Is A.J. Liebling's 'The Sweet Science' the greatest sports book of all time?

A.J. Liebling

I finished reading a very fine sports-related book earlier this week, and I highly recommend it to those of you in the reading audience - A.J. Liebling’s 1956 book, “The Sweet Science.”

To be perfectly honest, I’d never heard of this boxing book before 2002 when Sports Illustrated named it the No. 1 sports book of all time, ahead of such greats “Friday Night Lights,” “The Natural,” “The Boys of Summer” and “Ball Four.” I’d read all of those books, and thought they were all pretty good, so I figured that “The Sweet Science” had to be extra good to beat out all of those outstanding books.

Here’s how Sports Illustrated described “The Sweet Science” in its Dec. 16, 2002 issue.

“Pound-for-pound the top boxing writer of all time, Liebling is at his bare-knuckled best here, bobbing and weaving between superb reporting and evocative prose. The fistic figures depicted in this timeless collection of New Yorker essays range from champs such as Rocky Marciano and Sugar Ray Robinson to endearing palookas and eccentric cornermen on the fringes of the squared circle. Liebling's writing is efficient yet stylish, acerbic yet soft and sympathetic. ("The sweet science, like an old rap or the memory of love, follows its victims everywhere.") He leavens these flourishes with an eye for detail worthy of Henry James. The one-two combination allows him to convey how boxing can at once be so repugnant and so alluring.”

I really enjoyed this book and now understand why it was ranked so highly by Sports Illustrated. This book was hilarious in more than a few spots, and was very educational for someone like me who has a novice’s level of knowledge of boxing.

Ever since hearing about this book, my biggest question was about the title. I assumed that “The Sweet Science” was a reference to boxing. As it turns out, Liebling quotes 19th century sports journalist Pierce Egan throughout his book, including more than a few references to Egan’s famous boxing history book, “Boxiana.” One of these quotes refers to boxing as “The Sweet Science of Bruising!”

I later learned that the term, “The Sweet Science,” was a reference to the European tradition in which “gentlemen” were schooled in the “sciences” of sword fighting, shooting and fist fighting. Fisticuffs, aka boxing, being the least lethal of these “sciences” was called “The Sweet Science.”

If you read and like “The Sweet Science,” you might want to read some of the other books on SI’s Top 100 Sports Books List. In addition to those mentioned above, the list also includes such fine books as “A Season on the Brink” by John Feinstein, “Paper Lion” by George Plimpton, “A River Runs Through It” by Norman Maclean, “Seabiscuit” by Laura Hillenbrand, “Into Thin Air” by Jon Krakauer, “Eight Men Out” by Eliot Asinof and “The Science of Hitting” by Ted Williams and John Underwood.

In the end, I highly recommend that you check out “The Sweet Science,” even if you just have a passing interest in the sport of boxing. If you’re like me, you’ll likely never look at boxing the same way after having reading Liebling’s famous book on the subject.

Today in History for June 30, 2016

Salmon P. Chase

June 30, 1520 – Spanish conquistadors led by Hernán Cortés fought their way out of Tenochtitlan.

June 30, 1685 – Poet and dramatist John Gay was born in Barnstaple, England.

June 30, 1775 - The Continental Congress drafted its rationale for taking up arms against Great Britain in the Articles of War. In the Articles of War, written one year before the adoption of the Declaration of Independence, Congress referred to “his Majesty’s most faithful subjects in these Colonies” and laid the blame for colonial discontent not on King George III, but on “attempts of the British Ministry, to carry into execution, by force of arms, several unconstitutional and oppressive acts of the British parliaments for laying taxes in America.” By phrasing their discontent this way, Congress attempted to notify the king that American colonists were unhappy with parliamentary policy.

June 30, 1805 – The U.S. Congress organized the Michigan Territory.

June 30, 1817 – English botanist and explorer Joseph Dalton Hooker was born in Halesworth, Suffolk, England. Hooker was one of the greatest British botanists and explorers of the 19th century. Hooker was a founder of geographical botany, and Charles Darwin's closest friend.

June 30, 1841 – Confederate soldier John Miller Lee was born at Burnt Corn. He enlisted in Wood’s Cavalry in Mobile on Sept. 29, 1861 then transferred to Co. B of the 3rd Alabama Cavarly (The Monroe Blues). He was elected 2nd lieutenant and assigned to Manigault’s Brigade S.O. No. 78 and detailed as division escort in Anderson's Division. He was wounded near Atlanta on Aug. 16, 1864. When the 1907 Alabama Confederate Census was conducted, he was living in the Diadem community in Conecuh County. When he filed for his Confederate pension, his witnesses were F.M. Dean and F.H. Lee. When the 1921 Confederate Census was conducted, he was living at Rt. B, Box 108, in Evergreen.

June 30, 1859 – French acrobat Charles Blondin became the first person to cross Niagara Falls on a tightrope.

June 30, 1860 - A debate on the merits of the theory of evolution took place at Oxford University. It occurred as part of the annual meeting of the British Association for the Advancement of Science. Darwin's book “On the Origin of Species” (1859) had just been published seven months earlier, and was hotly contested by scientists and theologians on both sides of the issue.

June 30, 1861 - Below New Orleans, the CSS Sumter, commanded by Raphael Semmes, ran the blockade and began a career as a Federal commerce raider.

June 30, 1862 – The Seven Days’ Battles continued at Glendale (White Oak Swamp), Va. as Robert E. Lee had a chance to deal a decisive blow against George B. McClellan’s Army of the Potomac. Lee’s Army of Northern Virginia had already won the Seven Days’ Battles, but the Confederates’ attempt to rout McClellan cost many Southern casualties. Lee’s failure at Glendale permitted McClellan’s army to fall back to higher, more defensible locations.

June 30, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Adam’s Bluff, Arkansas; at Henderson, Kentucky; at Powell River and another at Rising (or Morning) Sun, Tennessee; and at Jones’ Bridge, New Kent Courthouse, Turkey Bridge (or Malvern Cliff,) and at White Oak Swamp Bridge in Virginia.

June 30, 1862 - The Federal naval bombardment of Tampa, Florida began.

June 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, fighting took place at Goodrich’s Landing, Louisiana. Skirmishes were also fought near Westminster, Maryland; near Hudson’s River and Neosho River, Missouri; and at Fairfield, Hanover, and at Sporting Hill, Pennsylvania.

June 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, Federals evacuated Maryland Heights, Maryland.

June 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, the siege at Vicksburg, Miss. entered Day 44.

June 30, 1863 – During the Civil War, Confederates evacuated Tullahoma, Tennessee, and began to withdraw down to and then across the Tennessee River.

June 30, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Acworth, Allatoona and La Fayette, Georgia; and on Four Mile Creek, near Deep Bottom, Virginia.

June 30, 1864 – During the Civil War, Confederate General Jubal Early’s force occupied New Market, Virginia as it made its way northward.

June 30, 1864 – During the Civil War, President Abraham Lincoln accepted Salmon P. Chase’s, the US Secretary of the Treasury’s, resignation.

June 30, 1864 – U.S. President Abraham Lincoln granted the Yosemite Valley to California for "public use, resort and recreation".

June 30, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought with Indians at Rock Creek in the Dakota Territory.

June 30, 1865 - The US Military Commission found the following guilty of conspiring to murder President Lincoln with these sentences doled out: Samuel Arnold, life imprisonment; George Atzerodt, death by hanging; David Herald, death by hanging; Dr. Samuel Mudd, life imprisonment; Michael O’Laughlin, life imprisonment; Lewis Payne, death by hanging; Edward Spangler, six years imprisonment; and Mrs. Mary Surratt, death by hanging.

June 30, 1865 - President Johnson named Benjamin F. Perry provisional governor of South Carolina

June 30, 1881 – Lobina Knight Mitchell was mistakenly murdered in Cragford, Ala. by Charles J. Waldrop, who was hanged for the crime on July 3, 1881.

June 30, 1882 – Charles J. Guiteau was hanged in Washington, D.C. for the assassination of U.S. President James Garfield.

June 30, 1892 – German SS officer Oswald Pohl was born in Duisburg-Ruhrort.

June 30-July 2, 1896 – The Confederate reunion was scheduled to be held in Richmond, Va. It was expected to “be one of the memorable occurrences of an eventful year.” It was said that every one of the 833 camps of United Confederate Veterans would be represented; that many thousands of old soldiers of the Confederacy who were not members of this organization and a host of the sons of veterans would also attend. It was believed that this would be a larger gathering of the “followers of the lost cause” than had assembled on any occasion since the war.

June 30, 1906 – Prof. L.K. Benson, a graduate of Southern University, was named principal of the Monroeville Institute in Monroeville, Ala. He replaced I.A. Weaver, who took the job as editor of the Lineville Headlight.

