The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1876-03-04

ruined is the aspect which 1t presents. a
\ little patch of sickly looking coleworths
marks the spot where once fourlshcd gar,
/, den. Some rickety blocks supply the place
of steps, by which you are enabled to cIlno
into the crumbing piazza. The once polished
floor /, worn into roughness by the heavy
tramp of broganncd feet. The windows are
almost destitute OF glass and hung with rag
ments OF quilts or barred up with rough
thanks. The plaster has crImblcd from The
walls, and lack OF thrilt ana 'idincss are
written all around the premises.
Such scenes are not rare in the south now,
/, and are becoming every day more common;
: but of course they are the result OF tie war.
Thousands of beautiful homes have ben con-
, yrr,ed into dcns, in the hope thereby OF Sc
curing better incomes; sometimes because
the proprctors have fled from the vacations
Incident to the reign OF freedom. These
splendid abodes Of intelligence, retirement
and hospitality which once dotted Ills sec
ton of country so thlckly are fast disappear
ing, and nothing seems TO take thei' pace as
step forward in the march of civilization.
Yet with situation like this staring them
in the face, with n hope for the lutu'c, the
south SAYS TO ser children:
7 have smoothcd from my forehead il, ,,dncs, :;
! It's oyer,-thunk Heaven therefor
would hide now with garments OF gladn,s,
| The sackcloth and ashes Of WAY.
Not a word Of the past 1t has pcrishcG-
Gone down in its beauty and gloom;
Yet because it SO proudly was cherished
Shall We sigh out our years at its tomb:
Then up from your torpor, yc slecpcrs.
| The dream We are dreaming deccNcs,
| Go forth to the fields with the rcapcrs,
/ And garcnr the prodigal sheayes!
" it'll tlocks gladden. meadow and mouus.n,
With tinkliRg herds spcckle each hill
And blend with the splash Of the fountain
The rumble aud roar o! the mill.
Our next Place was Jackson, the capital Of
Mississippi. Jackson Is the poorcstcty for
capital it was ever my misfortune to stop
at Not even a good meal can be obtained
there; and but one hOtei in the place and
that such a fraud that it is discouragng.
And their charges! Only 81 day 1t re.
minded me Of the "shanty towns" abng Oil
creek in the oil regions during the great oil
fever, or the mushroom cities on our west
err frontiers There Is not even an excuse
for public building in the town, and the
stores are, for the most part, sheds, This
may be strong for Jackson, but nevertheless
| 1t is fact.
| Never stop al Jackson on your way south
| From Jackson 10 Nicksburg the railroad
runs through the scenes of some OF the heavi
est fighting of the war; crossing the Big
Black River and on through Edwards
! The remains and wrecks are still visible
and will be for years TO come, as there seems
to be no ambition to clear then. up, and no
use for the ground
! Vcksburg, Miss, the tried and tmubcd
city of the hills is situated on the Misslssip.
pl at the mouth of the YaZoo river. Her
crumblng bluffs, still filled with historic
memories Of one of the most desperate seiges
and dcfences of modern times rise in i'm
posing grandeur from the banks of the Mis-
siSsippi, and slope back for many miles
backed by an elevated plateau and capped by
many handsome residences. Washington
street, during the busiest hours of the day
presents right smart appearance" and
from this we conclude that Nicksburg IS
growing, A few of the public buildings are
good, ana several fine churches are in the
| city. A magnificent structure used as an
Academy and Convent by the Sisters of
Mercy Is leading feature in the place, while
the Court House located on the summit of
n series Of terraces is very imposing. From
the grass grown rampars one can see in the
distance, the canal projected by the Federal.
during the siege, but which never could be
| finished
The remains of the old fort, from winch
"WhirllIng Dick" famous confederate gun,
was wont TO ring defiance to the yankees
during the siege, is still visible on IA lofty
eminencc. The river is so crooked in its
turning at this point, that one is puzzled to
know in what direction il is ascending or
descending.
De Soto and Delta, two thriving little
towns on the Arkansas shore, present them.
selves to good advantage, as seen from the
bluffs, At the Loop near the mouth of the
laz0o river, where Sherman made his en-.
trance from the VALLEY OF DEATH" Is the
largest national cemetery in the country, in
whose grassy banks repose the remaiss of
sixteen thousand soldiers, twelve thousand
graves being marked unknown and all
covered with beautiful Towering plants A
simple marble shaft IN this cemetery shows
the spot where Grant and Pemberton held
their famous interview. There was a time
when shooting at sight was a popular past.
time IN Ficksburg, and even to-day it is not
much better. The Mississippi method is not
the duel, but cold booded murder; and from
what can learn | am forced To believe that
there Is some cause for Morton Ia "faunt the
bloody shirt Ii Is no uncommon thing TO
see boys OF fourteen and fifteen years of age
with u revolver, and less common to hear a
man say, "if you don't do so and SO will
blow your id brains out"
On my way from Jackson to Yicksburg |
heard one man tell another that, unless he
meaning third party withdrew that suit,
the ID, &c, would not live to vote at the
next presidential election" This is no put up
job, but what heard myself And that frcm
two OF the X KS OF Miss. Mississippi is no,
very thickly settled state, and IN some OF
the counties life is just rs rough as on the
, western frontier. But that people should en-
courage open and deliberate murder in city
of fifteen thousand inhabitants, where there
is good society and where churches and
schools flourish, Is monstrous.
From my own observations. together with
the impressions that have picked up in my
travels through The state, | have no hesitation
in saving that Mississippi is rough state TO
live in, that her people are lawleSs to an
alarming extent. and that intimidation is no,
only prac,!ccd IN parts but throughout the
entire state, aud that openly. But what are
you going to do about It? No man, white OF
/ black, dare say "boo,' for II ne did he would
have his brains blown out before he knew