The Brookhaven ledger. (Brookhaven, Miss.) 1875-1883, 1876-07-27
How Railroads Used 10 be Built in Mis-

4 OAAo
night overlook me rear the centre OF
Jones county. The road had only been
discerned by the "three scores" on the
1pine trees, the grass growing on it rank
and tall like that in the adjacent woods.
I was striking for the county seat. I came
to small "opening" in which stood
three rickety cabins, built of pine logs
with the bark on; but they were unten-
anted. Here the road branched off into
a dozen trails. Completely puzzled, ]
threw down the reins, and left the de-
cision to the instinct Of my horse. He
struck into one OF them briskly, and in
fifteen minutes halted at large farm
house.
/ '.Hallo!' criedI.
4 "It's halo yourself" said man in
the gallery"
"How far to the Court-house?" I in,
quired.
"Where are you from?" said the man.
"From Winchester.
"There," said he, "the Courthouse
is behind, and you have come right by
it there" pointing toward the deserted
cabins.
"Why, saw nobody there"
II reckon you didn't" said he.
"Theres groggery and tavern there
twice year, but they come with the
Court"
"And the Clerk and the Sheriff,
said I; "where do they live?'
"Oh, the Sheriff is Clerk. and the
Clerk is Squire, Assessor and Tax
Collector, and he lives way down on
Leaf river.
"But the town, my friend; who owns
the lots?"
| "The same individual who owns the
best part of Jones couDty-the only
landlord who never sues for rent-they
call him Uncle SAM"
"Well, sir, I am tired and hungry,
and SO is my horse. Can We stop for
the night?'
Light, stranger, light! Old Mike
Anderson never shuts his house on man
or beast"
| Having stabbed and fed my horse, L
soon sat down to substantial supper
of fried chicken, stewed venison, corn
cakes, peach cobler, milk, butter and
honey, served with welcome and pro-
fusion peculiaa to the pine woods.
Ny host was shrewd man, well to
90 in the world, preferring Jones coun-
ty to any place this side of Paradise,
having lived there twenty years without
medicine, doctors or lawyers, and never
having been "crossed" but once during
the time.
! was curious to know what had dis
turbed the serenity of such 6 life.
"Why. sir" said he, 81 don't make a
practice of talking about il hereabouts;
but being as you're a stranger, and l
have taken liking to you, Eli narrate
the circumstance. Maybe you've hearn
how the Legislature chartered the
Brandon Bank to build a railroad
through the piue woods to the seashore
In these parts we go agin BANKS; out
the railroads sort of shook our prelu-
dices. Before the bank could be set
agoing the law required so much com
to be planked up. Not so much, but
a heap for those days when you could
hardly get silver piece for baby to
cut his teeth with. The managers OF
the bank all lived about Brandon. but
the metal was mighty scarce and the
folks about there didn't have it, or
wouldn't trust 'em.
"Well, it got wind that I had some
of the pewter, and the managers kept
sending after it, offering to put me IN
the board. But I always answered that
my money was safer in the old woman's
stockings than in the bank.
IT heard nothing more of it for three
months, when one night big portly
man rode up and asked me for chunk
of fire.
".Sauire Anderson said he, my
man have camped down there on the
creek. We are surveying the railroad
to Mississippi City, bat have come to a
halt. because our line butts up against
your clearing, and we shall have to
make an ugly bend to get around it.
"The big man said this with SO seri-
GUS a face, and seemed to beso concern
ed about the crook in his line, that his
words went clear through me. 1 sent
! his chunk of fire down to his men by p
boy, and invited him in. We emptied
q bottle of liquor, and maybe two of
'em, before we got in bed. Next morn
ing we went to camp. He took his
chain and compass and ran the line
spank up agin my new meat-house, of
sawed logs, that had just completed.
"'Well, says he, this is my usual
luck. Here we are, right on your new
house. What's to be done?'
"'You shall see, said /. So calling
my boys, I ordered them to pull ii
down. Stranger, there lie the logs!
There's the broken shingles. The pref
test lot of timber ever got out in Jones
county-twenty by twenty four feet! ]
have never had the heart to put them
up again. Well, the big man never
changed his countenance. He ran his
line right across my logs and shingles,
and in about a week he came back on
his return to Brandon.
"I was nightly lifted with the no.
tion of the railroad and station right
at my door. entered twelve hundred
and eighty acres of the land. My
neighbors said we'd get the State House
here. The big man smiled. He pointed
out where the trains would stop, and
where the Governor would like to have