Weekly national intelligencer., 1854-11-25

ton TINT formed the Constitution OF Alabama and ba
also done something in the way Of mercantile pursut
and land speculation and many city lot in St. Stephen
that may now be bought for dollar two has he solo
Tor thousand in other days. He has been connected
with the land Office Of st. Stephens its esta
blshment and the innumerabe and massive books thai
he has filed with his penmanship would hardly display
their neat and busness-ike psges ween without his
presence He was married. and has beon as con-
slant at his post as the old Dutch clock which clicks
the mantelpiece OF his log house Office and home. He
came to the South with letters from Gen. Jackson who
was his personal friend and among his other intimate
friends were such men as the late William II. King He
was tne nrst man in the South who paid particular at
enon 10 tne culture OF grapes and long ago 1909
ne made his hundred gallons of wine For thirty years
mas no been correspondent of Mr. Longworth of Gin
cnnau, who = now making fortune by business that
was suggested TO him by Mr. Magofn. Horticulture is
evidently Mr. Magofns hobby and while he boasts Of
the fact that he culvass forty varieties Of grape and
annually makes some four hundred gallons Of wne which
De distributes among his friends and neghbers with
most liberal hand he is at the time consantly try
ing experiments and making discoveries in regard to the
cuifnre OF corn and other valuable grains His life has
oeen useini one and il cannot be said Of him that he
knows not how to bc old With prspriety may We turn
from Shakespeare to Armstrong and say of him
Though old, he still retains
His manly sense and energy of mind
firtuous and wise he is, but not severe;
ltis easy presencs checks decent joy.
him even the dissoute admire for he
graceful looseness when he will puss on
AND, laughing, can instruct"
vofhn.
csl facts and incidents which cannot but make an n,s
rc-nng paragraph or two; and these she'll now be- the
bu1den of nay song
ghe hrst has reference to interview that Mr. Ma
goinn mad with Tecumseh, the celebrated Shawnee war
rior on the banks of the Alabama The former had been
arrested while ourneyng through the Creek Nation with
uoyssnment dispatches and it while domiciliaed
with his kind proecor--who was raedal chief lved IN
log cabin, and worked twenty negrcesthas Tecumseb
made his appearances friendly visit As she oftre
Peatea question Of !" Who Aed Tecumseh?" las never
oeen answered " may be gratifying to behold physical
ana naata portrait Of the warrior sketched by man Of
Mr. Magofhns intelligence, He was i've feet ten inches
nigh, brawny and stout, hada Roman nose and an eve
fhat coam not be looked into without emotion He was
ATTENDED by suite OF thirteen warriors and in every
thing that he did conducted himself like q prince and
gentleman Mr.. Magofin having asked and obtained per
mission TO shake his hand the Prophet remarked that
ne was gsaa 70 see white man from the fathercity and
tnat Gen. washington was great warrior" He incurred
as to the stature of Washington and on being told
about yeur height" he drew himself up and took
placent glance at his own person. After asking many
questions about the " big mem at Washington. he in
vited to take something eat and while danty ea;ov
ing himse-for he much Of an epicure he tprned
70 Mr. Magohn and said Your people are fond of GOOD
sing, oa' tney don't i've right noticed in Missouri
that they eat too much hog that is not good If thew
would eat more deer meat they would run faster IF
eat so much.hog they will to hog" On being oues
Toned about the Indian dish Of suckatash he remarked
ne knew all about ii, that il from the north
and thatth western indians got it from King Phil;n
And here san anecdote with atwo fold bearing When
It. Co Richard Sparks in command of Fort Stodart
IN 1903, MIR. Magon his clerk and executed All MI;
writing. The proclamation with which Sparls fell into
the movement OF Reuben Kemper invade Florida was
written by the aforesaid clerk and the press on which i
printed was the hrst that ever appeared in what
now the State OF Alabama and that press was
Fort Ssodart from Knoxville, Tennessee by man named
Samuel Miller SPARKS was undoubtedly quite willing
10 ACT a. ne dd without any urging but he was unforu
natey supported by the then Governor of Louisiana Mr.
Claborne and just before his arrest and in time for
court martial ne cunningy obtained letter from Gov
ernor Claiborne sanctonng his course in the most exn
GU manner. This letter was kept until the trial
was aeary ended when Sparks, who had played many
game OF cards with the presiding officer but with whom
ne had quarreled, stepped up to that gentleman and
nanng HIM the Claiborne letter. very coolly remarked
as follows have all my life been in ehaht AZ fight
ing sayages Ihave been taken by ambush ~ spr
prise and now, General will thank you to play to that
card Sparks was acquitted and Caibosnes integrity
was seriously questioned; but believe his conduct was
satisfactorily explained
Another local incident obtained from Mr. Mapofin w,s
aoout Hai Lake, stagnant sheet of water lying be-
tween the Tomsgbee and Alabama rivers short dis.
lance above their Junction The lake obtained its name
from negro who about thirty years ago ran from
his MASTER and in extensive canebrake swamp border
ing the lake built himself cabin and subsequenty
established kind of colony ofrunaway slaves The snot
far desolate than Cowpers lodge in some vii
dernsss and almost the only creatures that ever
trated besides the darkies black bears and
agators The business which supported that interest
ing clan was that OF stealing which they carried on prn
cpay In Mobile, which they visited furtively in their
canoes travelling at night and remaining in ambush by
day In process of time they hatched foolish conspra-
cy to murder the people of Mobile but rcpentant fellow
exposed the plot uhereupon the officers justice ferret
ed out the outlaws desperate fight took place. many
persons on both sides killed. and SO Halls Lake re-
turned to its former state Of desoaon The stolen pro-
pery which discovered here of considerable va
lue and among the prisoners taken were black children
who had never a white man 1s%Fi ees
The model plantation to which have alluded is by no
means what Southerners call extensive one, but the
producveness and appendages thereof are precisely
similar in character to those of all conducted pant
tons in Florida, Georgia. Alabama and Mississippi Ex
elusive of huge domain of pine lands the estate contains
eight hundred acres and lies in bend Of the Tombgbee
river Its negro force consists Of hundred men and
women, with fifty horses and mules and its annual
six thousand bushels of corn perhaps fifteen thousand
dollars The very comfortable house of the overseer
cupies the summit Of bluff which commands view Of
the whole farm long reach of the river both up and
down. while the country the opposite side of the
seems to be one vast cypress swamp, without human
habitaton while in the immediate vicinity of the house
are the cabins some twenty-five in number occupied by
the slaves, with tue barns, cotton gin and press and
usually pile beside them of cotton seeds which when
rotted make profitable manure The residence Of the
planter himself-L J. Wilson, Esq-is pleasantly situat
ed anout two miles from the river fragrant pine forest
and is in every particular elegant establishment.
At the present time the crops Of the plantation have
been gathered and either sold prepared for market
that poughing is the chief employment Of all bands
both men and women. The tolls of the day begin at
stated hour an hour and half hours assigned to
dinner and the plough left in the fnrrow the shoye
and the hoe thrown aside long before the factory girls
OF Lowell have thought Of leaving their loom As many
as four six times in the day do the women who have
rni fh<ra folI