June 30, 1908 – The famous Tunguska event explosion occurred in Siberia near the Podkamennaya Tunguska River in what is now Krasnoyarsk Krai, Russia. This meteor (or comet) explosion flattened nearly 770 square miles of trees and struck people unconscious some 40 miles away. Commonly thought to be caused by the air burst of a comet or meteor over the area, the impact was a 1,000 times more powerful than the bomb dropped on Hiroshima, and it knocked over an estimated 80 million trees.

June 30, 1910 – Evergreen Postmaster Dean reported that receipts of the Evergreen Post Office for the fiscal year ending on June 30, amounted to $6,961.85 as compared with $5,969.25 for the previous year, showing a net increase in receipts for the year of $995.65.

June 30, 1911 - Polish poet Czeslaw Milosz was born in Szetejnie, Lithuania.

June 30, 1915 – The Evergreen Courant reported that the following officers had been recently elected at Downing Lodge, No. 580, in Castleberry, Ala. Those officers included S. Castleberry, Worshipful Master; J.W. Thurmond, Senior Warden; L.A. Kirkland, Junior Warden; J.F. Albreast, Treasurer; E.A. White, Secretary; R.A. Baird, Senior Deacon; E.L. Connor, Junior Deacon; J.D. Davis, Tyler; Rev. S.B. Strout, Chaplain; John L. Monk and J.M. Branch, Stewards.

June 30, 1915 – The Evergreen Courant reported that J.G. Barrow was now in charge of Hotel Evergreen in Evergreen, Ala.

June 30, 1915 – The Conecuh County Grand Jury was scheduled to meet in Evergreen, Ala. in regard to the trial of John Salter and Robert Watkins who made a full confession to the brutal murder of Martha Lassiter, the attempted murder of Wiley House and the robbery and burning of House’s residence near Burnt Corn on June 23, 1915.

June 30, 1921 – U.S. President Warren G. Harding appointed former President William Howard Taft Chief Justice of the United States.

June 30, 1928 - As mandated by the state legislature, convict leasing ended in Alabama. While many southern states leased convicts to private industry as laborers, Alabama's program, begun in 1846, lasted the longest, and for much of that time the notorious system was a key revenue source for the state.

June 30, 1934 – The Night of the Long Knives, Adolf Hitler's violent purge of his political rivals in Germany, took place.

June 30, 1936 - Margaret Mitchell's Gone with the Wind, one of the best-selling novels of all time and the basis for a blockbuster 1939 movie, was published on this day.

June 30, 1941 - A radio version of Alabama author Octavus Roy Cohen's book “I Love You Again” was broadcast as part of “The Lux Radio Theatre” series.

June 30, 1946 – The Louisville & Nashville Railroad announced a number of train schedule changes for its depot in Evergreen, Ala. that took effect one minute after midnight on this date. Train No. 5 for Mobile and New Orleans was changed to No. 7 and began leaving at 6:15 a.m. instead of 5:40 a.m. Train No. 4 for Montgomery, Atlanta, Washington, Birmingham, Louisville, Cincinnati, St. Louis and Chicago began leaving at 4:10 p.m. instead of 4:20 p.m. Train No. 38 for Jacksonville, Montgomery, Atlanta, Washington and New York began leaving at 5:22 a.m. instead of 5:03 a.m. Train No. 6 for Montgomery began leaving at 1:59 p.m. instead of 1:50 p.m.

June 30, 1948 – The Evergreen Greenies were scheduled to play Brewton in Brewton on this Wednesday night.

June 30, 1956 – A TWA Super Constellation and a United Airlines DC-7 collided above the Grand Canyon in Arizona and crashed, killing all 128 on board both airliners.

June 30, 1958 - The U.S. Congress passed a law authorizing the admission of Alaska as the 49th state in the Union.

June 30, 1959 – At the close of business on this day, Clyde Dickey Bozeman took over the operations of The Thomasville Times in Thomasville, Ala. after buying it from Times editor and publisher Earl L. Tucker.

June 30, 1960 – This day’s edition of The Monroe Journal contained the following advertisement: COMPLETE SELL OUT! “To Kill A Mocking Bird” by Harper Lee of Monroeville, Ala. Published by J.B. Lippincott Co. “The Book With A Southern Setting… A Love Story Pure And Simple” Chosen As… A Literary Guild Selection… Reader’s Digest Condensation… More Book Are On Order, Place Your Order Now! At Ernestine’s Book & Gift Shop, Monroeville.

June 30, 1960 – The Monroe Journal reported that Jack Matchett, fireman, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Lee Matchett of Frisco City, was serving aboard the attack aircraft carrier USS Shangri-la, conducting underway training at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

June 30, 1967 – Morris T. Ward resigned as principal at Evergreen High School, where he had served as principal for six years, to accept a position as assistant to Wilcox County Superintendent of Education Guy S. Kelly. Ward, who had been a successful coach at Lyeffion and Thomaston, had been Evergreen’s principal since July 1, 1961. Harvey G. Pate was Conecuh County’s Superintendent of Education at the time of Ward’s resignation.

June 30, 1969 – In an incident often attributed to the Bermuda Triangle, the 60-foot Maple Bank was found drifting north of Bermuda with no trace of survivors.

June 30, 1962 - Sandy Koufax struck out 13 batters and walked five to lead the Brooklyn Dodgers to victory over the New York Mets, 5-0, with his first career no-hitter.

June 30, 1966 – The National Organization of Women was founded in Washington, D.C. by a group of 28 women.

June 30, 1967 - The South Vietnamese Armed Forces Council resolved rival claims to the presidency in favor of Nguyen Van Thieu, Chief of State. Former Premier Nguyen Cao Ky, who had announced on May 11 that he would run for president, was forced to accept second place on the presidential ticket.

June 30, 1970 - The Cincinnati Reds moved to their new home at Riverfront Stadium.

June 30, 1970 - The U.S. Senate voted 58 to 37 in favor of adopting the Cooper-Church amendment to limit presidential power in Cambodia. The amendment barred funds to retain U.S. troops in Cambodia after July 1 or to supply military advisers, mercenaries, or to conduct “any combat activity in the air above Cambodia in direct support of Cambodian forces” without congressional approval. The amendment represented the first limitation ever passed in the Senate concerning the president’s powers as commander-in-chief during a war situation. The House of Representatives rejected the amendment on July 9, and it was eventually dropped from the Foreign Military Sales Act.

June 30, 1971 - The U.S. Supreme Court ruled that the government could not prevent the Washington Post or the New York Times from publishing the “Pentagon Papers.”

June 30, 1976 – “The Outlaw Josie Wales,” a movie version of Alabama author Forrest Carter's book “Gone to Texas” (also called “The Rebel Outlaw Josie Wales”), was released.

June 30, 1978 - At Atlanta's Fulton County Stadium, Mobile, Ala. native Willie McCovey hit his 500th home run.

June 30, 1984 - Alabama author Lillian Hellman died in Martha's Vineyard, Mass.

June 30, 1988 – In Conecuh County, Ala. Odis Mims caught an 18-1/2 pound catfish on this Thursday evening.

June 30, 1988 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported 1.33 inches of rain in Evergreen, Ala.

June 30, 1989 – Eleven people were injured, but no one was killed, when a van belonging to the Springhill Church of God in Mobile, Ala. suffered a blow out, struck a guard rail and turned over just north of the Conecuh County, Ala. line on Interstate Highway 65.

June 30, 1995 – Moore Academy School at Pine Apple in Wilcox County, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

June 30, 1995 – The Givens House in Andalusia, Ala. was added to the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage.

June 30, 1999 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported total rainfall for the month of June 1999 amounted to 10.13 inches in Evergreen, Ala.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Thurs., June 30, 2016

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): Unknown.

Week to Date Rainfall: 1.80 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.55 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 1.80 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 27.80 inches.

Notes: Today in the 182nd day of 2016 and the 11th day of Summer. There are 184 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

BUCKET LIST UPDATE No. 284: Read “Saga of the Swamp Thing, Vol. 1”

As best that I can remember, the first I ever heard of the comic book character, the Swamp Thing, was when I was in elementary school, maybe around the fourth or fifth grade. Back then the small supermarket in my hometown sold comic books off the magazine rack, and they could usually be found on the bottom shelf. One day, while perusing the selection, I ran across an issue of “The Swamp Thing,” and I’ve been intrigued by the character ever since.

Fast forward to around two years ago when Amazon.com released a “best of” list called Amazon’s 25 Essential DC Graphic Novels and ranked “Saga of the Swamp Thing: Book 1” by Alan Moore, Stephen Bissette, John Totleben and others at No. 23 on that prestigious list. This rekindled my interest in the series, and I added this outstanding graphic novel to my “bucket list” a short time later. Over the weekend, I took the time to read it from start to finish and took more than a little pleasure in scratching this off my list of bucket list-worthy books to read.

