Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes County, Ohio) 1856-1865, 1857-06-11


I commenced my ride on the east banl
of the Mississippi at Bayou Sara. Back o1
the town is long hill, at the top of which
is the old French village of St. Ffancisville
"a collection of decaying, shaniy-like hou-
ses, end with few new, comfortable and
handsome mansions.
A group Of men at the tagezu stared at
me as ifit were rare for q stranger to pass,
and one of them gotapon horse and soon
afterward joined me on the road.
Not from . psrticul; r.y social disposition,
however, for hesearcely returned my nod
and replied not = wofd to my salutation,
but with 8 ffotifng cuiosity examined
closely my clothing, born and equipment.
Following his example. ] discovered pis-
tol thrust into the watch-fob of his panta-
looms. His countenance wns such as made
me wish that l had been provided myself
with weapon if We were to travel far in
company. / asked: "Can you tell me
how far it is to Woodyille, SIR" al don't
know" "Have you no idea of the distance ?''
"You won't get beyond there to night
"Can be sure of getting there before
dark?" "No place for you to stop this
side of there, recon-" .You can't tell
me about how many miles it is there ?'-
"No.n
Gradually got the better of his taci-
turnity. He told me the land in the Vi
cinity was all owned by "big-bugs." 1t
used to be thought about the "richest sile
God Almighty ever stuck up" and was
called the "gardying of the world" But
it was now deteriarated. He had not
lived here may years, but it had grown
inanifestly less productive under his obser-
walton. He pointed out the residences of
several of the large Hemitere aforesaid
and the number of negroes they possessed,
always snseringly. He himself was over
seer for one of the biggest kind bugs" who
was now in Paris. He generally spent the
Summer at Sarratogy, or Newpe rts or Paris,
"Souae of them Northern places"
Suddenly refining off at a fork of the
road, he said. with out turning his face at
all toward me. "If you are gwine on to
WoodvilL, that's your road-this is mine,"
and rode ofmaking no reply to my good
bye.
Neither at the telegraph station at Ba-
you Sara, nor at several shops in which I af-
terward inquired, could get any exact in
formation about the road to be pursued TO
Natchez, or the distance to Woodvive,
which appeared by the map to be the first
town upon the proper course. Afterward
1 made inquiry of twelve different persons,
perhaps half of them negroes, whom met
or passed on tn, way. 1t was only by per-
tinacious questioning I could get any of
them to guess at the distance, in miles;
some thought it twenty, some thirty-none
gave number between these. The stu
pidity Of the more brutalized slaves is Of
ten described by saying that they cannot
count above twenty. l suspect many of the
whites are but little more educated. This
experience with regard to distances, at any
rate, is very common. 1t is rare to find in
the plantation districts man white or black
who can give you any clear information
about the roads or the distances between
places in his vicinity.
Coming from the fiat coast country, /
found the landscape pleasing, though rather
tame in its features. For some miles about
st. Francisyille it has an open, suburban
character, with style of residences indi-
eating rapidly accumulating wealth and ad-
vance in luxury among the proprietor
For twenty miles to the north of the town
there is on both sides succession of large
sugar and cotton plantations. Much land
still remains uncultiyated, however. The
roadside fences are generally hedges of
roses-Cherokee and sweet brier. They
are planted first by the side of a common
rail fence, which while they are young sup
ports them In the manner of a trellis. at
they grow older they fall each way, and
meet together finally forming confused,
sprawling, sloyenly thicket, often ten feet in
breadth and four to six feet high. Trum-
pet creepers grspe-vines and cat briers, and,
in very rich soil, cane, grow up through the
mat Of roses, and add to its strength. 1t
Is mot so pretty as sitter hedge, yet very
and the road being sometime
narrow, deep and circuitous, delightful
of England were often brought
to mind. s'f
There were frenuent rroyes of MAGNOLIA