Cooke County, TX - Obituaries - A.J. Meriwether ************************************************************************************* This file was contributed for use in the USGenWeb by: Don Brownlee don.brownlee@csun.edu USGenWeb Archives. Copyright. All rights reserved http://www.usgwarchives.net/copyright.htm ************************************************************************************* 21 February 1912 Dallas Morning News, p. 7 Gainesville, Tex., Feb. 20 - Capt. A. J. Meriwether, 89 years old, and City Police Judge, died this morning after several days illness from paralysis of the heart. He had been a resident of this county for forty-five years. He was educated at the Naval Academy at Annapolis, graduating in the same class with Admirals Dewey, Schley and Sampson. He entered the navy as Lieutenant and served ten years before the breaking out of the Civil War, when he, with 249 out of 250 men, left the United States Navy when their resignations were refused by President Lincoln and joined the Confederate forces. A French woman named Lizzie De Maurie presented the Confederacy a battleship with the provision that Meriwether should be made Captain in charge. This was granted and the ship was used as a blockade runner in bringing supplies to the Confederate army from Cuba and South America. The ship was named Niobe, and while off the Cuban coast near Havana Capt. Meriwether blew it up to prevent its capture by Federals. Capt. Meriwether formulated and carried to successful completion a move to build a beautiful monument here to the memory of the Sons and Daughters of the South, and in this undertaking, which was completed only a few months ago, he was helped financially by Admiral Winfield Scott Schley. A brother, Robert Meriwether, aged 76, of Austin is here. He was a member of the staff of Gen. A. R. Wright and took part in the battles of Chancellorsville and Appomatox court house, in both of which he was badly wounded. The funeral will be held here tomorrow afternoon.