Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1863-05-13
D Desx.itulss6inn id Southwestern Arkansas.

Desstuisen id Southwestern Arkansas.
An correspondent Of the Chicago
Journal, ), Krsiihg under datc of February
18th. gives the following gloomy picture of
the state of affairs in Southwestern Arkau.
sa>:
This is said to be the place where the Ar.
kansas Traveller" live, and from the topog
raphy Of the country, and the physiqae of tie
the males live at home. Nearly all the houses
contain widows and extensive families of poor
orphan children. 1t is surprising how many
widows there arc in this country. Since the
rood oil days of the Traveller" this country
has undergone wonderful change. Where
is YOUR hu.band ?' 81 lave not got any"
: Whose children are these n Mine,
reckon, but my husband is dead" Or. went
away several uunths ago.'' This is the in
variable answer; and that such class Of
people should live and have historical txis-
teuce in this great progressive, eulighlened
republic, is truly astonishing.
THIS is not prairie country, but one ever
lasting Jungle Of dwarf brush, unfit for any
thing but 6re-wood The FARMS are generally
small and pourly titled Corn is the principal
CROP. cxcelt children, and such children J.
salIow, puny things! You have heard of
snuff suckers and clay eaters. Well, here
YOU find them in all their ancient glory. The
lulies mostly are addicted to this filthy habit
The process is as follows: The snuff is gen.
orally contained in square iour-ounce glass
buttl.. A small stick two or three inches
long, with one end chetccd to the condition Of
small broom, is thrust Into the bottle of
snuff and then rubbed upon the gums of the
teeth. The stick, or little broom, is then ad
iusted, protruding froln one corner of the
mouth, and the happy lady sucks away at
the precious thing with all the vigor Of a
three months baby at its "sugared rag"
Their teeth are black, eyes sunken, aud all
look as though they were enjoying ripe con.
ditiou of the yellow j4undice. The women
do nothing, apparently, but lick their snuff,
chew and smoke, eat hog and homony, and
raise an inferior quality Of stupid, sal,ow ba-
bies. This is the inside, fire side, home view
oil rebeldom in Southwestern Arkansas.
1 have just returned from scout through
the Cherokee country. You will understand
our location when tell you that we arc
about one mile from the Cherokee line, sixty
miles north of the Arkansas river, near Bang.
Mills. find the country, the whole distance
from here to Taliqua, Park Hill, and on &c
Fort Gibson, one complete desolation, and
still further on across the bridges, rivers, ant
through the whole Creek county, north of The
Arkansas river, nothing remains but one bar
rem waste. The country is deserted aud giyer
up to the destroyer-war.
Over seven hundred per;ons followed ou
scouts into camp, many Of them the families
of abscondcd rebels. They came from neces
sty. Starvati@ stares them. in the face
Til, few bushels of corn that they have nlc
away in the cellars or garrets, for farnil,
bread, are seized aud consumed by the scout
inc parties of one army or the other. Thi
was their last hope, and when it is gone, the
TO-, must 20 where they can get bread. Ii
the vicinity of Taliqua, the most fertile par
of the country, there cannot be found singl
feed of corn. The hogs and cattle are nearl
NIL gone, and one mi,ht as well look in tn
travelled roads as in the: fields for forage
Naked and half starved children. womer
white, Indian, or black, pour into. our line
for bread. Bread is now the cry. The ev
genius OF war has culne at last-farnine. Ther
: is no mistaking tit is here, and these ign
rant, deluded creatures are fleeing from it 6
from some terrible pestilence. The sax
work Of destructioniis going on throushe,
the whole State of Arkansas, and when Il
, two arm cs consume the bread, which wi
soon be done, her people too must flee
s,arye. They have become satisfied that
90 farther South is but another step to mo
c.r,,,in destruction. In less than three mont
the two armics will consume all the corn
: the country.
D The people of the free States have not )
n tasted tue horrors OF war. Let US hope th
!. they never will.