October 13

1867 John R. Cotting died in Milledgeville, where he was buried in Memory Hill Cemetery. Born Nov. 16, 1778 in Acton, Massachusetts, he graduated from Dartmouth College in 1802. First pursuing a career in religion, Cotting left the ministry in 1812 and for the next 23 years taught geology, chemistry, and other science subjects. During this time, he wrote introductory textbooks in chemistry and geology. In 1835, Cotting left Massachusetts, moving to Augusta, Georgia, where he undertook a survey of local soil types. In 1836, the General Assembly authorized a state geological survey, and Gov. William Schley named him as state geologist.

1870 Gov. Rufus Bullock signed legislation creating the Georgia State Board of Education and office of State School Commissioner, who was given general supervision over public schools in Georgia. This became Georgia's first state department of education. Bullock subsequently appointed Gen. J.H. Lewis as Georgia's first school commissioner.

1885 Gov. Henry McDaniel approved an act of the General Assembly authorizing creation of a state school of technology as a branch of the University of Georgia for training students in the industrial and mechanical arts. The legislation also created a commission to select a location and secure buildings and grounds for the new school. Location was to be determined by the commission in the city or town "which shall offer the best inducements for such location." Subsequently, the commission chose a site north of downtown Atlanta as the home for the Georgia School for Technology, which held its first classes on Oct. 8, 1888.

In 1948, the Board of Regents would rename the school the Georgia Institute for Technology.

1889 Georgia-born lawyer, judge, university president, and former Confederate general Henry DeLamar Clayton died in Tuscaloosa, Ala. See Mar. 7 entry for biographical information on Clayton.

1918 Atlanta city health officer Dr. J.P. Kennedy announced the public gathering ban would last at least one more week. It had originally been instituted for two months, but the Spanish influenza epidemic was not hitting Atlanta as severely as the rest of the country. With "only" 750 deaths, Atlanta would get off light from a worldwide epidemic that would kill 675,000 Americans--more deaths than resulted from World Wars I and II, the Korean War, and the Vietnam War combined. Globally, 40 million people died in just 18 months. For more information on the pandemic, see PBS's The American Experience: Influenza 1918 web site.

In Atlanta, Westview Cemetery's stone receiving vault was used to store many
caskets of Spanish Influenza victims until the epidemic passed and the
dead could be buried. The vault was permanently sealed in 1945.

1924 Comedian Nipsey Russell was born in Atlanta. He attended Booker T. Washington High School in Atlanta, and the University of Cincinnati for one semester before embarking upon his very successful career. He died October 2, 2005.

1931 Baseball Hall of Famer Eddie Mathews (who played third base for all three Braves teams – Boston, Milwaukee, and Atlanta) was born in Texarkana, Texas.

1933 In Washington, D.C., the National Public Works Board approved a $4 million loan to clear 10 blocks of slums along Techwood Drive in Atlanta and build 600 low-rent family housing units.

Construction began in 1934, with formal dedication ceremonies on Nov. 29, 1935. When completed, Atlanta's Techwood Homes was the first public housing project in the U.S.

1939 Albany-born Harry James and his band recorded "On a Little Street in Singapore" for Columbia Records. In only his seventh record, young Frank Sinatra was the featured vocalist.

1946 Evangelist and former actor Demond Wilson, who played Lamont Sanford, son of crusty Fred Sanford (played by Redd Foxx) on the popular television comedy series "Sanford and Son," was born in Valdosta. The series first aired in 1972 and continued on prime time for six seasons. Wilson starred in other TV series but left the entertainment world to become an ordained minister in 1984.

Demond Wilson (left) and Redd Foxx, Stars of the Prime-Time Television
Comedy Series, "Sanford and Son"

1973 The Allman Brothers recording of "Ramblin' Man" peaked at number 2 on the pop singles chart.

1976 A Gallup poll showed that Jimmy Carter's performance in the second presidential debate had strengthened his lead. Prior to the debate his lead over Ford had shrunk to 47%-45%, but after the debate it had climbed to 50%-40%. Carter was back home in Plains, Georgia preparing for the third debate after a trip to the family dentist in nearby Americus.

1979 The Atlanta Rhythm Section's recording of "Spooky" reached its highest rating – number 17 on the pop singles chart.

1993 Philadelphia beat the Atlanta Braves 6-3 in the sixth game of the National League Champion Series to win the series and deprive the Braves of a chance to go to third consecutive World Series.

1996 St. Louis beat the Atlanta Braves to take a commanding 3-1 game lead in the best-out-of-seven National League Championship Series. The Braves then went on to win the next three games and move on to the World Series against the New York Yankees.

2010 The Atlanta Braves named Fredi Gonzalez as their new manager, replacing Bobby Cox, who had retired  after coaching the Braves since 1990. Gonzalez coached third base for the Braves and Cox for four seasons, before becoming manager of the Florida Marlins from 2007-2010.
 

In Their Own Words on This Day. . .

