welfare of At lanta. He haa always been one of the leaders of the Atlanta fairs and last year was president of the association. It was one of the few Atlanta fairs Oiat have made money. By the organisation of the firemen’s drum corps, he has advertised Atlanta effectively in many parts of the union. And It hes been the sort of advertising that bus helped. Home criticism was slung at him (luring ills recent campaign fur the mayoralty because of his connection with the Atlanta Baseball Association, i There nre two reasons why he became president of the Atlanta Bascbufi As- ’ sat iation. One was that he has al- : ways been a lover of outdoor sports., nnd has done all he could to promote them. Tae other was that he believed, as do hundreds of others, that a good : professional baseball team, up at the: top of the ladder, it the best adver-| tlsemcnt a town can have. He with I other* bought the Atlanta baseball' franchise from Abner Powell, of New i Orleans, In order that the club might be owned by Atlantan*. They have spent money In effort to put the team - nt the top nnd have succeeded mighty I well, ulthough they hove not yet won a : pennant. HIS HIGHEST REPUTATION IS IN HIS OWN CALLING. Even if the old adage about the: prophet, hi* honor and his own coun try can not be applied to Chief Joy- i ner nnd the esteem In which he Is held by Atlantans, It Is true that his high est reputation Is among men of his own calling. Among the Are chiefs of the world he stands at the very top. He has achieved honors among them that have been given no other man. He has top three term^t been president of the International Association of Fire Chiefs. No cither man has ever served more than two terms. On the authority of Hon. Clark How ell, It may be stated fhat Chief Joyner Is the only Georgian who has ever been honored with the presidency of an International association or convention. Mr. Howell hns looked It up and feels certain that he Is right about It. Chief Joyner has been a member of the association for twenty-nine years and, ae raid In the foregoing, hotda the distinction of having been the youngest member. In 1887 he was first elected president. 1805 was re-elect ventlon at Duluth he declined renoml- natlon. There Is an Interesting story con nected with his election In 1804. The convention was held at Atlantic City, and there were four avowed canflldztes for the presidency. Edward Croker, chief of the New York city department, was seeking re-election, and Chief Can - terbery, of Minneapolis; Chief Humph- Continued on Next Pag*.