The Jasper weekly courier. [volume] (Jasper, Ind.) 1858-1922, 1875-05-28
Then and Now at the Ssnth.
[From the chIcngo TrIbnne !


In June, 1864, an officer in the Union
army resigned in order to go into bust
ness in lssaquena County, Mississippi.
A recent letter Of his 10 the Springfield
Republican begins in this way: " Ten
years ago this day, the residents of this
neighborhood were invited 10 see me
hung" That little sentence, taken with
the ensuing sketch of the condition of
things now. has world OF meaning.
Then, the Northerner's store was kept
fortified and proyisioned for siege. His
twelve white employees each carried a
Spencer rifle and stood guard In squads OF
four, four hours at "A time. The necessity
for these precautions was absolute. On
the day Of the promised spectacular per-
formance. in which the storekeeper was
to play the disagreeable part of Mahomets
coffin, the twelve Spencer rifles proved TO
be more than match for eighteen shot
guns. "The men who had issued the III
yitations," he says with grim humor,
had the modification of announcing
postponement of the performance" The
postponement has been made permanent.
The necessity for keeping guard long since
vanished. None of the storekeeper's en-
ployees are now allowed 10 carry q weap-
on, and the employers pistols lie unload
ed on shelf. He has many warm friends
among the older Inhabitants, and his
known enemies are buttwo-no more than
many men who have never left the North
can count. This striking change is not
the result of any change in this honorable
carpet-bagger' own views. lie has not
truckled TO the dominant political or So
cial beliefs, and so gained the privilege OF
living in peace. file says: II still re-
main thorough and uncompromi.ing
Republican and Radical, and am known
a. such"
Then the country was overrun by
mounted men, most OF them deserters
from the Southern army. who lived by
pillage. There was lao law. no security.
Scarcely any industry. Ten years time
has changed all this. The white popula-
lion is orderly and. on the whole. indus
trious. The condition OF the negro has
wholly changed. In 1865 no negro ofthat
vicinity owned any animal larger than a
chicken. Furniture was an almost un-
known luxury in the cabins of the blacks.
Clothing was an ingenious combination of
cast-oh army garments, eked out with
shreds and patches of "butternut." The
negroes are now quite well clothed. They
are great buyers of furniture. Most OF
them. according To this writer, have
horse or COW. Then they did not know
their alphabet. Not ono of them. he says,
knew the first letter of Il; but this must
be an unwilling exaggeration. a large
majority of them can read now. Nearly
as many can write. Their Zeal for educa-
ton has made the book and stationery de-
partment one of the Important items in the
correspondents business. This is sign
OF no slight importance, for country
store is sort OF Deighborhood barometer.
Its sales tell the present condition and the
future prospects OF the vicinity with con-
siderable accuracy, just as the books of a
bank register the status of commercial,
and even of social, relations for town,
city. or section.
The letter from which we have quoted
shows that a great transition has already
taken place at the South, and that future
changes for the better are more than prob
able. Ten years ago, the neighbors of an
honorable Northern immigrant gathered
TO enjoy seeing him hung. and nineteen
of them. armed with shot-guns, tried TO
bring him 10 the extemporized scailold.
The intended victim now finds no lack Of
friends in that same neighborhood. He j.
living peacefully and safely and, as we
Judge from his letter, making money. IL
Is fifty-fve years since the historic ERA of
Good Feeling" i'm American politics. when
sectional luminosity died away. There are
Signs that this piece of history may soon
rppeatifself