“Saga of the Swamp Thing, Book 1” is actually the first of six volumes that collect the entire run of Alan Moore’s work on the comic. In Book 1, you’ll find issues 20-27 of the “Swamp Thing,” and to say that it’s very entertaining reading would be an understatement. If you’ve enjoyed Moore’s work on comics and graphic novels like “From Hell,” “The League of Extraordinary Gentleman” and “V for Vendetta,” you’ll love his run on the “Swamp Thing.”

Now that I’ve read “Book 1,” I’m left wanting to read the other five volumes of Moore’s work on the “Swamp Thing,” which went through issue No. 64. The other books (and the issues they contain) include “Book 2: Love and Death” (28-34 & Annual), “Book 3: The Curse” (35-42), “Book 4: A Murder of Crows” (43-50), “Book 5: Earth to Earth” (51-56) and “Book 6: Reunion” (57-64). If those books are as good as the first, then I’ve got a lot to look forward to.

Reading “Book 1” also made me want to re-watch both of the old “Swamp Thing” movies from the 1980s, “Swamp Thing” (1982) and “The Return of Swamp Thing” (1989). I’m sure that I’ve seen both of these movies, but it’s been so long ago that I barely remember watching them. The original “Swamp Thing” movie does not appear to be currently available through NetFlix, but you can get the DVD of “The Return of Swamp Thing” through NetFlix.

While researching this post, I was also reminded that there was a “Swamp Thing” television series that ran for three seasons in the early 1990s on the USA Network. Interestingly, all 72 episodes of that TV series are also available for rental through NetFlix. I don’t think I’ve ever watched any of these, so I may ended adding them to my “bucket list” next year.

In the end, how many of you have read “Saga of the Swamp Thing, Vol. 1”? What did you think about it? What other outstanding graphic novels would you recommend? Let us know in the comments section below.

The Evergreen Courant's News Flashback for June 29, 2016

USS Valley Forge

53 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1963

Evergreen weather reporter W.D. Simonton reported a high of 91 on June 24 and a low of 68 on June 25. He reported .80 inches of rain on June 20, .32 inches on June 21, .79 inches on June 22, .55 inches on June 23, .21 inches on June 24 and .07 inches on June 26.

Mrs. Sarah Susan Wilson, age 103, died at her residence in the Mt. Union community on Thurs., June 20. She was thought to be Conecuh County’s oldest citizen.

Rayburn H. Nall, seaman, U.S. Navy, son of Mr. and Mrs. Belton H. Nall of Lenox, Ala., is serving aboard the amphibious assault ship USS Valley Forge, which participated in operation “Wind Sock” off the coast of California June 3-14.

Owassa Is Given Zip Code Number: Owassa’s five-digit zip code is 36466, Postmaster L.M. Brown announced today.

“Everyone in Owassa will use this zip code on all their correspondence to speed mail delivery and reduce the chance of misspent mail.”

Zip Code, the Post Office Department’s revolutionary new system of improved mail dispatch and delivery, goes into effect nationally on July 1.

The Repton Baptist Church was the scene of the wedding of Miss Betty Jean Dees and Willard Conrad Booker Jr. June 16. Lovely in its simplicity, the impressive double ring ceremony was performed by the Rev. Ralph Lee.

68 YEARS AGO

JUNE 24, 1948

Greening Lodge Masons Elect New Officers: At a regular meeting in the Masonic Hall Tuesday night, June 22, Greening Lodge No. 53, A.F.&A.M., elected officers for the coming year. The new officers are as follows:

Worshipful Master, Claude L. Murphy; Senior Warden, A.K. Williams Jr.; Junior Warden, Reuben F. Hyde; Treasurer, F.L. Cardwell; Secretary, W.G. Jones; Senior Deacon, Alfred A. Long; Junior Deacon, H.H. Johnston; Tyler, Robert Z. Wells.

Appointed officers are Senior Steward, W.C. Trawick; Junior Steward, Truman Hyde; Marshal, T.J. Mills; and Chaplain, Aubrey Dean.

J.J. (Jack) Finklea Is New School Head: Announcement was made this week by County Superintendent H.G. Pate that J.J. Finklea, a former citizen of Evergreen, now of Cuthbert, Ga., had accepted the position of principal of the Evergreen High School, succeeding J. Cliff Harper, who resigned last week. Mr. Finklea, with his wife and two children, will move here to assume his duties about July 15.

The city’s voters will go to the polls next Tues., June 29, to elect a mayor and five councilmen. Below are the names the voters will see on the ballots next Tuesday:

For mayor: M.M. Cardwell and J.H. Robison.

For councilmen: Ward C. Alexander, H.H. Beasley, A.G. Bolton, H.A. Deer, C.L. Kamplain, R.G. Kendall, H.J. Kinzer, Zell Murphy, J.W. Shannon, D.T. Stuart and O.B. Tuggle.

83 YEARS AGO

JUNE 29, 1933

Local Delegation Seeks Road Completion: A delegation from here composed of Probate Judge L.W. Price, Mayor J.L. Kelly, Representative J.E. Kelly and M.C. Brooks, chairman of the Board of Revenue, spent Tuesday in Montgomery where they went to present a plea to Gov. Miller and State Highway Director L.G. Smith for the completion of the paving on Highway No. 31. There are approximately 60 miles of this highway between Mobile and Montgomery that is as yet unpaved, consisting of a stretch from here to McKenzie; between Brewton and Atmore; between Atmore and Stapleton and Cochrane Bridge across Mobile Bay.

The delegation received no definite assurance from either Gov. Miller or Mr. Smith, except that their request would receive most careful consideration at the proper time.

Probate Judge L.W. Price has received pension warrants for old Confederate veterans and widows for the remaining half of the quarter due April 1, 1933, which are payable July 1, this Saturday. The pensioners received half payment on this quarter sometime in April and the warrants now issued is for the remainder.

Bobby Bozeman is spending the week with Clarke Bozeman in Andalusia.

Miss Guice Stevens and her father, Mr. L.M. Stevens, spent last week at the Whitley Hotel in Montgomery, where they attended the Spanish-American war veterans reunion.

98 YEARS AGO

JUNE 26, 1918

Downing Lodge No. 580, A.F.&A.M., Castleberry, at their annual communication on June 21, elected the following officers for the ensuing Masonic year: J.W. Thurmond, Worshipful Master; L.A. Kirkland, Senior Warden; E.L. Conner, Junior Warden; J.W. White Jr., Senior Deacon; E.L. Albreast, Junior Deacon; C.T. Kirkland, Treasurer; E.A. White, Secretary; John M. Branch, Senior Steward; John I. Monk, Junior Steward; Rev. W.F. Arnold, Chaplain; E.V. Poole, Tyler.

Veterans Meeting: All members of Camp Capt. Wm. Lee, United Confederate Veterans, are called to meet in Evergreen on Mon., July 1.  – J.T. Fincher, Commander.

Bob Long, J.D. Deming, C.P. Deming Jr., R.E. Salter and Henry McFarland attend the great Masonic Shriners ceremonial in Florala on Monday.

Many friends of Mrs. L.D. King sympathize sincerely with her in the death of her father, Hon. W.S. Watson, who passed away at his home in Greenville several days ago. He had for several years past been clerk of the circuit court of Butler County and had previously served one term as sheriff.

The local freight trains are again making their night stop-over here (Castleberry).

113 YEARS AGO

JUNE 24, 1903

At the regular communication of Greening Lodge No. 53, A.F.&A.M., the following officers were elected: H.A. Shields, Worshipful Master; J.T. Amos, Senior Warden; D.W. Powell, Junior Warden; M.W. Etheridge, Treasurer; Geo. W. Salter Jr., Secretary; Y.M. Long, Senior Deacon; E.E. Newton, Junior Deacon; J.H. Stamps, Tyler; H.L. Tucker and T.H. Millers, Stewards.

Mayor W.S. Oliver was over from Repton on Monday.

Masonic Officers Elected: At a regular communication of Repton Lodge No. 575, the following officers were elected: Geo. W. Salter Sr., Worshipful Master; John S. Watson, Senior Warden; Wm. M. Newton, Junior Warden; Jas. E. Robinson, Treasurer; Chas. E. Kelly, Secretary; Andrew J. Straughn, Senior Deacon; Henry L. Dees, Junior Deacon; Geo. W. Lee, Tyler; James W. Langham, Wm. Williams, Stewards; John W. Breedlove, Chaplain.

