The Evansville journal. [volume] (Evansville, Ind.) 1866-1870, 1868-05-11
DOWN THE MISSISSIPPI.
On BOARD Low PRESSURE RICHMOND, I
NEAR NEW ORLEANs. April2, 1865. ]

NEAR NV 2HsLAAN1g ARAA@g 90 , ~
The only Landings the Richmond
made between Helena and Vicks-
burg, were at Eunice, Arkansas, and
at Grandville, Mississippi. Eunice is
a village of a few houses, but had, at
pne time, a fair prospect Of becOm-
ing a place of some Importance, as
it was the terminus of the Little
Rock & Mississippi River Railroad,
which, if finished, would have been
145 miles long, and would have passed
through a rich and productive portion
of Arkansas, and Eunice would have
become an important shipping point.
The war, however, found but four
teen miles Of the road finished, with
only one locomotive and but few
cars. The rolling stock was burned for
fear it. would fall into the hands
of the Yankees, and the rails were
taken up and carried of, and Eunice
is now only a landing for Monticello
and a few other small towns In the
interior, for which the Richmond had
a considerable quantity Of goods. At
Greenville two or three hundred ne
groes rushed to the landing. Men,
women and children came by scores.
A number of white citizens also made
their appearance. While a large
amount of freight was being dis
charged a half dozen or more young
Africans amused the passengers
by a ludicrous exhibition of gym
nastic and acrobatic exercises.
But it is deeply to be regretted
that the negroes IN this poT-
ton of the country do not seem
disposed to work. It gives their for
mer masters a good excuse to prove
their oft-repeated declaration that the
negro is constitutionally lazy and dis
posed to idleness. 1t is a significant
fact, however, that in nine cases out
Of ten, where you find a plantation
under cultivation, that the work is
done by negroes, and we often see
them industriously at work. men and
women, in the fields, hOeing corn or
cane. At Sunnyside we land to take
wood. The proprietor of the wood
yard, James Mason, is a distinguished
man and a son of a distinguished
planter Of the South, who gave him a
finished education in the United States
and in Paris. He and bis partner.
VIM. johnson, have sixty-fve acres
planted with cotton and thirty-6ve
with corn. Mason is postmaster at
Sunnyside, and has recently bee
elected to the State Senate q.
Arkansas, and is a Conservative
or Democrat. He is a cross
between the Southern chiyalry and
an African Wench. He is an indus
trious, intelligent man, a shade darker
than George Jackson, steward of the
MayhOWer. From him we learn that
under the rule of the Democracy in
Arkansas, 500 900 acres of school
lands have been frittered away, until
there are but 10000 acres left, and
the children of Arkansas have nevor
enjoyed the benefit of public schools.
Mason was never a slave. At
Grand Lake we lost one of our most
pleasant travelling companions, an old
gentleman who owns two or three
plantations in Mississippi, but who
now resides In Newport, Kentucky,
He is well acquainted all along
the coast, and related to US some verv
interesting and amusing inc dents.
All along here we see magnificent
pAuuAaLAOnSg VI HUH 4sOOO " O.UUU 8
acres, with the big house." often
palatial inits proportions, surrounded
and almost hidden by handsome
groves of elm, magnolias, live-oak,
&c, and at a reasonable distance, a
little village of often neal aud cozy-
looking cottages, all exactly alike,
which before the late little unpleas-
antness' were the homes Of slaves,
indicating the almost regal wealth ia
which the Southern nabob literally
rolled. AS we were landing at Skip
with's Landing to discharge $50 sacks
of corn for Wade Hampton, q fat
boat was broken loose by the swelts
of the Richmond and Frank Pargoud,
and striking against the bank, went
down In a moment. 1t seemed TO be
unloaded. Met the Magenta at
Nelson's Point, and the Gov
ernor Allen at Lake Providence.
The night was lovely until the
moon Wen down, jdst as we were
making the difficult and somewhat
dangerous passage of Tarrepin Neck
cut of. This is where the famous
Indiana came so near being wrecked.
The channel is exceedingly narrow,
the current very swift, and the turns
very short. 1t is literally runnir Il
between Scylly and Charybdis, with a
fair chance to suffer from both. The
cut off is less than Of a mile IN
length. while the distance around by
the old channel is two miles. Landed
Tor q few moments only, at Vicksburg
at daylight Friday morning. The
river all along was literally bank full. |
and where the land was q little low II