The Pulaski citizen. [volume] (Pulaski, Tenn.) 1866-current, 1877-06-14
OLD LAGRANGE.
"reminiscences of the Old Place
and of the Old Times.
DilapidatiOn, Poverty, IgnO-
rance, Ruin, Take the Place
of Thrift, Riches and
Intelligence.
The Decline in Cotton and WO-
men and the Rise in Corn,
Fixes the Destiny of
SDrOnfS


EDITOR CITIZEN AS | have just
visited LAGRANGE Mountain and be-
lieving some of your readers would
like to hear something of the once
famous place, l will give you some
idea of it's present condition. No
doubt some of your readers remem-
Der with pleasure the Napiers,
Kings, Rands, Kumpys, Horns, Eel
toms, and many others who were
once prominent citizens of La
Grange. Not one Of the old citi-
zens is to be found on the hill. A
few families spend about three
months of the year there. but from
the condition of the houses it is by
no means an attractive place. In
fact, there are only three or four of
the old dwellings now standing, and
they are in very dilapidated con-
dition. OF the public buildings
only the Methodist church is stand
ing. OF the college, every brick
and stone seems to have been re-
moved. Any one who has an idea
of the wealth OF Lagrange and the
surrounding country before the war,
cannot stand upon the summit of
the mountain and view the desola-
ton and poverty that meets his eye
from every direction without being
astonished at the rapidity with
which time has wrought such a
change. Poor people are numerous
in this country because of the con-
dItion of the farming land and the
system by which it is cultivated.
The land owners, with the present
system of labor, cannot make a sup
port for their families, keep up the
fencing and pay their taxes. Not
withstanding the farms contain from
three to fifteen hundred acres each,
and nearly half of all the tenable
landsremain uncultivated each year,
mainly because of an insuffloiency
of houses for tenants to live in, and
partly because the fencing will not
protect the crops, not one man
ont of ten can be induced TO sell any
part of his coveted estate. Where
LAGRANGE once stood is nothing to
be seen but the bare knob, partly
covered with brick bats and stones.
Even the roads that traversed the
mountain are almost impossible.
The pure water that flows from the
mountain in many streamlets il just
as pure to day as the day it was
first discovered. At the foot of the
mountain not far from where the
college stood can be seen the re
maine of an old chicken coop in
which the college boys deposited
their fowls purchased from the
neighboring hen roosts. Some of
the old citizens tell bad yarns on
the boys purchasing dainties of
their poultry houses, apiaries,
melon patches" &c. LAGRANGE is
also noted for being the place where
Granville and William Pillow were
murdered about seven years ago.
Granville was wounded at his own
house, from which he fed and stop
ped at Mr. 10 Horns, where the as
sassins overlook him and finished
their work William Pillow was
decoyed down into the fiat woods
north of the mountain and there
murdered and thrown into a hole in
the ground, and he was not found
for several days. It was a premed-
itated and cold blooded affair. They
were from Maury county and L
think the sons of Gen. Gid. Pillow
Their murderers go UNPUBLISHED.
had intended returning TO Giles
next fall or winter, but since the
rise in bread stuff and the fall in
cotton, 1 have concluded it would
be cheaper to remain here and live
on cotton.
l was much surprised when l
learned of the depreciation in the
value of Tennessee women. When
| purchased l paid four dollars;
now they are only worth fifty cents.
If the women have done anything
to cause this fall off in their value
the young men should leave the
State when they want wife. If
the women have done nothing to
merit such a fall off the men should
pay tue balance of the old price
into the county treasury to hire the
next Legislature to give them away.
LEIGHTON, ALA, SPROUTS.
June 9th. 1877.