Obituary: Charles Edward Smith, 1945, Winn Parish, LA
Submitted by Michael Drewett, 6321 Clegg Rd., Pensacola, FL 32526
**********************************************
Copyright.  All rights reserved.
http://usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm
http://usgwarchives.net/la/lafiles.htm
**********************************************



Source: Winn Parish Enterprise, Thursday, May 17, 1945.
....................
Last Rites Held For "Smitty" of the Court House
     Charles Edward Smith, 75, night watchman at the Winn parish
courthouse, was found dead in his room in the basement of the court
house Monday morning by C. L. Hammon, the courthouse janitor.  The
deceased had been in bad health for some time.  He lived alone and
apparently was seized with a sudden heart or brain attack as he fell
against an iron pipe and badly bruised his head.
     Funeral services were conducted Tuesday morning at the Southern
Funeral Home by Rev, Alwin Stokes.  Appropriate talks on Smitty, as he
was known throughout the parish, were given by Judge R. W. Oglesby,
District Attorney Harry Fuller and P. K. Abel.  Interment was in the
Winnfield cemetery.
     Acting as pallbearers were:  C. L. Hammond, R. W. Oglesby, Willie
Gaar, Bryant Sholars, Harry Fuller and W. H. Baker.
     Born in Pennsylvania March 11 1870, Smitty moved with his parents
to Pa???ah, Kentucky., at the age of 8 or 10 years.  When he reached
manhood he worked as brakeman on the L&N and other railroads in Kentucky
and Tennessee for a number of years and came to Winnfield in about 1910
where he was employed by the Louisiana Central and Tremont Lumber
companies in building railroads and logging operations.  He was also
employed in the construction of highways in this section. 
     For the past 8 or 10 years Smitty has lived in the boiler room of
the parish court house where he contacted all parish officials including
all police jurors and school board members and many other people from
different sections of the parish.  He was a courthouse fixture and was
well liked by everyone and enjoyed the reputation of being the best
weather prophet in Winnfield.