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Show Stories of Stonewall Jackson. The death of General Cadmus Wilcox Wil-cox recalls some original and characteristic charac-teristic anecdotes concerning Stonewall Stone-wall Jackson which he was in the habit of relating. When Jackson first - -entered West Point be was regarded as a remarkably stupid and green youth. General Whiting, who afterward after-ward served in the Confederate army, was then a cadet iu the class above Jacksou's, and was appointed to ask him some questions in mathematics, in accordance with the custom which then prevailed at the Military Academy. Acad-emy. Whiting thought him at first remarkably dull, but noticed that he studied and worked with dogged persistency. per-sistency. The class of which Wilcox and Whitiug were members was graduated grad-uated just prior to the Mexican war. Several of the young officers were in Washington ou their way to Mexico, and on the night of their arrival they were invited to go wifh Jefferson Davis, then a member of thu House, to-a to-a reception given at the White House. Later both Davis and T. J. Jackson turned their faces toward the Rio-Graude. Rio-Graude. At the close of the war Jackson Jack-son ranked every member of his class and was a brevet major, and was stationed sta-tioned on Governor's Island, near New York. Whiting. Wilcox and a number of young oflicers were visiting New York, aud when several brother oflicers from Governor's Island called on them Whiting asked: "What has become of Tom Jack-ion; Jack-ion; how is he getting on?" "Badly, badly," replied the officer; "since he has stopped lighting he has taken to fiddling. He came over to. this city a few weeks ago and bought a fiddle, several bows and a pile of rosin. You will remember at West Point there was no music in his soul, no-poetry, no-poetry, no relaxation, nothing but hard application to his text books. So his new fad makes it awful for us. Every minute he cau spare he devotes to practicing on the fiddle nnd the sounds which fill the barracks iu hi vicinity are beyond description; almost beyond endurance." Be patient," said Whiting, with a smile; "if 'Tom' Jackson is determined to master his violiu you will listen te a second Pagauini before he gives up." But Whiting's prediction was not verified. Jackson never became a musician. |