Wilmington journal. [volume] (Wilmington, N.C.) 1844-1895, 1851-08-15


took me at the centre of Jones o0;,nty. The road
was only visible by the three scoresp the trees,
the grass growing it rank and tall, like that IN
| the adjacent wood. | was striking for the court
house. passed small opening in which stood
three rickety cabins, but they unenanted. The
road branched off into a dozen trails Completely
puzzled threw down the reins, and left the matter
to the instinct of my horse. He struck into OF
the paths, and in fifteen minutes halted at large
i farm house.
"Halloo y cried I.
j "Its halloo yourself" said the man in the gallery
I q How far to the court house g"
"Where you from z" said the man.
| {" From Winchester
Then said he 1.-THE court house is behind, and
you have come right by it there" pointing to the
deserted cabins
''Why. saw nobody there"
81 reckon you didn't said he. "There's dog
gerry and tavern twice year, two days at time
but they come with the court and go with the court"
And the clerk and sheriff said |, 'where do
they live 2"
"Oh, the sheriff is clerk, and the clerk is squire,
assessor, and tax collector in the bargain, and he
| lives away down the Leaf"
But the lots, my friend-who owns the lots @
60 The same individual that owns the best part OF
Jones county-the only landlord who never sues for
rent-Uncle Sam"
Well, sir, am tired and hungry-can I stop
with you tonight 2"
| "Eght, stranger, light. Michael Anderson never
shuts his door on man or beast"
Having carefully housed and fed my horse [ soon
sat down to substantial supper of fried chickens
and stewed venison, corn cake, peach cobbler milk,
butter and honey, served with welcome and album
dance peculiar to the pine woods. My host was
shrewd man. well to do in the world preterrng Jones
county to any place this side of Paradise, having v
ed there twenty years without administering dose
| of medicine and had never been crossed but once
during all that time ! was curious to know what
had disturbed the serenity of such life as his
Why, sir" said he, 81 don't make practice of
talking about it. but being as you're stranger, and
Eve taken liking to you, will narrate the crcum-
stance. May be you've heard how the legislature
chartered the Brandon Bank to build railway thro'
the pine woods away down to the shore In these
parts go against banks--but roads sort of shuck
our pre- udices Before the bank could be set agong
the law required so much of the coin to be planked
up. The managers all lived about Brandon, but the
metal was mighty scarce, and the folks about there
didn't have it, or they wouldn't trust em.'
"They strung what little they had around the ba-
bes necks to cut teeth with Well, it got wind that
had some of the genuine, and the managers kept
sending to for it, Offering to put in the board.
But always answered that my money safer in
the old womans stockings than in the bank. heard
nothing more about it for three months, when one
night big, likely looking man rode up, and asked
me for a chunck of fire.
Squire Anderson" said he, ''my men have camp
ed quarter of mile down there the creek
We are surveying the railway to Mississippi city,
but have come to dead halt, because our line runs
chuck up against your clearing, and we shall have
The big said this with so serious an air. and
seemed mystifed at having to crook his line
around my field, that his words went right through
me. invited him in. We talked it over. and emp
tied a bottle of liquor on the strength of it. Next
morning we went down to camp. He took his COM
pass and the line right spang up against my
smoke house. which | had just finished after six
months labor.
"Well," says he, this is unlucky. The road will
come right through your new smoke house what's
to be done -
"You shall see" said I; so calling my boys Or
dered them to tear it down. g Stranger there Law
the logs, the prettiest timber within fifty miles all
| hewed by my own hand. | have had the
heart to put them up again. Well, the big
never changed countenance He ran with his
line, and the next day he back his return to
Brandon. [ was nightly lifted, with the notion of
the railroad and a stopping place right before my
door. entered six hundred and forty of land.
My neighbors said we'd get the state -house here
The big smiled and nodded he pointed out
where the would stop, and where the Governor
would like to have summer seat-and when he
went, he carried away three thousand dollars for
me, all in two bit pieces and picayunes."
'Well: squire" said |, 81 suppose you got the
value of it q
"stranger" solemnly replied the squire, Il never
saw the big afterwards; heard no more of
the road. Here's my smoke house logs. My old
womans got the empty stockings. Here's what
!. they sent me Ga certificate the Brandon Bank
stock) for the money and if you've got ten dollar
mint drop in your purse, I'm ready for a swap"
! A SINGULAR AwARD.-The offer of small premi-
UNI was lately made through the Boston Congrega-
tonast, for the best essay in answer to sundry ques
tons in relation to practical religion, and especially
pointing out the relation of the souls salvation to
knowledge of the person of Chrst-a point we would
think involving the most peculiar features of the
thodox views. The committee in the case awarded
the prize without knowing the authors of any of the
proposed essays, to Rev. Mr.. Briggs, Unitarian
clergyman of Plymouth, Mass. 1t is certainly sug-
gestive circumstance in many ways-and perhaps
may say hopeul-that the best exposition of such
a point of theory should have been supplied by a
Untarian-even in the judgment orthodox critics.
Decisive Battles.
The Decisive Battles of the World, those of which,
to use Hallams words "a contrary event would have
essentially varied the drama of the world in all it's