NOTICE: The Democratic Executive Committee of Conecuh County is hereby called to meet at Evergreen on Sat., June 27, 1903 to consider the matter of the vacancy now existing in office of Representative caused by the death of the late Dr. Andrew Jay. Every member of the committee is earnestly requested to be present. – S.P. Dunn, Chairman.

 Rev. J.W. Stewart filled his appointment here (Zeru) Sunday afternoon holding services at the water’s edge where the ordinance of baptism was administered to Misses Johnston and Lucas. Rev. Stewart was accompanied by his little son and Miss Mary McCreary.

Today in History for June 29, 2016

Wesley Merritt

June 29, 1534 – Jacques Cartier beame the first European to reach Prince Edward Island.

June 29, 1613 - London's Globe Theatre burned to the ground during a performance of “Henry VIII.” The fire was thought to have been triggered by a sound-effects cannon.

June 29, 1652 - Massachusetts declared itself an independent commonwealth.

June 29-June 30, 1692 – In connection with the Salem witchcraft trials, Rebecca Nurse, Susannah Martin, Sarah Wildes, Sarah Good and Elizabeth Howe were tried, pronounced guilty and sentenced to death by hanging.

June 29, 1767 - The British Parliament approved the Townshend Revenue Acts. The act placed import taxes on many of the British products bought by Americans, including lead, paper, paint, glass and tea.

June 29, 1776 - The Virginia constitution was adopted and Patrick Henry was made governor.

June 29, 1776 – The first privateer battle of the American Revolutionary War was fought at Turtle Gut Inlet near Cape May, New Jersey.

June 29, 1776 - Edward Rutledge, one of South Carolina’s representatives to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia, expressed his reluctance to declare independence from Britain in a letter to the like-minded John Jay of New York. Contrary to the majority of his Congressional colleagues, Rutledge advocated patience with regards to declaring independence. In a letter to Jay, one of New York’s representatives who was similarly disinclined to rush a declaration, Rutledge worried whether moderates like himself and Jay could “effectually oppose” a resolution for independence.

June 29, 1804 - Privates John Collins and Hugh Hall of the Lewis and Clark Expedition were found guilty by a court-martial consisting of members of the Corps of Discovery for getting drunk on duty. Collins received 100 lashes on his back and Hall received 50.

June 29, 1815 – Bibb County, which was originally part of Monroe County, was created by the Mississippi territorial legislature on this day. Part of Montgomery County, Miss. Territory, in 1817; part of Montgomery County, Alabama Territory, 1817-1818; Cahawba County, Alabama Territory, Feb. 7, 1818-Dec. 14, 1819; Cahawba County, Alabama, Dec. 14, 1819-Dec. 4, 1820; then named changed to Bibb. Present boundaries established in 1868. Now bordered on theh north by Tuscaloosa County and Jefferson County, on the east by Shelby County and Chilton County, on the south by Perry County, and on the west by Hale County. Named Cahawba for the river that flows from north to south through the county. Renamed in 1820 to honor William Wyatt Bibb (1781-1820), territorial governor and first governor of the state, who had died the preceding summer. Its county seats have been the temporary one, Falls of the Cahawba, 1819-22; Bibb Court House, later named Bibbville, 1822-29; and the present one, first known as Centreville Courthouse, now Centreville, chosen in 1829.

June 29, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette met with women's groups and then departed Montpelier for Burlington, Vermont, arriving there about 11 a.m. He laid the cornerstone for the "South College" building at the University of Vermont and gave a talk to about 50-60 students. He was entertained at the Grassmount estate. He departed 12 hours after he arrived for Whitehall, New York.

June 29, 1835 - Determined to win independence for the Mexican State of Texas, William Travis raised a volunteer army of 25 soldiers and prepared to liberate the city of Anahuac. The next day, the small army easily captured Captain Antonio Tenorio, the leader of Santa Anna’s forces in Anahuac, and forced the troops to surrender.

June 29, 1846 - The 1st Alabama Infantry Regiment organized in Mobile, Ala. to fight in the Mexican War. Alabamians volunteered in large numbers to fight against Mexico when war came over the annexation of Texas, but only this single regiment, a battalion, and several independent companies actually were received into federal service from the state. During its 11 months of service, the 1st Alabama lost only one man in battle but 150 died from disease.

June 29, 1861 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at Bowman’s Place, on the Cheat River, in Western Virginia.

June 29, 1862 – The Battle of Savage’s Station took place in Henrico County, Va. Confederate General Robert E. Lee attacked Union General George McClellan as he was pulling his army away from Richmond, Va. in retreat during the Seven Days’ Battles. Although the Yankees lost 1,000 men – twice as many as the Rebels – they were able to successfully protect the retreat.

June 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, the blockade runner, Ann, was captured by the Federal Navy under the guns of Fort Morgan, Ala.

June 29, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought along the James River in the vicinity of Willis’ Church and another at Jordan‘s Ford; along the Williamsburg Road, Virginia; and at Moorefield in Western Virginia. An engagement was also fought at Peach Orchard (or Allen‘s Farm) in the vicinity of Fair Oaks Station. A two-day Federal reconnaissance began between Front Royal and Luray, in the Shenandoah Valley in Virginia.

June 29, 1863 – National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher and manager Wilbert Robinson was born in Bolton, Mass. During his career, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics, the Baltimore Orioles and the St. Louis Cardinals and he managed the Orioles and the Brooklyn Robins. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1945.

June 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, the following men were appointed Union Brigadier Generals: George Armstrong Custer, Elon John Farnsworth and Wesley Merritt.

June 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought near Columbia and another at Creelsborough, Kentucky; out from Mound, Louisiana; at Muddy Branch and Westminster, Maryland; and at Decherd, Haillsborough, Lexington and Tullahoma in Tennessee. The first day of what would be two days of skirmishing began in Mississippi at Messinger’s Ferry, along the Big Black River.

June 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, the siege at Vicksburg, Miss. entered Day 43.

June 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought at McConnellsburg, Pennsylvania as Northern and Southern armies continued to concentrate toward Gettysburg and Cashtown. Federal cavalry probed the moving Southern army.

June 29, 1863 – During the Civil War, a six-day Confederate operation in the vicinity of Beverly, West Virginia began.

June 29, 1864 – During the Civl War, a skirmish was fought at Pond Springs in Northern Alabama.

June 29, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Meffleton Lodge, Arkansas; at Davis Bend, Louisiana; at La Fayette, Tennessee; and at Charlestown and Duffield’s Station, West Virginia.

June 29, 1865 – During the Civil War, a skirmish was fought with Indians near Fort Dodge, Kansas.

June 29, 1892 - Sigmund Freud first referred to the unconscious, calling it a "second state of consciousness."

June 29, 1897 - The Chicago Cubs scored 36 runs in a game against Louisville, setting a record for runs scored by a team in a single game.

June 29, 1900 – French aviator and writer Antoine de Saint-Exupery was born in Lyons.

June 29, 1901 - The first edition of "Editor & Publisher" was issued.

June 29, 1910 – Composer, librettist and lyricist Frank Loesser was born in New York City.

June 29, 1911 – The baseball season was scheduled to open in Evergreen, Ala. on this day with three games between Evergreen and Andalusia on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. George Farnham was Evergreen’s manager.

June 29, 1914 – Jina Guseva attempted to assassinate Grigori Rasputin at his home town in Siberia.

June 29, 1915 – Merchants and business owners of Evergreen, Ala. signed an agreement on this Tuesday to close for business on Mon., July 5, in observance of the Fourth of July holiday, which fell on a Sunday.

June 29, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that Knud Nielsen had left that week for a visit to Chicago.

June 29, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that Mr. and Mrs. T.W. Cargill of Montgomery, spent a day with Mr. and Mrs. E.E. Cargill that week. Mr. Cargill was a popular L&N conductor and a native of Evergreen.

June 29, 1916 – The Conecuh Record reported that “an opportunity to have high class portrait painting from life or photograph by Woodford J. Sanders, portrait painter, now paying Evergreen a visit first time in 20 years, lately from Montgomery, and having painted the portraits of Dr. John Massey, M.B. Houghton, J. Flowers, Judge W.A. Thomas and others for the Women’s College of Alabama. Sanders, while in our neighbor city of Brewton, placed some 50 or more portraits, among those of note, Dr. Downing, Mr. Shofner, for Downing Industrial School, also the family of Mr. Ed Lovelace, Mr. W. Martin, Mr. Luttrell, Mr. E. McGowin, Dr. Smith and others, giving entire satisfaction. Mr. Sanders will be here for a short stay, and those desiring to remember their loved ones as in life will do well to see him at once.”

