Memphis daily appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1847-1886, 1872-10-03
ARKANSAS.
GeOrge Alfred Townsend on the Situa-
ton IN Pope County.
Photographs OF Radical Desperadoes
and Thieves, Taken from Life.
Testimony that will not be shaken,
Coming as 1t Does from the
Other Side.
What the New York Herald Thinks Of
#, Of the Carpetbaggers and
their Responsibilities.

LITTLE ROCK, Septem Der 22.-At thi
: vide distance from New York CITY
md myself saturated with the theme o
J the hour-the war in Pope county. i
Is the theme Of everybody, and is at tn,
same time a new theme and an old one
} Tor some new occurrence happens daily
70 swell the bloody account Of that mos
demoralized neighborhood. where now
the commander Of the State miIiti.
holds the county site, with part Of the
! Governors guard. The region Of Iii
Aols Bayou, the chief stream Of the coun.
/ try, Is commanded by the shifting er.
campments Of the outlawed Sheriff
Dodson, and his two hundred and
forty militia; the young men OF
Dover haunt the mountain spurs
and the dens and bottoms Of the
north and west Of the county, armed
I TO the teeth, and sworn to kill Dodson,
I the Sheriff, and Stuart, the Superintend-
ent Of Public Instruction; and, finally,
all the old and stable people Of the COM
munity are hungry and apprehensive: :
little business Of any sort is done; the
mails still go and come, but people 20
and do not return; it is martial law
| without the name and outlawry in fact.
/ such Is the condition Of an old and we'll
I known county Of Arkansas, whose
/ county-seat is less than eighty miles
from Little Rock, the State capital.
The correspondent then recites at con-
siderable length the history Of Arkan-
sas, the startling incidents in Pope, and
the successive crimes that have led to
the present state of affairs. together
with much Of undeserved structures upoD
the old residents of Arkansas. This
nnrna ha - 1
graphs, which read true to the life:
CONQUIsTADORE HICKOx.
Hickox was the typical carpetbagger.
said citizen to me: He has carried
Pope county in the hollow of his hand
since 1865" He was about thirty-four
years old, good looking, cool, bold. reti-
cent and sUrly. He made no efforts 70
conciliate anybody, seemed to the crude
people there propelled and supported by
an unseen force, and over everv other
county officer be obtained that sort of
mVnial influence which came from per
uDacity, will and depth Of character
which supply resources and make con-
troll. Rebels and subordinates felt il
alike; he expressed the conquest Of the
South in his -aOde and fOrm-that ex-
pected thing which had been appre-
hended without reason Of the central
authority, but in which a thousand ad-
venturers have voluntarily supplanted
1t, and have gone forth like the devils
out Of the man into the swine, 70 root
and wallow with al the coolness Of di-
vine and natural right and preordina-
ton.
Hickox had fine stature, a ruddy COM
plexion and brown hair, and his ewes
were cold and surly, and never invited
confidence nor acquaintanceship. He
wore a full brown beard and mustache;
from his waist up be had one Of the most
perfect bodies, physically, ever seen in
that remote country, as was remarked
when he was stripped after death. His
head was shapely and large, and there
WIS the firmness Of command and resO-
luton ever present upon his counten-
ance. He weighed nearly two hundred
pounds. be was without social inclina-
tons, although well fitted 70 be popular,
and be was what IS called in Arkansas
war Mason-that is, q merceuary
Mason, trading in social treason on his
grips.
Hickox's name occurs in the careful
and accurate report Of the State Adju-
tant General, Albert w. Bishop, as iOl-
1--WE aAAtAlE IL 4LlLADAr EHef1lLll
Lieutenant Fourth regiment Arkansas
cavalry; appointed from Quartermas-
ter's Sergeant Of Fifteenth Illinois cav
airy; mustered out at Little Rock.
Arkansas, October 5, 1854 % The same
report shows that Hickox's new regi-
ment was engaged in fighting good
deal with bashwhackers and rebel regu-
lsrs in Pope county and in the battle at
no rrfnrFnIIa q ar a..Tr
contained man, who seemed to heartily
despise and dislike the Confederate peO-
pie from the date of bis coming among
them. As clerk be was neat. orderly
and satisfactory, but in hisprivate habits
he was Irregular, hbidinous, and some
times got drunk. The Dover people
contend that be left wife and several
children in Illinois, and state that his
mother, who came TO look into his es-
tate after bis murder, was sstonished 70
Ind that he had married again. But
this Is not uncommon among the
Arkansas c2rpetbaggers, who hold that
one Of the advantages OF owning State
Is 70 own 3 divorce court within &c.
Hickox married 3 woman Of pretty
face and common family in the south
ern part OF Pope county, between Rus
sellyDle and Galley Rock. Although be
had two children BY this wife he never
took her 70 Dover after be was made
Sheriff; but, as is universally alleged IN
that village, be took up with boarding
house keeper and lived upon scandalous-
~ intimate terms with her. This woman
and his wife afterwsrd wept together at
his grave, whittier be was laid in his
blanket without 3 cOffin-a touching 1
and impressive picture Of military ad- 1
venture and senni-outlawry under the
auspices Of modern carpetbag authority.
The military vices Of Hickox led TO 4
his death. He was forever mentally |
the people Of Pope county /
that they bad Ostracised him when be 4
had socially Ostracised himself, and be /
took no part ia religious, Masonic or
general society, boxing sturdily away |
from the usual processes Of political sue
cess, and showing by bis intrepid bear /
ing that, Is he ruled without other right 1
than force, force should be his chief eJn- 1
He was always mad at the /
opposition party, never said anything TO
reconcile it, and sought TO make his dep |
lty, a sUpernumeraTy Methodist preach
sr named HickersOn, cease all relations
with the leading citizens. He was quick
10 apprehend who did not Like him, but
Indifferent as to who did. Indeed, he
was brave, disagreeable, commanding
md cruel type Of man, with capacity
or Office, but not under a representative
iystem. At first his mental and physical
Orce and authoritative bearing bore
pack all resistance, and made
,ertain kind Of awe, which pro
ected and strengthened him. Time and
amihaTity wore this of at last, and
.hick gathering destiny brought him TO
le violent end. He was young
nan, probably about thirty-six OF thir-
weight. He moved 70 Dover from the
region where be had planted a lite cot
on and pulled the political wires in the Il
eagues, with nothing bot his wearing I
apparel, Whieh was the sum Of bis sub d
ltantlal possessions. He had been made
me Of the three registers Of the county
~ the Clayton party, and Butterfield.
he subsequent Brindletai editor.
claims t. have introduced him 10 CLAY.
on. In one OF his sprees he received q
logging at the hands Of Lieutenant
Wilson, Of the regular army, who COM
handed IN Pope for few months after
he constitution went into operation. /
However, HickOx had served out nearly
he whole Of bis four years teEm when