On Sunday morning ,
Dec. 2, and only a few weeks before he would have celebrated
his 84th birthday, there passed into the Great Beyond the
soul of Capt. SMITH LIPSCOMB of Bonham, Texas., one of the
best known and loved among the Confederates of
Texas.
SMITH LIPSCOMB was
born in Spartanburg District, S.C., Feb. 26, 1840. He was
present when the firing on Fort Sumter took place and when
the war was declared he went into the fray as a member of
the 18th South Carolina Regiment. He was later appointed
lieutenant and then captain of his company.
He was at the
battle of Petersburg and was one of the three survivors who
were blown up in that awful eruption of dirt, stone and
living bodies at the Crater explosion and came out alive. He alightened on his feet and continued to advance toward the
enemy.
At the
reunion at Richmond in 1907, Senator Daniel introduced
LIPSCOMB and recited his wonderful experiences in that
inferno.
Lipscomb
was at the surrended at Appomattox, and received his parole
there.
He
returned home to a land devastated by war. Soon afterwards
he was married and went to Texas in 1866, settling first on
the Brazos. In 1869 he moved to Fannin County, stopping off
a few years at Ladonia. In 1873 he moved to Bonham to become
a deputy under Sheriff John Dunn. He later was elected sheriff
and served four years. He was then elected tax collector for four
years....he spent the remainder of his life on his
farm.
He was a
member of the Baptist Church, a man of the strictest sense
of honor and honesty. He is survived by his aged wife, 5
daughters and 3 sons. On the day of his burial the business
houses of the city closed their doors for one hour during the
funeral services.