June 29, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that the following officers had been elected at Mizpah Lodge No. 667 for the following year: W.R. Blackwell, worshipful master; J.W. Wilkinson, senior warden; R.T. Lambert, junior warden; Chas. A. Florey, treasurer; John T. Lambert, secretary; W.L. Morris, senior deacon; Alex T. Davis, junior deacon; Robert Stacey, tyler; J.F. Grimes, B.F. Lambert, stewards; W.J. Curry, chaplain.

June 29, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reportd that the following officers had been elected at Jones Mill Lodge No. 702 for the following year: J.H. Baas, worshipful master; H.A. Baggett, senior warden; G.L. Galloway, junior warden; J.A. Barnes, treasurer; C.W. Adams, secretary; W.W. Grimes, senior deacon; W.D. Sawyer, junior deacon; S.B. McMillan, Irvin Bailey, stewards; J.W. Cizenba, tyler; J.J. Sessions, chaplain; J.T. Sawyer, marshal.

June 29, 1916 – The Monroe Journal reported that the following officers had been elected at Monroe Chapter No. 122, Royal Arch, for the following year: Q. Salter, high priest; I.B. Slaughter, king; A.B. Coxwell, scribe; E.M. Salter, captain of the host; J.W. Brown, principal sojourner; A.T. Sowell, royal arch captain; Riley Kelly, master first veil; N.A. McNiel, master second veil; J.M. Sowell, master third veil; H.J. Coxwell, sentinel; J.B. Barnett, secretary; W.H. Tucker, treasurer.

June 29, 1933 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Probate Judge L.W. Price had received pension warrants for old Confederate veterans and widows for the remaining half of the quarter due April 1, 1933, which were payable July 1, that coming Saturday. The pensioners received half payment on this quarter sometime in April and the warrants issued in June was for the remainder.

June 29, 1933 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Bobby Bozeman was spending the week with Clarke Bozeman in Andalusia.

June 29, 1933 – The Evergreen Courant reported that Miss Guice Stevens and her father, L.M. Stevens, had spent the previous week at the Whitley Hotel in Montgomery, where they attended the Spanish-American war veterans reunion.

June 29, 1936 – National Baseball Hall of Fame first baseman, third baseman and left fielder Harmon Killebrew was born in Payette, Idaho. During his career, he played for the Washington Senators/Minnesota Twins and the Kansas City Royals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1984.

June 29, 1939 – The Monroe Journal reported that Blacksher Lodge No. 593, A.F.&A.M., had held their annual meeting and that the following officers were elected for the ensuing year: R.E. Rabon, Worshipful Master; J.L. Grissett, Senior Warden; A.T. Ellis, Junior Warden; J.J. Bell, Senior Deacon; H.M. Hayles, Junior Deacon; E.R. Hayles, Secretary; W.W. Garrett, Treasurer; J.C. Kyle, Tyler; A.E. Emfinger, Chaplain; Tom Hayles and F.N. Grant, Stewards; J.F. Lambert, Marshal.

June 29, 1939 - The Monroe Journal reported that a new newspaper, The Frisco City Sun, had begun publication in Frisco City and was edited by Eugene C. Thomley.

June 29, 1941 – Joe DiMaggio broke George Sisler’s 1922 American League record of 41 consecutive games with a hit at Griffith Stadium in Washington, and four days later, on July 2, DiMaggio broke "Wee" Willie Keeler’s major league record streak of 44 games.

June 29, 1945 - The annual picnic for the employees of Monroe and Clarke Mills was to be held on the grounds of Monroe Mills in Monroeville, Ala. on this Friday.

June 29, 1948 – Evergreen’s voters were set to go to the polls on this Tuesday to elect a mayor and five councilmen. Candidates for mayor included M.M. Cardwell and J.H. Robison. Candidates for councilmen included Ward C. Alexander, H.H. Beasley, A.G. Bolton, H.A. Deer, C.L. Kamplain, R.G. Kendall, H.J. Kinzer, Zell Murphy, J.W. Shannon, D.T. Stuart and O.B. Tuggle.

June 29, 1949 – Pro Football Hall of Fame offensive tackle Dan Dierdorf was born in Canton, Ohio. He went on to play for Michigan and the St. Louis Cardinals. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1996.

June 29, 1956 – The Federal Aid Highway Act of 1956 was signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower, officially creating the United States Interstate Highway System.

June 29, 1960 - Four candidates had qualified by noon on this Wednesday in Monroeville to seek offices in the city election scheduled for Mon., Aug. 1. Dr. W.H. Hines, local veterinarian, filed qualifications for the post of mayor, which was held at that time by Leonard Morris. Two incumbents had also qualified for reelection to city council posts – Julian R. Cole to Place 2 and Curtis A. Dunning to Place 3. Windell Owens, local attorney, had qualified as a candidate for Place 5 on the council, which was held at that time by his brother, E.G. Owens.

June 29, 1964 - Twenty-four New Zealand Army engineers arrived in Saigon as a token of that country’s support for the American effort in South Vietnam.

June 29, 1965 – Army Capt. Rubin Fletcher Bradley of Jackson, Ala. was killed in action in Vietnam.

June 29, 1966 - During the Vietnam War, U.S. aircraft bombed the major North Vietnamese population centers of Hanoi and Haiphong for the first time, destroying oil depots located near the two cities.

June 29, 1970 – Thomas Charles Littles, who was fatally wounded in Vietnam, was honorably discharged from the Army and placed on the Army’s Permanent Disability Retired List. He received care at the Montgomery hospital for 415 days and died from pneumonia on June 3, 1971.

June 29, 1970 - U.S. ground combat troops ended two months of operations in Cambodia and returned to South Vietnam.

June 29, 1975 - The 50^th anniversary of the founding of Uriah First Baptist Church was to be celebrated on this Sunday. With land donated by James Uriah Blacksher, the church building was constructed in 1925 by Shelton Seales, assisted by Tom Gulsby and E.R. Hayles. Early members of the church included the families of the late W.W. Hollinger, Mrs. T.A. Black and Mrs. G.R. Vaught.

June 29-30, 1988 – The annual Evergreen Rotary Club Fish & Wildlife Camp was held at Tal Stuart’s Pond near Belleville, Ala. Award-winners at the camp included Best Archer, Tommy Byrd; Best Fly Caster, Brandon Monk; Best Spin Caster, John Henry Sessions; Best Senior Camper, Ron English; Best Junior Camper, Joey Brewton; Best Bait Caster, Bobby Townson; Best Rifle Shot, Chip Gibson; Best Canoeist, Mike Smith and Best Shotgun Shot, Joey Taylor.

June 29, 1988 – Weather reporter Harry Ellis reported a high of 100 degrees in Evergreen, Ala.

June 29, 1989 – A Conecuh County, Ala. Circuit Court jury found former Olympic boxer Clint Jackson of Evergreen guilty on charges of first-degree kidnapping in connection with the August 1988 kidnapping of Evergreen banker Tom Salo. Dale R. Smith was found guilty of second-degree kidnapping in the same trial, which was one of the longest in county history.

June 29, 2007 – Marlon Anderson of Montgomery, Ala. was designated for assignment by the Dodgers on June 29, 2007, ending his tenure with the club. He cleared waivers and became a free agent on July 11. He was promptly signed to a minor league contract by the Mets on July 12.

June 29, 2008 – Birmingham, Ala. native David Robertson made his Major League debut, taking the field for the first time for the New York Yankees

June 29, 2014 – Through the Mutual UFO Network (MUFON), a witness in Atmore reported seeing a UFO around 9:30 p.m. The witness had just parked his car at his house, and when he got out, he saw a strange light about 500 feet or so above a tree near a school building. The witness described the strange light as an “orange, moving ball.” The light moved about one mile in 45 seconds and eventually disappeared, the witness said.

June 29, 2014 – The Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant self-declared its caliphate in Syria and northern Iraq.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Wed., June 29, 2016

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 1.80 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.55 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 1.80 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 27.80 inches.

Notes: Today in the 181st day of 2016 and the tenth day of Summer. There are 185 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

The Evergreen Courant's Sports Flashback for June 28, 2016

Cliff Harper

53 YEARS AGO

JUNE 27, 1963

Sr. League Results: The Tigers downed the Indians, 9-5, Monday night to strengthen their grip on first place. The winners now boast a 5-0 slate.

A triple by Jerry Johnson was the big hit of the Tigers’ seven-run first inning.

Singles by Clint Ward, Jimmy Warren and Paul Deason helped put three tallies across the plate for the losers in the third.

Wayne Pate was the winner on the hill although he was relieved in the fourth by Bubba Faulkner. Bill Snowden and Knud Nielsen were the Indian moundsmen with Snowden taking the loss.

