While, of course, this created a sensation in New Orleans business circles, the most astonished man of them all was Captain R. T. Buckner, who, it seems, didn’t know as much as he thought he did, when he handed me his money.
Soon after my arrival at Rusk, I was made a Mason and also joined the Odd Fellows Lodge. I joined these institutions in my own name, satisfied that my secret would be safe with the membership. During a great revival of the union of all churches, wife and I joined the Presbyterian Church and I was ordained a deacon in the church, in due time.
CHAPTER XXVIII
I Assist in Establishing the Masonic Institute.
In conjunction with some members of the Masonic Lodge, we conceived the idea of creating a Masonic Institute, a school of high grade, which was very much needed. I was appointed chairman of the building committee. I went to work actively, in conjunction with the committee, and raised means by private subscription, which enabled us to go to work, building at once. When trustees were elected I was made a member of the Board of Trustees and on the organization of the faculty, we elected a Scotchman, one Professor John Joss, believing that he would prove a good disciplinarian. He had a great reputation as a teacher. There were some bad boys in the community and in the language of Judge Guinn, who was a member of the board, “We needed somebody to use the rod to straighten out these bad characters.” In this, however, we were mistaken; Professor Joss did not use the rod, but only kindness, commanding the respect of the entire school, including these bad boys, on account of his great knowledge and manner of imparting instruction. He was a most popular teacher, beloved by all who came in contact with him, and he built up a large and popular school, which turned out such men as Governor Hogg and Governor Campbell and no less than a dozen eminent lawyers and physicians known all over the State. I regret to have to report that, in the course of four or five years, on account of delicate health, Joss was forced to give up the school and move to Galveston, where he died.
The town of Rusk, being left out by the International & Great Northern Railroad, caused us to haul freight fifteen miles, over mountains and bad roads. I began to plan railroad connection for the town and conceived the idea of building a tap road, though unfamiliar with railroad business and especially the cost of a road.
In accordance with my plans, I called a meeting of the business men, submitting the same, which was to build a narrow gauge road from Jacksonville to Rusk, getting a charter with a State land donation of sixteen sections to the mile, which policy had been adopted by the State to encourage the building of railroads. In accordance therewith, we instructed Judge James E. Dillard, who was our Senator from that district, then attending the Legislature in session, to procure the necessary legislation and had him draw up a charter for the Rusk tap road. The bill covering the same he immediately introduced. I told my Rusk friends that with the aid of sixteen sections to the mile, and a further bonus of twenty-five thousand dollars in cash, which we believed could be raised in the town, we could induce Ward, Dewey & Company, lessees of the penitentiary, to accept these assets and build the road, as they had several thousand convicts to feed and had no use for them.
While these matters were pending and the International Railroad had been extended to Rockdale, I concluded to visit Rockdale, prospecting for a new business location.
On this trip to Rockdale, I met Ira M. Evans, the Secretary of the International Railroad Company, and submitted my plan of building a tap road, suggesting that perhaps his company might be induced to take hold of it, for the subsidy of the State land donation and the twenty-five thousand dollars in cash. He laughed at the idea, saying that they could not afford to run the road for its earnings, if we were able to build a first-class connection. He said our community would not be able to raise one-tenth of its cost and soon convinced me that it would be cheaper to move the whole town of Rusk to Jacksonville, than it would be to build a first-class road. I then submitted that, if we were unable to build a railroad, why not build a tramway, which would be within the bounds of our means and a vast improvement on the wagon road. He readily fell into my scheme, suggested that it was feasible, even with wooden rails, and that we had plenty of pine timber, the heart of which could be bought cheap and would make good, durable rails, amply strong, provided we would place ties eighteen or twenty inches apart.
I now asked him, he being a practical railroad man, to submit a specification on the grade, ties and rails, which he was pleased to do, and suggested that we change the charter we had had introduced, to that of the Rusk Tramway.
Immediately on my return to Rusk, I called a meeting of the business men and leading citizens and submitted the plan for the Rusk Tramway, having no difficulty in convincing them that we were unable to build a railroad. A committee, appointed by the meeting, was instructed to communicate to Senator Dillard our desire to change the charter to that of the Rusk Tramway, which he did, and included a clause granting eight sections to the mile.