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The death of P. O. Douglass, Confederate veteran, friend of man, and pioneer citizen of his section, occurred at the family residence, in Mart, Tex., on May 20, 1919. He suffered for many months and knew the end of life was at hand, but he met it with the same patience, courage, and fortitude shown by heroes of the sixties in fighting for the cause they believed just.

Perry Oliver Douglass was born in Illinois February 19, 1842. He moved early in life to Mississippi and from there to Arkansas. At the age of nineteen he enlisted in the Confederate army as a private and was promoted to corporal, then to sergeant in Company A, 15th Arkansas Regiment, and he saw active service in many of the strenuous campaigns of the war. He attended all the Confederate Reunions it was possible for him to reach, and his wonderful memory of events, details, and dates made him a most interesting speaker and conversationalist.

He was married in 1865 to Mrs. S. C. Kendrick, of Camden, Ark., and removed from that State to Texas in 1875. He joined the Baptist Church at the age of sixteen, and "Uncle Perry," as he was familiarly known, and his wife were two of the charter members of the Mart Baptist Church, organized in 1879 under an elm tree yet standing in the Mart Cemetery. He remained an honored member of that Church the remainder of his life, its membership now numbering nearly one thousand. Upon the once barren prairie has grown a nice town, still less than twenty years old, with a population of four thousand. He had a share in the upbuilding of the community during the years of its steady growth and remarkable development, showing a liberal spirit and cordial hospitality characteristic of the true Southern gentleman. he kept pace with his beloved town and watched its progress until his step became feeble and his eyes grew dim. He is survived by his faithful wife and five children.

In his funeral services the military effect was both pleasing and appropriate. The casket of Confederate gray was draped with the Confederate and United States flags, and taps was sounded just before the benediction as the body of this hero of the sixties was tenderly laid away to await the final roll call on high.