Braves vs. Pirates: The Braves whipped the Pirates, 5-2, Monday night to take over second place in the Senior League pennant race. The Braves record is now 3-2 while the Bucs have a 2-3 mark.

The Braves scored three runs in the first frame on only one hit, a single by Terry Coleman.

Three errors in the Brave infield gave the losers two runs in the fourth.

Grover Jackson took the hill win, with Johnny Brown pitching the last inning for the victors. Chastain was the loser although Steve Baggett took over after two outs in the first inning.

Brave shortstop Terry Coleman was injured when struck in the eye by a throw in the fourth inning. He was taken to the Conecuh County Hospital for examination.

The Tigers vs. Pirates: The Tigers stretched their winning string to four Thursday night with a 4-1 win over the Pirates. Bubba Faulkner was the winning hurler while Steve Baggett was tagged with the loss.

68 YEARS AGO

JUNE 24, 1948

Cliff Harper Resigns EHS Post To Become AHSAA’s First Full Time Secretary: J. Cliff Harper resigned his post as principal of Evergreen High School last week to accept the position of full time secretary of the Alabama High School Athletic Association. Mr. Harper will assume his new duties on July 1 when he relieves Sellers Strough who has served in a part time capacity as secretary for 25 years.

This is a big step forward for the Alabama High School Athletic Association. This full time post has long been needed to bring the state’s high school sports organization up to par with other states such as Texas, Georgia and New York.

Mr. Harper and his staff of workers will have offices in Montgomery. Mr. Strough will work with Harper for the first month acquainting him with his new duties.

Mr. and Mrs. Harper and Mr. and Mrs. Strough of Birmingham are attending the national meeting of the Executive Secretaries of the State Athletic Associations in Piquot Lake, Min. They will be there for a week during which time rules, regulations, etc. for the next year will be discussed and voted on.

Mr. Harper has served as principal at Evergreen High School for the past two years. He is a native of Pineapple, Ala. and earned his A.B. at Birmingham Southern where he played end on the football team. After having coached two years at Sardis High School, Harper earned his M.S. at Auburn in 1939. He then served as principal and coach at Spring Garden High for four years and at Georgiana for one year before entering the Army.

Mr. Harper entered the Army as a private and was separated from the service as a captain. While in the Army, he served as a director of athletics and physical training.

Harper’s record at Evergreen High School has been outstanding. A firm believer in a strong athletic and physical training program, he organized an excellent intra-mural program at Evergreen High. He also set up and directed a summer recreation program for the City of Evergreen.

No one in the state has worked harder as an individual to strengthen the state athletic association than Cliff Harper. He long ago saw the need for a full time secretary and has urged the addition of this office. It is fitting that one of his qualifications and experience should become the first to fill the office.

Brewton Pro Baseball Club Will Hold Evergreen Night: Officials of the Brewton Millers entry in the professional Class D Alabama State League, announced this week that they would hold an “Evergreen Night” on Wed., July 7. Plans have been completed to reserve around half of the seats for Evergreen fans.

Businessmen in Brewton and Evergreen have purchased several hundred tickets to the game and will distribute them in Evergreen. Half the grandstand and half the bleachers will be roped off for Evergreen fans and a large attendance is expected to represent the city.

The Millers will play the Greenville Pirates in the game that will feature the events of “Evergreen Night.” Game time will be 7:30.

Greenies Play Brewton Here Sunday At Three: The Evergreen Greenies will play Brewton here Sunday in a Tri-County Baseball League game. This is a change in schedule. Evergreen originally would have played in Brewton Sunday and a home game here next Thursday. To avoid conflict with the professional Millers, the games were changed. Evergreen will play Brewton in Brewton next Wednesday night.

The Greenies play Booneville at McCullough today. Their game here Sunday was rained out.

The game here Sunday will be a crucial one. Brewton is the only team in the loop that has defeated Evergreen this season. Game time is three o’clock, place, Brooks Stadium Sunday afternoon.

83 YEARS AGO

JUNE 29, 1933

Evergreen Increases Lead In Pennant Race: With Doc Jones registering his second shutout in a row, the Evergreen baseball club took Greenville into camp on the Butler countians’ home lot Sunday afternoon, 2-0, to give them a four-game lead over the second-place Crenshaw County team from Luverne. The locals had defeated Ft. Deposit Thursday in both ends of a double bill, the second game of which Jones pitched for his initial scoreless effort.

Evergreen’s fighting Irishmen went out for blood in the Thursday doubleheader, which was transferred here from Ft. Deposit so that a protested game could be replayed, and they got it in copious measures. The first game was won easily behind the five-hit hurling of Skin Hyde, by a score of 16-2, while the second affray was a close and tightly played affair, resulting in a score of 4-0, Doc Jones hurling.

The Greenville affair Sunday was nip and tuck with Jones getting the call when Manager Murphy decided the long boy was ready to go after his great work Tuesday. Drawing Hester, one of the best in the league, as his opponent, Jones knew he had to work hard if he won the ball game, and he promptly went to work.

(Other players on Evergreen’s team that season included Skeeter Amos, Archie Barfield, Gaston, Joe Hagood, Hanna, Tom Kendall, Tom Melton and Moorer.)

98 YEARS AGO

JUNE 26, 1918

D.L. Long left here (Castleberry) the first of the week on a fishing trip on the Yellow River in Florida.

113 YEARS AGO

JUNE 24, 1903

The game of ball between Brewton and Evergreen played here on Friday was one of considerable local interest, though there was ragged playing on each side, neither of the teams having had very much practice. For the first six innings, it looked as if the game would result in a victory for Evergreen, but some bad playing on the infield by Evergreen lost the game to Brewton. The game ended in a score of nine to six in Brewton’s favor. The second game will be played in Brewton on Friday next.

Robert Powell and wife of Montgomery, after spending several days fishing here (Garland), have returned home.

Today in History for June 28, 2016

Emerson Hough

June 28, 1635 - The French colony of Guadeloupe was established in the Caribbean.

June 28, 1703 – John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist movement, was born in Epworth, Lincolnshire, England.

June 28, 1712 – Philosopher Jean-Jacques Rousseau was born in Geneva.

June 28, 1773 - Off the coast of South Carolina, British Commodore Sir Peter Parker, aboard the HMS Bristol opened fire on the Patriot fortification at Sullivan's Island. The Patriots only suffered minor casualties while the cost to the British was 261 injured or dead.

June 28, 1775 – Outstanding American Revolutionary soldier Marinus Willett of New York was commissioned as a lieutenant colonel. He would go on to become the 48th Mayor of New York City.

June 28, 1776 – The Battle of Sullivan's Island ended with the first decisive American victory in the American Revolutionary War as American colonists repulsed a British sea attack on Charleston, S.C. and leading to the commemoration of Carolina Day.

June 28, 1776 - A draft of the formal Declaration of Independence, known as the “Lee Resolution,” was presented to the Continental Congress.

June 28, 1776 – Thomas Hickey, Continental Army private and bodyguard to General George Washington, was hanged for mutiny and sedition.

June 28, 1778 – The American Continentals engaged the British in the Battle of Monmouth Courthouse, resulting in a standstill and British withdrawal under cover of darkness. Mary "Molly Pitcher" Hays McCauley, wife of an American artilleryman, carried water to the soldiers during the Battle of Monmouth and, supposedly, took her husband's place at his gun after he was overcome with heat.

June 28, 1813 – General Flournoy ordered Brigadier General Ferdinand L. Claiborne, with his 600 Mississippi volunteers, to march from Baton Rouge to Mount Vernon, in order to be ready there “to repel any attack that may be made on any part of the frontier of the Mississippi Territory, either from Indians, Spaniards or English.” Leaving Baton Rouge on June 28, the brigade reached Mount Vernon on July 30. The defense of Mobile, Ala. was to be Claiborne’s primary concern.

June 28, 1825 – During his tour of the United States, the Marquis de Lafayette crossed into Vermont at the Cornish Bridge early in the morning. He traveled north, passing through Woodstock at 11a.m., taking a stagecoach through the mountains to Barnard and Royalton. He passed through Randolph; where he is said to have met a young Justin S. Morrill and eventual Senator Dudley Chase. He was escorted with Governor Cornelius P. Van Ness and others through Barre to large festivities in Montpelier that included speeches by supreme Court Judge Elijah Paine and others. He spent the night in Montpelier at The Pavilion, an historic and politically important structure.

June 28, 1836 – The last of the Founding Fathers, James Madison, the fourth President of the United States, died at the age of 85 on his tobacco plantation in Orange, Va. and was buried in the Madison Family Cemetery at Montpelier. He was a drafter of the Constitution, recorder of the Constitutional Convention and author of the "Federalist Papers.”

June 28, 1838 – The coronation of Queen Victoria of the United Kingdom took place.

