THRILL OF "DIXIE" IS FATAL TO AGED VETERAN
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Old Soldier Falls Dead To War Tune
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Last Breath was Given To Battle-cry Of Lost Cause
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Band Concert In Progress
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Confederate Veteran Cheering When Fatal Stroke Comes.
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Beauvoir. Nov. 11.-- F. R. Goodrum *, 80 - year old Confederate veteran, fell dead on the porch of the Jefferson Davis Soldiers Home here this afternoon at four o'clock just after he had raised his gray hat high above his head and had yelled the old rebel cry he had learned in the sixties. The old veteran was cheering his war-time tune, "Dixie", when he died.
The Knights Templar Band, Jaques De Molay Commandery Number 2, of New Orleans, had been playing concert music all day for the old veterans when at four o'clock the band leader, as a fitting finale to the day's entertainment, gave orders to his musicians to strike up the old battle tune of the South.
In a moment the first clear notes of the well loved "Dixie" floated across the porch of the Soldiers Home where a little band of the wearers of the gray were sitting listening to the music. Every one of them arose to his feet and cheered the battle song. The rebel yell once more rang out from their throats as it had done at Chancersville, at Malvern Hill and at Gettysburg.
The excitement of the old veterans was great but it was too much for Goodrum. He was waving his hat high above his head and was cheering at the top of his voice but of a sudden his hat fell from his hand, the cheering stilled in his throat, he stood unsteadily for a fraction of a second and toppled over into a heap on the floor of the porch. He was dead before aid could be summoned.
The dead soldier's home was in Vicksburg. Funeral arrangements have not yet been made but it is likely that he will be buried near his old home in that city.
* Although this newspaper article cites this soldier as F. R. Goodrum, records from Beauvoir indicates S. R. Goodrum
from Warren County was a resident and buried at Beauvoir.
See - http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=goodrum&GSbyrel=in&GSdyrel=in&GSst=27&GScntry=4&GSob=n&GRid=27068952&