The New York herald., 1872-09-30

ef0I Ieature6 I'D bue penOIn9 war, anu ii the uiVot
or your fellow passengers feel inclined they will
amuse You with hundred recitatOns OF
BLOODY c0NNEMORATIoNs.
You win hear OF John A. Murren's band OF Cullen
Bakers midnight assassinations, of Dodson's guer
lila robberes and the bloody massacre OF prisoners
at Shiloh Church of Hickox shot from his saddle and
OF General Upham's dire in1icti0ns upon the people
OF Woodruff, Crittenden and Mississippi counties.
One old chap by the name OF TObey. who is postmas
ter miller and merchant at NOrristown brought the
hair up on my head by relating the first and also
the latest crime committed at his hamlet. He said
that he remembered seeing, when a boy the bloody
clawmarks of murdered gambler named John Hill,
alias Nixon Kerr, who, having killed his score Of
men, finally felt the agony of the murdered himself
In the year 1910.
HE tried to climb up that counter and draw his
knife said Nj. Tobey, "but he couldn't do 1t, and
the prints Of his hands were there for years. The
man that stabbed him went of TO Texas and be-
came Baptist preacher"
The last crime happened but few weeks or
months ago. near Norristown, when two negroes
named Riall and Archie Embury killed. respect
lively, man by the name Of Champion and an
other white fellow named Tucker. Archie Embury
killed Champion in quarrel about cotton picking,
and soon afterward Archle's brother was MUIR
dered Tucker. the ferryman at Valley Rock, sought
to raise up the dead body, when the bereaved
negro father rushed cut with stick OF wood and
beat out fuckers brains.
"A happy society You have there, Mr.. Tobey,"
said /; "do they ever hang anybody"
mot In these days. They wouldn't let Old Colo
mel Embury, who used to own these niggers, tes.
tify because he was disffanchised, and Archie EN-
bury rode Hlckoxs horse all over the county after
HickOx's death. He's in the mtia.n
Indeed, the history of Arkansas Is history OF
murder, family vendetta lynchings and duels.
II well remember" said an Old man OF Galley
Rock, ''seeing the loaded steamboats, go by to Fort
Smith, where the big politicians and planters re-
paired to fight across the line in the Indian Terri
tory. The last, 1t seems to me, was Albert Pike
and John f. ROane-the latter General Yell's lieu
tenant colonel. Pike had company in the regl-
ment In the Mexican war; they quarreled, and,
after they came home, fought About three tho u
sand people saw the fight Bob Johnson, now Pike g
partner at Washington, seconded Roane, an: Ma
than Chase seconded Pike. After the second fire,
when Pike had lost lock Of his hair by ball, old
DR.. Burton, a flre-eater, pitched in and sad-If
there's any firing III do little shooting my
selfn He stopped 1t, amid general disappont-
ment."
In this way you are entertained until you find
that the business OF life in Arkansas IS to kill.
There was General F. c. Hndman-the abest man
OF the old slavery school in the State as Bob John
son was the most successful politican-shOt dead
at his freslde, and, they say by his relative. Even
in the State House at Little Rock the spot is
pointed out where the Speaker, "HOrse Ears''
Smith, cut the bowels out OF Representative An
thony he stood at his desk leaving the presiding
chair for that purpose.
"And, strange as 1t may seem to you," said an
editor a, Little Rock to me, "the that did that
was very respectable and good man. 1t was all
done In ht Of passion. He lived many years re-
spected and bore a good rcputation.n
This was the usual character given to anybody
fond Of killing people, Parson Hickerson, of Dover
Pope county, who was Methodist presiding elder,
and twenty-five years an itnerant published a card
in the Little Rock papers Ia hast Nv week M saying that he
had Killed half dozen people; Mr.. Halle, who shot
an old sexagenarian at his gate, and Mr.. Perry,
Bakers band OF murderers Religion and bloodshed
are near neighbors and nearly cOmmutable terms
In some parts OF ArEansa ,o mhe TYPE OF
lists of North Carolina, who emgrated on this par
ael to Tennessee and Arkansas, and gave the
SO that even Methodist here looks like a son or
John Knox, while the Baptists are Calvinists
ter is remarked throughout Arkansas The
light and humorous side OF life is not to be found
here, ,.and the Gaelic and fateful qualities and tenn
ofbood, perseverng malignity vanity and treachery
may be said to have examples in every community,
the timorous villain murders the quickest and on
every hip the slx-sh0Oter lies ready to the hand.
And this is the matter In Pope county to-day-the
Old social phenomenon of arms bearing and killing,
aggravated by government foreign to the people.
POPE COUNTY
has 8, 400 population Its county seat Is Dover, and
the other settlements are Norristown, Galley Rock
and Georgetown. 1t is said TO possess coal and it
produces, measurable quantity OF corn, and
is much hily land and variety OF timber;
some wheat is produced, and In places the
one bale of cotton. The census Of 1870 shows that
1t gave that year 1910 bales of cotton LOIS pounds
Of tobacco, and 7is pounds Of wool that It gave
$4,000 pounds OF butter and only nine tons OF hay,
and that 1t gave little wax and honey and some
peas and potatoes, and no more. Here are figures
OF poverty, indeed, In all but cotton As early IN
the annals of the State 1880 it had 4s3 people,
and in 1860, before the breaking out OF the war,
1883. 1t is however, above the average Of the
counties OF Arkansas in population. II had 97s
slaves in 1t in 1860, or one to every eight white
souls, and was relatively large saveholding
in the State, and many as 1867 of the people OF
Pope county emigrated from Tennessee and 841
from North Caroline Aabama Georgia and Msss
natives OF the British Islands There are, indeed
birth to above 47o6OO native Americans. Pop
county has about 3,!oo acres OF improved land,
whole valued officially at $685. and its live stock
is set down as worth only $4,000.
HOW THE WAR BEGAN.
Pope county was settled, before the United
States possessed it, by few French and after.
wards by some civilized CheroKees who finally
moved on to the Indian Territory. During the
war 1t was neutral ground, and successfully over
run by federals from Dardanelle and Lewlsburg
and by rangers and jayhawkers Of both armies,
and OF neither. Horses and stock were stolen
houses burned and waysde murders committed
The people, observing old political lines, fell into
both armies, according 10 their traditions; but
they seem not to have divided by auy peOgra phcal
line. Between rival families recriminations en-
sued after the peace, and in time old grudges be.
Uncommon. The period OF military government
was followed by the mild b4t inefficient adplpis-
tratloq Of Governor Mufpky-a patiye Unionist.
although the citizens disavow the acts, and say
that they were private assassnatiOns arising from
personal causes. After the new and dislranchising
constitution went into operation lu ensled, and
for some time everything was quiet; but the county
officials OF Pope, who were all republicans and