June 28, 1857 - Emerson Hough, one of the most successful writers of adventure novels of the romantic western genre, was born in Newton, Iowa.

June 28, 1862 - Confederates captured the commercial vessel St. Nicholas on Chesapeake Bay. The plan was the brainchild of George Hollins and Richard Thomas Zarvona, who hatched a plan to capture the St. Nicholas and use it to marshal other Yankee ships into Confederate service.

June 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, Farragut’s fleet successfully ran the batteries at Vicksburg, Mississippi, in the first attempt to take the city. This action proved two points: A fleet could pass powerful land batteries without suffering excessive damage and it was going to take more than naval power to take Vicksburg.

June 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, fighting continued between Union and Confederate forces during the Seven Days' campaign.

June 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Blackland, Miss. and at Sparta, Tenn.

June 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, a two-day Federal operation began in Johnson County, Missouri.

June 28, 1862 – During the Civil War, Federals evacuated James Island, South Carolina.

June 28, 1863 - U.S. President Lincoln appointed General George G. Meade as commander of the Army of the Potomac. Meade, who replaced General Hooker, was the fifth man to command the Army in less than a year. Meade received the orders at 7:00 in the morning at Frederick, Md.

June 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Russellville, Kentucky; at Donaldsville, Louisiana; near Seneca and another at Rockville Maryland; at Plymouth and Nichol’s Mills, North Carolina; at Fountain Dale, Oyster Point, Columbia, and Wrightsville, Pennsylvania; at Rover, Tennessee; and on the Little River Turnpike, Virginia.

June 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, the siege at Vicksburg, Miss. entered Day 41.

June 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, Robert E Lee learned the Federals were north of the Potomac. He ordered Longstreet, Hill and Ewell to march toward Gettysburg and Cashtown. Early entered York, Pennsylvania.

June 28, 1863 – During the Civil War, in Georgia, Joe Johnston’s men prepared new defensive positions along the Chattahoochee River, to the rear of the Kennesaw line.

June 28, 1864 – During the Civil War, skirmishes were fought at Tunnel Hill, Georgia and at Howlett’s Bluff, Virginia.

June 28, 1865 – During the Civil War, the CSS Shenandoah stopped taking Federal whalers in the Bering Sea.

June 28, 1865 – The Army of the Potomac was disbanded.

June 28, 1874 - The Freedmen's Bank, created to assist former slaves in the United States, closed. Customers of the bank lost $3 million.

June 28, 1888 – Robert Louis Stevenson set sail for the South Seas about the schooner yacht Casco.

June 28, 1902 – Elijah Byrd Jenkins, who was aboard the CSS Selma when it was captured at the Battle of Mobile Bay, filed for his Confederate pension in Wilcox County. Jenkins was born in Wilcox County on Dec. 13, 1842 to Thomas Jenkins and wife. At the age of 19, he enlisted on Nov. 1, 1862 in Montgomery as a private with Co. K 1st Ala. Artillery. He re-enlisted on Feb. 11, 1863 at Port Hudson, La. with Co. K, 1st Ala. Artillery before joining the Confederate Navy and transferring to serve aboard the CSS Selma on March 5, 1864, served on that ship until it was captured at the Battle of Mobile Bay. He was then imprisoned at Ship Island, Miss. for the rest of the war. Elijah Jenkins is buried at New Hope Cemetery at Dottelle.

June 28, 1902 – The U.S. Congress passed the Spooner Act, authorizing President Theodore Roosevelt to acquire rights from Colombia for the Panama Canal.

June 28, 1902 – Composer and lyricist Richard Rodgers was born in Queens. His collaborations with Oscar Hammerstein and Lorenz Hart revolutionized American musical theater and resulted in the classic musicals Pal Joey (1940), Oklahoma! (1943), South Pacific (1949), and The Sound of Music (1959).

June 28, 1904 - John S. McDuffie of River Ridge in Monroe County, Ala. was shot and killed during an argument with Edward English. McDuffie was one of the captures of famous train robber, Rube Burrow.

June 28, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported that Miss Callie Faulk was teaching a “flourishing” school at Franklin, Ala.

June 28, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from the Activity community, that the smallpox was “raging” near Simpkinsville, and that it had been reported that Mr. Willie Chatman had lost his wife to the disease.

June 28, 1906 – The Monroe Journal reported, in news from the Excel community, that Marvin E. Booker of Orange Hill, Fla. and Miss Corrie King of Mexia, had been elected to teach the school there that fall.

June 28, 1909 – Eric Ambler, the first author to write stories about international espionage that were based on real life, was born in London.

June 28, 1914 – In an event that is widely regarded as sparking the outbreak of World War I, Archduke Franz Ferdinand, heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, was shot to death with his wife by Bosnian Serb Gavrilo Princip in Sarajevo, Bosnia.

June 28, 1915 – On this Monday morning, Judge Gamble came to Evergreen, Ala. and arranged for a special term of the Conecuh County Circuit Court to try John Salter and Robert Watkins who made a full confession to the brutal murder of Martha Lassiter, the attempted murder of Wiley House and the robbery and burning of House’s residence near Burnt Corn on June 23, 2015.

June 28, 1919 – The Treaty of Versailles was signed, ending the state of war between Germany and the Allies of World War I.

June 28, 1928 – Repton’s baseball team beat Castleberry, 6-2, in Castleberry, Ala. on this Thursday. Warren Kelly, Bradley, Andrews and B. Kelly pitched for Repton, and Loris Hyde and Voline pitched for Castleberry. Haskew Page and Holland led Repton at the plate.

June 28, 1928 – Louis Armstrong and his band, the Hot Five, recorded “West End Blues.”

June 28, 1942 – During World War II, Nazi Germany started its strategic summer offensive against the Soviet Union, codenamed Case Blue.

June 28, 1945 – The Monroe Journal reported, under the headline “HORNADY LOSES FINE MILK COW,” that during the previous week, George Hornady lost a good milk cow under peculiar circumstances. The cow had been treated by a veterinarian for some time but no sign of improvement was apparent. Hornady killed the cow and on examination he found a piece of hay wire embedded in her heart.

June 28, 1945 – The Monroe Journal reported that Pfc. Thomas D. Frye was at home on furlough after spending 15 months in a German prison. He enlisted in the Army in 1940. Following his furlough period, he was to go to a redistribution center for further assignment.

June 28, 1946 – Actress and comedian Gilda Radner was born in Detroit.

June 28, 1947 - Four Army officers at Maxwell airfield in Montgomery, Ala. claimed that they saw “an unusual circular object perform inconceivable midair maneuvers for more than 20 minutes.” That same day, an Army F-51 Mustang pilot near Lake Meade, Nevada claimed to have seen five circular objects pass him off his right wing. In Wisconsin on that same day, two farmers said that they saw 10 “saucer-shaped objects” fly over at high speed.

June 28, 1958 - A movie version of Alabama author Joe David Brown's book “Kings Go Forth” was released.

June 28, 1960 – Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback John Elway was born in Port Angeles, Washington. He went on to play for Stanford and the Denver Broncos. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 2004.

June 28, 1962 – National Baseball Hall of Fame catcher Mickey Cochrane passed away at the age of 59 in Lake Forest, Ill. During his career, he played for the Philadelphia Athletics and the Detroit Tigers and managed the Tigers from 1934 to 1938. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame in 1947.

June 28, 1965 - In the first major offensive ordered for U.S. forces, 3,000 troops of the 173rd Airborne Brigade – in conjunction with 800 Australian soldiers and a Vietnamese airborne unit – assaulted a jungle area known as Viet Cong Zone D, 20 miles northeast of Saigon.

June 28, 1970 - Author Ace Atkins was born in Troy, Ala.

June 28, 1971 – Austrian SS officer Franz Stangl died of heart failure at the age of 63 in Düsseldorf, West Germany.

June 28, 1972 - President Nixon announced that no more draftees would be sent to Vietnam unless they volunteered for such duty. He also announced that a force of 10,000 troops would be withdrawn by September 1, which would leave a total of 39,000 in Vietnam.

June 28, 1973 – The Evergreen Rotary Club installed its new slate of officers during a meeting at noon on this Thursday at the Evergreen United Methodist Church in Evergreen, Ala. The officers were Treasurer James Ansley, Secretary David Hyde, Past President Emmett Dale, President Fred Stevens and Vice President Luther Gowder.

June 28, 1974 – Dr. Hugh Clingman Fountain, 94, passed away in the Evergreen Nursing Home in Evergreen, Ala. An active Freemason, he practiced dentistry for over 60 years, including over 50 years in Evergreen after moving to Evergreen from Burnt Corn.

