by Ron Rollins
It had been a beautiful spring weekend at “The Elms” in Pleasant Hill, the home of Daniel Owen and family. This home was a social center for the young adults in Talbot County, as Mr. Owen two beautiful daughters often entertained their young friends and school mates at his county home.
On this occasion his daughters Sallie Emma Owen and Lizzie Mae Owen had both just graduated from Wesleyan College in Macon, Georgia and invited their friends, Miss Mary Mathews and Miss Jennie Beall McCoy, over for the weekend. Easter Sunday the young ladies rise early that morning as they are awaiting the arrival of three young gentlemen coming to call on them and latter to drive them to Talbotton. A great time was had at the Elems that day.
At mid-afternoon three brightly painted buggies pulled by strong but sleek horses left the Owen home in the country and made their way toward Talbotton. The first buggie carried Miss Mary Mathews and Will Gorman, the second Miss Sallie Emma Owen and Dr. Will Ryder, and the third buggie carried Miss Lizzie Mae Owen, Miss Jennie Beall McCoy and Matthews McCoy. Laughter and merriment continued along their way. Suddenly, Dr. Ryder’s horse bolted and with great burst of speed passed the front buggie on the narrow road almost turning them both over as they just miss each other. Dr. Ryder gain control of his horse, after endangering both occupants in the two buggies, and they travel on reaching Talbotton about dusk. This runaway incident was to prove just a warning of things to come!
Dr. Will Ryder was the newest member of this prominent group of young adults. He was considered a very eligible bachelor and made many friends, among them was a young attorney by the name of Gus Persons. He stated that Gus Persons was his best friend in the whole world. He was easily accepted by the younger social set and made it soon evident that he was very much in love with the lovely Sallie Emma Owen whom he tried to spend much time with as possible. This day Sallie Emma had just told him that she could not return his love as she did like him as a friend but had no romantic feelings for him. She also made known that her affections were directed toward the young attorney A.P. Persons.
As the buggies arrived in Talbotton, the girls were dropped at the home of John H. McCoy where the Owen sisters were to spend the night with Jennie Beall McCoy. Somewhere around 7pm Dr. Ryder knocks on the McCoy home door. Jemmie Beall opens the door and he ask if Sallie Emma might go with him to the Sunday night service at the Methodist Church. Jennie Beall informs him the Sallie Emma’s mother had ask that she not go out in the night air as she had just got over the measles. Reluctantly, Dr. Ryder leaves the McCoy home and goes the short distance to the church alone. Meanwhile Gus Persons is told that Sallie Emma is at the McCoy home so he drops by the McCoy home to visit Sallie Emma shortly after Dr. Ryder left for the church. He goes in and meets Jennie Beall and Sallie Emma in the parlor. After a short time Jennie Beall leaves to go to the back of the house so they can be alone in the parlor.
Things are getting pretty deep in Talbotton!!
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