y Gray of Mississippi, who was a col
elege mate at the Louisiana State
University in the early 70s, I learned
e first of the splendid attributes of his
character. It was said of him that
n out of a student body of 350 to 400
) cadets for four years of college life
e he was awarded by the student body
1 the medal annually conferred at that
1- university -for honor and integrity.
d His fearlessness and manly spirit at
e all times made him the protector of
tr the small and weak and he was uni
, versally beloved. I first made his
,e acquaintance at Donaldsonville, La..
.e soon after the yellow fever epidemic
,f of 1878, while he was rector of the
it Church of the Ascension, and was
, closely associated with him at that
s time. He began work in that church
c parish, taking his young wife with
Shim, soon after his marriage, when
L the yellow fever was at its height,
e to fill the place of a certain minister
, who at the first appearance of the
fever fled to his northern home. At
that time there was no ministration
in thile Jewish synagogue of that city.
and I believe, due to a church con
troversy, the Catholic church was
closed. Amid the dead and dying hie
worked unceasingly for months, night
and day, traveling all over the par
ish in rain and mud, ministering to
all regardless of creed, and per
forming the last rites over Protes
tant, Roman Catholic and Jew alike.
He nursed the sick, consoled and
prayed with the living and buried
the dead. His courage then, as it
has been through his life, was that
of the sublimest character.
