The daily Green Mountain freeman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1861-1865, 1861-07-29
Southern Civilization.


The following extract from recent letter OIL
Mr.. Russell, of the London Times, gives
graphic picture Of the "manners and customs
of the Southern chvalry;
After dinner was invited to attend meet
inc of some of the citizens at the railway station
where the time passed very agreeably till o.
clock, when the train started for jackson, the
capital of Mississippi, and after a passage OF two
| hours through II poor, clay country, scared with
water courses and gullies, with scanty crops OF
Indian corn and very backward cotton, we were
deposited in that city. 1t must be called city.
1t is the State capital, but otherwise there IS no
reason why, in strict nomenclature, it should be
designated by any such title. 1t is IN the usual
style Of the d" cities which spring up IN the
course of few years amid the stumps OF hall
cleared fields in the wilderness, wooden houses,
stores kent by Germans, French, Irish, Italians;
large hotel swarming with people. with
noisy billiard room and noisier bar, the arena
and the cause of" difficulties - wooden houses,
with pertentous and pretentious white portlcoes
and pillars of all the Grecian orders cupalo
or two. and two or three stceples, too large Tor
the feeble bodies beneath, hydrocephallc archl-
lecture a State house, looking well IN the dis
lance, ragged, dirty, and mean within groups
/, OF oilers in front Of a" Exchange where the
business transacted consists in barter between
money or credit, and d" drinks of various slim
ulants secluded telegraph office round IL cor
ner; forward newspaper office in the street,
and population of negroes shutting through
the thick dust which forms the streets. cal
led on Mr. Pettus, the Governor of the State of
Mississippi, according to invitation, and found
him in the State house in very poor room, with
hrnko, ind nd uOpd and 6llapl-
dated furniture He Isl grim, silent man. tobac.
co-ruminant, abrupt peeched, firmly believing
that the state of society in which he exists, where
in there are monthly foul murders perpetrat-
ed at the very seat Of Government, is the most
free and civilized in the world. lie is easy of
access to all, and men sauntered in and out OF
his office Just as they would walk into public
house.
Once on a time, indeed, the Governor was
deer hunter in the forest, and lived far away
from the haunts of men, and he is proud OF the
fact. lie is a strenuous Seceder, and has done
high. handed things in his way-smple appa-
rently, honest probably, fierce certainly
he lives, while he is Governor, on his salary of
S4, 900 a-year in the house provided for him by
the State. There was not much to say on either
side. can answer for one. Next day being
Sunday, | remained at rest in the house of
friend listening to local storles-not coleW de
rose, but of a deeper tint-blood-rcd how
such man shot another, and was afterwards
stabbed by a third; how this fellow and his
friends hunted down in bl DAD day and murdered
one obnoxious to them, tale after tale such as
| have heard through he South and seen daily
narratives OF in the papers. Aceldama No
security for life Property is quite safe. Its
proprietor is in imminent danger were it only
H.
The &" bar" the * drink " the savage prac-
tice of walking about with pistol and poinard-
ungovernable passions, ungovernablc because
there is no law to punish the deeds to which
they lead-these are the causes of acts which
would not be tolerated in the worst days of
Corsican uendene and which must be put down
or the countries in which they are UNPUBLISHED
will become as barbarous as iungles of wild
beasts. In the evening | started by railroad for
the city Of Memphis, in Mississippi. There was
A sleeping car on the train, but the flying bug
and the creature less volatile, and more pungent
md persistent, which bears its name, murdered
sleep, and when Monday morning came, was
: lad to arise and get into one of the carriages,
although it was full of noisy soldiers, bound to
,he camp at Corin,h, in the State OF Mississippi,
who had been drinking whisky all night, and
we're now screaming Tor water and bowling like
lemons. At Holly Springs where rude break
asst awaited us, the warriors got out on the top
If the carriages, and performed war dance to
The music of their band, which was highly cred
table to the carriage makers workmanship
Along the road at all the settlements and clear
ngs the white people cheered, and the women
waved white things, and secession flags hoa.ed.
There Is no doubt of the state of feeling in this
part of the country; and yet it does not look
much worth fighting for, an arid soil, dry wat.
,r-courses, clay ravlnes, light crops. Perhaps
t will be better a month hence, and negroes
nay make it pay. There were many in the
ields and it struck Inc they looked better than
hose who work in gangs on the larger and rich
IT plantations.