Mississippi Democrat. (Hazlehurst, Miss.) 1875-1???, 1876-08-26

aEroLLrcrloNs 90 ~ oLp CITIZEN.


thing about the llommorhitto lS,c
lower portion IL the llomm0chlltn
, and Met ais creek was settled early
~ lS22, bong near the Old settle
meats in Frank lin county, aud among
| the early settler, Nc tind the fellow
ing names npugall McMiIlcE, Aug"S
Ray, McNrrl,', Me- all,'. Bakers.
SmilcyS', Nat-nu>', Rev, LA u ri.
Iiim. Byrd, Isaac u. Nicholson, cat.
forwards an attorney at-law ani ,ir.
cut judge the Clower.', Apple
whites, Ilarrels, shouts, Martins,
I Fcrgu>on~, Flies, paNtons', Ea>t~',
/ Wamacks. Wilkes. Buzsmaus,
Crdcrs' Reuhcn Leach, the father ol
the late Rev. WA. Mullcn, aud soy.
cral sons. the Matthews, Granber-
~. Wat-ou>', Gilmcr~, Mcl.aurin-,
aud about lhc YEAR ls2i (coru max
iur) Jessie Thompson removed irom
the Colhah creek aud settled on the
place whore the lion. John Harvey
Thompson resided iur many Years
This portion Ut the county was opn.
-i'l"rcd almost the garden spot OF
the world.
FACE 90 THE COUNTY.
The country wa. open. htllc or NO
undyrgroNth; you could see almost
a, tar a. tho csc would let you, tx.
oclt ior the zane and Will pa vines
that covered al the branches and
bottom Lands. The gra., ou the ur
lands was frequently higher than a
mans head, and thc switch cane on
the bu,uohc, from live to ought feet
high anal almost covered with the
wild pea vine. Ga the larger creek,
aI~l Pearl River the cane grew from
twenty 10 thirty feet ia height,
'alylc raised thu,c laNs looked like
butIaluu, compared with the cattle of
thc present day The planter had
uo trouble to "ai~o Indian Coru-cut
down the cane ani hen iry st trr
to it and burn Oh. and with n hos or
hand pike pat the seed corn toto the
earth, AMI keep the butter weed and
mutton zane chopped down, Ia tbs
way more curu could be- raised than
We gather NOW from the best lands
With all the Improvements ia cult
walton. and punklH~ "a abundance.
There was an immense quantity 81
game, such a. deer, bear, panther.
catamnuni, Wild cat, turkey. foxes,
nccoou-, upossom- aud WOLVES, from
the ravages of the latter railp'ns
were built and the tops covered with
rails b. ITotcc' the pia's and >hoat..
They would come within twenty
steps ct the house at night after tho
pigs, and bat few dogs would run
them. Wild turkeys were numcr.
oss any good huntsman could al
most supply BIS family with the
rifle lthe principal gun uscd those
ddysL which 10 some extend retard
,d the growth ct the country. A-
the country settled the bear and
panther disappeared, except now
AMI thea one struggling from the
Mississippi Ia the Pearl river.
Nulyc, infested the ,ountiy until IL
became more thickly settled. and the
rewards offered ~ Law ior their
sCalps induced the hunter Ia hunt
them; great many were caught in
pen, hOorvl over on top with trap
door-, when dropped INSIDE, the door
-prang back 10 is original position
from which there was no escape.
One Circumstance ~ relation a. the
panther | viii mention Mully
Rhodes, before mentioned, Owned u
great many horses, perhaps five hun
(. drc,l head, which uscd up aud down
\ Pearl RIVER aud occasionally on
llalcy's creek on one occasion quite
"A numhcr, perhaps filiy head, came
running up To- Jacob llaley's at the
head of the creek, much frightened,
one of the number, "a fine look lng
fellow with flowing main and tail,
seemed 60 be Ia great pain; il seem
Ell that "A panther hal selected him
Tor his prey. had mounted on his
back, AMI the print of his enormous
| claws visible seen from his neck TO
the tail, apparently through the skln
nom which the blood flowed freely.
Ga ordinary occasions YOU could
scarcely get within hundred yaris
~ the hcrl but II seemed that their
instinct carried them To- place OF
safety, (thls may appear to some like
the fish story, but II is nevertheless
true, as the writer witnessed the
scenel Having given YOU the story
ct the panther, ! will now give you
a bear story. David Myers, one of
the lr,t settlers on Brushy creek,
took his rifle, butchcr-knlie and dog,
ono fine sunday morning and went
up the creek 10 hunt ct bear, he
had not gone exceeding a mile when
his faithful dog started one and soon
brought him to a halt. David came
aud iro,l at the bear land fino one
he waS) bat his shot failed Ia bring
It TO the ground. The dog being
embroidered by the shot and the
presence of his master, Immediately
seized the bear, the bear threw ham
and was about 10 crush him 10 death
when the hunter, seeing the pcrilous
condition Of his fayoritc dog, drew
his butcher knife, mounted the bears
back and plunged the knife 10 his
heart, thereby saving his dog. The
frat panther I-ever saw was killed
In February, is22, on one OF the
branches OF IIalcy's creek. Ny
father sent young man who was
living with him to drive up the cat.
tie, jus, before getting to where the