He Was 105 Years Old Monday
His name is Captain Alden C. Howell, and
he is the only living eoniniissioned officer
of the Confederate Army now living. Also
the oldest retired lawyer and banker, and
the oldest Free Mason in the country.
THE gentleman on the opposite
page is Captain Alden G.
Howell, of Waynesville, North
Carolina.
Last Monday, February 18. he
was 105 years old. and he is be¬
lieved to be the only commissioned
officer of the Confederate Army,
now living.
The Captain at the present time
is visiting relatives out in Los
Angeles, Cal. He had hoped to be
back in North Carolina before this,
but the war came along, and trav¬
eling conditions have been so bad,
that he has decided to remain on
the coast a while longer.
He is also the oldest Free Mason
in America.
Also the oldest retired banker.
And likewise the oldest retired
lawyer in the country.
The picture which he is holding
in his hand shows him as a Con¬
federate soldier.
Interviewed recently. Captain
Howell, still alert of eyes and
strong of arm, phrased his philoso-
phy in these words:
The 23rd Psalm
"If you want to live to be 105 —
and I’ll soon be that old— make the
23rd Psalm a part of your daily
life. Eat three square meals a day,
keep your chin up and your
temper under control.”
At mention of the name of Gen¬
eral Thomas Jonathan Jackson, the
elderly officer’s eyes glowed with
hero worship.
"Ah, but he was a great man,"
Captain Howell said reverently.
“A great general, just as General
MacArthur is a great general to¬
day."
Captain Howell hasn't used
coffee for years, but he still likes
a little drink of wine occasionally.
He refers to it as his "licker.” He
used to chew tobacco, but has never
smoked.
“One of my rules,” he admon¬
ished, "is moderation in all things."
THE STATE. February 23. 1946
And then he added: "And don't
forget the 23rd Psalm.”
Let’s look for a moment or two
at some of the outstanding points
in his life.
He signs his name Alden Howell,
sometimes Alden G. Howell. He
has a grandson, a captain in the last
war, by the name of John Alden
Chandler, and this has caused
newspaper reporters to confuse the
names.
He taught school when he was
14 years old. . . served four years
in the War Between the States. . .
and after it was over, studied to
be a lawyer. His license, taken out
in 1866 and 1867 is still carefully
preserved.
He founded the first bank west of
Asheville, N. C., and was president
of it for almost 35 years. The Bank
of Waynesville. And a few weeks
ago he received a letter from his
Masonic lodge in Waynesville, in¬
forming him that he is the oldest
living Mason in the United States.
Friend of .Mr. Daniels
Josephus Daniels, whom he con¬
siders his true friend, often writes
him congratulations on his birth¬
day. (We just talked to Mr. Dan¬
iels and he said: "Yes, indeed; I
remembered him on his birthday.
He’s a grand old gentleman and
I'm proud of his friendship.")
The story of Captain Howell’s
life was placed in the Congres¬
sional Record, March 4, 1940, by
his nephew, U. S. Senator Wm. II.
Smathers. of New Jersey. His son.
Alden Howell, Jr., is still living in
Waynesville. and it is with him
that the Captain makes his home.
And so. along with all of our
readers, we salute you. Captain.
We hope that it won’t be long be¬
fore you’ll be back in your beloved
North Carolina again. And we also
hope that you’ll have good health
during the rest of your life.
Captain Howell is one of the last
12 Confederate Veterans on the
North Carolina pension roll. This
department of work is under the
direct supervision of Mrs. Minnie
R. Norris, who. in turn, is respon¬
sible to State Auditor George Ross
Pou’s office.
Captain Howell did not apply for
a pension until after he reached
the age of 88.
By the way. you might be inter¬
ested in knowing something about
the number of Confederates and
their widows who are still receiv¬
ing pensions. Here are some facts
and figures:
There are 12 veterans left in this
state and they receive a monthly
pension of $72.00.
There are 2 body-servants, and
they get a monthly pension of
$26.66 each.
Number of Widows
There are 28 Class B. widows,
and they get a pension of $18.33
per month. And then, there are
699 Class A. widows, whose pen¬
sion is $35.00 a month.
All widows first are put in Class
B. Then, when they are unable to
do anything for themselves, they
ore placed in Class A. upon presen¬
tation of a doctor’s certificate.
And here’s something else that’s
unusual. A man, to be a Confed¬
erate veteran, now has to be well
over 90 years of age. Naturally,
most of them are rather feeble.
But no deaths have occurred
among the old soldiers since March.
1945. On the other hand, the wid¬
ows have not fared so well. Since
the first of the year, 22 Confed¬
erate widows have passed on to
their reward.
People holler a lot about taxes,
but we’re willing to bet that there
is not a single citizen of North
Carolina who begrudges the money
that is being paid out to these vet¬
erans and their widows. If there is.
he ought to be thoroughly ashamed
of himself.
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