1738 In an unattributed day-by-day report from Savannah dated Oct. 22 that subsequently was reprinted in London's Gentleman's Magazine, the entry for Oct. 13 noted:

"On the 13th the Indians came down the River from TomoChichi's House, viz. the Mico (which Word translated is King) of the Chehaws, the Mico of the Oakmuges, the Mico of the Parachacholas, with thirty of their Warriors, and fifty-two of their Attendants. As they walked up the Hill they were saluted by a Battery of Cannon, and conducted to the Town Hall by a Party of militia, where the General received them. On their seeing the General they expressed great Joy, and said that the Spaniards had strove to persuade them that the General was at St. Augustine, and invited them down to their Fort to see him there, where they accordingly went; but as soon as they found the General was not there, they returned; though the Spaniards offered them great Presents, and pretended that he was on board a Ship very ill, which was their Excuse for their not seeing him. They advised them to fall out with the English, but they adhered in their Fidelity to his Majesty, and were come down to testify it, and on all Occasions they would serve the General against all the King of Great Britain's Enemies; that the Deputies of the remaining Towns of the Creek Nation waited for their Return to go down to the General, when they were sure of his Arrival; that the Nation would march 1000 Warriors wherever he should command them. They desired that the General would order them to have true Weights and Measures, for the Indian Traders that went amongst them from Carolina used bad Weights, they therefore desired Brass Weights and sealed Measures to be lodged with the King of each Town. They invited the General to come up in the Summer to see their Towns, which he promised to do; they lie about four hundred Miles to the Westward of this Town. The General made them handsome Presents; at Night they danced, the General was present, and the next Day they set out on their Journey home."

Source: John T. Juricek (ed.), Georgia Treaties, 1733-1763, Vol. XI in Alden T. Vaughan (ed.), Early American Indian Documents: Treaties and Laws, 1607-1789 (Frederick, Md.: University Publications of America, 1989), p. 87.

1864 Col. Fredrick Winkler of the 26th Wisconsin Infantry wrote his wife from Atlanta:

"The railroad is to be in running order to-morrow, but the rebel army still seems to be hovering in its vicinity. It is rumored that there was fighting at Rome yesterday. It has taken two days to get a despatch from Atlanta, stating that it had been signaled from Kenesaw that Richmond was taken. If it were true, would not General Sherman have it officially from Grant himself? and would he not then tell us that it is so? The thing is false; I fear it had its origin in a base trick to influence the state elections."

Source: Civil War Letters of Major Fredrick C. Winkler, in 26th Wisconsin Infantry Volunteers Home Page

For more, see This Week in Georgia Civil War History.

1958 In response to the previous day's bombing of the Atlanta Jewish Temple (see Oct. 12 entry), Ralph McGill wrote the following column:

"Dynamite in great quantity Sunday ripped a beautiful Temple of worship in Atlanta. It followed hard on the heels of a like destruction of a handsome high school in Clinton, Tenn.

The same rabid, mad-dog minds were, without question, behind both. They also are the source of previous bombings in Florida, Alabama, and South Carolina. The school house and the church are the targets of diseased, hate-filled minds.

Let us face the facts.

This is a harvest. It is the crop of things sown.

It is the harvest of defiance of courts and the encouragement of citizens to defy law on the part of many southern politicians. It will be the acme of irony, for example, if any of four or five southern governors deplore the bombing. It will be grimly humorous if certain state attorneys general issue statements of regret. And it will be quite a job for some editors, columnists and commentators, who have been saying that our courts have no jurisdiction and that the people should refuse to accept their authority now to deplore.

It is not possible to preach lawlessness and restrict it.

To be sure, none said go bomb a Jewish temple or a school.

But let it be understood that when leadership in high places in any degree fails to support constituted authority, it opens the gate to all those who wish to take law into their own hands.

There will be, to be sure, the customary act of the careful drawing aside of skirts on the part of those in high places.

'How awful,' they will exclaim. 'How terrible. Something must be done.'

But the record stands. The extremists of the citizens' councils, the political leaders who in terms violent and inflammatory have repudiated their oaths and stood against due process of law have helped unloose this flood of hate and bombing.

This, too, is a harvest of those so-called Christian ministers who have chosen to preach hate instead of compassion. Let them now find pious words and raise their hands in deploring the bombing a synagogue.

You do not preach and encourage hatred for the Negro and hope to restrict it to that field. It is an old, old story. It is one repeated over and over again in history. When the wolves of hate are loosed on one people, then no one is safe.

Hate and lawlessness by those who lead release the yellow rats and encourage the crazed and neurotic who print and distribute the hate pamphlets, who shrieked that Franklin Roosevelt was a Jew; who denounce the Supreme Court as being Communist and controlled by Jewish influences.

The series of bombings is the harvest, too, of something else.

One of those connected with the bombing telephoned a news service early Sunday morning to say the job would be done. It was to be committed, he said, by the Confederate Underground.

The Confederacy and the men who led it are revered by millions. Its leaders returned to the Union and urged that the future be committed to building a stronger America. This was particularly true of Gen. Robert E. Lee. Time after time he urged his students  at Washington University to forget the War Between the States and to help build a greater and stronger union.

But for too many years now we have seen the Confederate flag and the emotions of that great war become the property of men  not fit to tie the shoes of those who fought for it. Some of these have been merely childish and immature. Others have perverted and commercialized the flag by making the Stars and Bars, and the Confederacy itself, a symbol of hate and bombings.

For a long time now it has been needful for all Americans to stand up and be counted on the side of law and the due process of law - even when to do so goes against personal beliefs and emotions. It is late. But there is yet time."

Atlanta Constitution, October 13, 1958.