June 28, 1975 - More than 300 members of Detachment 1, 778^th Maintenance Co. of the Alabama National Guard, including men from Monroeville, Evergreen and Jackson, were scheduled to leave this Saturday for summer camp at Camp Shelby, Miss. One officer, two warrant officers and 78 enlisted men from Monroeville will be in the group, which was to return on July 12.

June 28, 1984 – The Monroe Journal reported that Excel High’s head football coach Keith Holley had decided that after nine years of “both the good and bad” of coaching, it was time to make a change. Holley officially resigned from Excel June 8. Holley came to Excel in April of 1982 from Gallman, Miss., where he served Copiah Academy as head football coach. Holley succeeded head football coach Lee Holladay, who had held the helm for 14 years.

June 28, 1987 – For the first time in military history, a civilian population was targeted for chemical attack when Iraqi warplanes bombed the Iranian town of Sardasht.

June 28, 1990 - Alabama author Carter Crocker won a Daytime Emmy Award for Best Animated Program for his work as story editor for the television series “The New Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.”

June 28, 1990 – The Monroe Journal reported that Uriah had collected its first Babe Ruth Baseball championship since 1975 during the past week when the team defeated Beatrice, Frisco City and Excel in South Monroe Babe Ruth Baseball League action in Frisco City. The members of the 1990 championship team were Wontwyn Montgomery, Kevin Colbert, Jackie Ray Brown, Patrick Redditt, Rusty Lilley, John Murray Ikner, John Jay, Jonathan Conway, J.D. Maples, Brad McKinley, Shane Qualls, Jesse Wiggins, Ted Bradley, Travis Flowers, Brian Johnson and Eric Byrd. Coaches included Mike Qualls and Paul Akins.

June 28, 1990 – The Monroe Journal reported that the Monroeville City Council during the past week had elected a new mayor pro tempore. Anne H. Farish, a real estate broker who had served as a council member since 1984, was elected to replace Jim Davis. Davis was to remain as a councilman, but he said his schedule as an employee of Alabama River Newsprint Co. made it difficult to perform the additional duties of mayor pro tem.

June 28, 1996 - Darryl Strawberry hit his 300th home run.

June 28, 1997 – The Evergreen Little League All Stars were scheduled to open play in the district tournament against the Opp All Stars on this Saturday afternoon at 4 p.m. in Brewton, Ala. The members of Evergreen’s team included Jeremy Anderson, Josh Bates, Jonathan Booth, Bryan Boykin, Wiley Cobb, Christopher Garner, Anthony Maxwell, Thomas Nielsen, Matt Robinson, Jonathan Rodgers, Eric Taylor, Josh Watson and Joe Windham.

June 28, 2000 - Jeff Cirillo of the Colorado Rockies hit three home runs and a double against San Francisco.

June 28, 2004 – Sovereign power was handed to the interim government of Iraq by the Coalition Provisional Authority, ending the U.S.-led rule of that nation.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Tues., June 28, 2016

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 1.80 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 1.80 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  3.55 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 1.80 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 27.80 inches.

Notes: Today in the 180th day of 2016 and the ninth day of Summer. There are 186 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

Daily Rainfall Observations from SW Alabama for Mon., June 27, 2016

Rainfall (Past 24 Hours): 0.00 inches

Week to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches

Month to Date Rainfall:  1.75 inches.

Summer to Date Rainfall: 0.00 inches.

Year to Date Rainfall: 26.00 inches.

Notes: Today in the 179th day of 2016 and the eighth day of Summer. There are 187 days left in the year.

Readings taken at 0700 hours Central Standard Time (1300 GMT) daily, just west of the Monroe-Conecuh County line and south of U.S. Highway 84, near Excel, Alabama, USA, in the vicinity of Lat 31.42834N Lon 87.30131W. Elevation 400 feet above sea level. CoCoRaHS Station No. AL-MN-4, Station Name: Excel 2.5 ESE.

The Battle of Gaine's Mill 154 years ago today was costly for Conecuh Guards

Mitchell B. Salter

Today (Monday) marks the 154th anniversary of one of the bloodiest days of the Civil War for the Confederate military unit from Conecuh County, Alabama.

On June 27, 1862, Confederate forces under the command of Robert E. Lee clashed with U.S. forces under the command of George B. McClellan and Fitz John Porter at the Battle of Gaine’s Mill in Hanover County, Va. This battle resulted in a Confederate victory but was costly for Co. E of the 4th Alabama Infantry Regiment. Also known as the “Conecuh Guards,” this unit was organized at Sparta on April 1, 1861.

At the Battle of Gaine’s Mill, a total of 2,377 men on both sides of the fight were killed and another 9,509 were wounded. Many members of the Conecuh Guards were among those numbers.

According to B.F. Riley’s 1881 book, “The History of Conecuh County, Alabama,” seven members of the Conecuh Guards were killed at the Battle of Gaine’s Mill - Jerre Downs, Caleb Garner, John Garner, John Gaff, Fielding Lynch, Julius A. Mertins and Thomas Robbins.

Sixteen other members of the Conecuh Guards were wounded at the Battle of Gaine’s Mill, and some of them would survive the war while others would not. Among the wounded were Capt. William Lee, 1st Lt. James W. Darby, 2nd Lt. John G. Guice, Sgt. William D. Clarke, Charles Floyd, Francis M. Grice, William Hodges, John D. Hyde, William Horton, William W. Johnson, John Myers, William Quinley, Henry C. Stearns, Nick Stallworth, Mitchell B. Salter and Evans Sheffield.

Lee, who’d been promoted to captain only about two months before, would go on to be wounded about a year later at the Battle of Gettysburg on July 2, 1863, and he died from his wounds the following day.

Darby would survive the war and live to old age. In fact, 45 years after the Battle of Gaine’s Mill, on Nov. 22, 1907, Darby and Col. Pinckney D. Bowles would present the Conecuh Guards flag to the Alabama Department of Archives and History, where it remains today.

Almost two months later, Guice, who’d been wounded earlier at the Battle of First Manassas, would be wounded again in two places at the Battle of Second Manassas, losing one of his legs and receiving an honorable discharge.

Grice, not to be confused with Guice, lost his left arm at the Battle of Gaine’s Mill, but he didn’t go home. Instead, he became what’s known as a “sutler” for the 4th Alabama Infantry. In the old days, a sutler was a peddler who followed an army around to sell goods and food to soldiers. Grice survived the war, returned home and eventually moved to Escambia County.

Hodges would be taken prisoner at the Battle of Lookout Mountain on Nov. 24, 1863, and he died near Washington, Ga. in 1865. Horton was wounded in the shoulder and leg at Gaine’s Mill, and he moved to Butler County when he returned home after the war.

Johnson was disabled by the wounds he received at Gaine’s Mill, and he received an honorable discharge before returning home to Conecuh County.

Myers may have been the most mysterious of the group. Wounded at Gaine’s Mill, he was dropped from the unit’s roll in 1863, and according to Riley’s book, Myers was killed in Butler County after the war.

Quinley would go on to be wounded at Gettysburg on July 3, 1863, and according to Riley, Quinley deserted to U.S. forces in 1865. Stearns survived the war and returned to Conecuh County when it was all over.

Stallworth may have been the most colorful character in the unit. Stallworth was born in Evergreen on Aug. 9, 1845 and became the youngest member of the 4th Alabama Infantry when he enlisted at the age of 15. He would later be wounded at the Battle of Cold Harbor near Mechanicsville, Va. in May 1864.

He returned to Conecuh County and became a farmer, lawyer, state legislator and solicitor for the 11th Judicial Circuit. Early on the morning of June 7, 1909, Stallworth passed away at the age of 64 at his home on Evergreen’s Main Street after a long illness.

Salter, who was 23 years old at the time of Gaine’s Mill, would be wounded later at the Battle of Chickamauga (some sources say Gettysburg), and his arm had to be amputated. Salter died on Nov. 8, 1920 at the ripe, old age of 81, and he’s buried in the Old Evergreen Cemetery. However, the bone from his arm that was amputated at Chickamauga is currently on display in the National Museum of Health and Medicine in Washington, D.C.

Sheffield would also be wounded later at the Battle of Gettysburg, and he returned to Conecuh County after the war. Bizarrely, according to Riley’s book, Sheffield was later killed by a falling tree.

Floyd apparently survived the war, but Riley’s book indicates that Floyd moved to Texas after the war. Also, unfortunately, I don’t have any other information about what happened to Clarke and Hyde.

In the end, if you’ve got any other information about the men mentioned above, I’d like to hear about it. You can contact me at The Courant at 578-1492 or e-mail me at courantsports@earthlink.net. You can reach me by mail at The Evergreen Courant, ATTN: Lee Peacock, P.O. Box 440, Evergreen, AL 36401.