Fayetteville observer. [volume] (Fayetteville, Tenn.) 1850-1966, 1880-07-08
NOTES
OF a Journey from North western
Arkansast to Lincoln County,
Tennessee.
! KELso. Tenn.. juno 3Oth.

4SnuSSSce.
KELso, Tenn, June 30th.
ED. OBSERVER Your Bohe7-
milan left Boone county, Ark,
on the Doth -inst.~for. LineeAl.
county, Tenn. . As | was seven
fy miles from the Little, Rock
and Fort Smith r. r., and no
stage routes being nearer than
fifty miles of where j resided, ]
hired a farmer who conveyed me
across the Boston Mountains to
Atkins, Pope county, Ark. The
crops, in Boone, Searcy, Marion
and Pope counties are suffering
badly from drought, which has
driedup vegetation for six weeks.
The health of the people is not
good-many are afflicted with
1iux and cholera morbus. The
scenery along the route from
Bluff Springs to the railroad is
wild and rugged. The mount
ans appear to be rolled up like
a scroll. From the foot hills to
the parent mountains the roads
are covered with sharp, fllnty
stones, making the journey a
cross not only tiresome to the
traveller but very tedious-they
may be called passable. After
my arrival at Atkins, | took the
train at eleven, a. H., Goth ult.
for Little Rock. At three, p
M, we reached Argenta, a, SUI
burban village Of the capital of
Arkansas. There | secured {
through ticket to Huntsville
Ala, for $17.05. AT half past
three we started for Memphis
The railroad passes through ;
broad, level country all the way
from Little Rock to the St.Fran-
els river. Some fine looking
Iprairies are seen, but the soil is
'Ipoor and only adapted for gra.
zing. AT last we came to The
! inky-looking river, the St. Fran
} els; crossing, we were soon ush.
cred, by the iron horse, into the
malarious valley Of the great
Mississippi. 1t soon greWodarl
and the croaking Of innumera.
bic frogs could be heard in uni,
son with the roar of the train
The car wheels sang "Marchins
Through Georgia. 70 and 3 thu
.1"Sweet, Bye and Bye for many
Ia weary mile. At the silen:
hour Of midnight we heard tht
rush and the flow Of the 'sFathel
'lof waters" as it rolled onward
!, to the deep, blue Gulf of Mex.
leo. While crossing the, Missis.
sippi, thunder storm suddenly
came over and the rain fell il
! torrents, the thunder rolled ant
the vivid lightning lit up thu
midnight sky. The Lanterns OF
| the Memphis side shed a. ghost,
J.. glare, and il. was with grea
'1.j9y I'VE hailed the Tennesse'
4 Shore. We sped onward will
lightning speed through the mid
night gloom, At last the Ions
hours Of the dark night passeC
away and when daylight made
j its appearancerw we were whizzins
over the green sward which
decks the streets of Iuka, Miss
The crops in Northern DIissis
sippi and Alabama, are Her,
backward-they look like th
hind legs Of bad luck. From
Iuka to Tuscumbia and Decatu
the corn and cotton crops ar
small and yellow; and hetweel
Decatur and Huntsville. they,ar
but little better. | have see
betterrc corn cropsin old Lincoln
since my arrival, than anywher
else this year. | have felt tn
Y shake of many a friendly han'
and seen kind smiles shine on
from the faces Of the companion
of my boyhood days; and m,
heart sends greeting to all tn
sons and daughters of Middl
Tennessee that have the homo
to be acquainted with. Frol
the great deep of my heart
wish you all peace and love. for
lever. --.. as f,s.ae-.- aqg ,,ri
JoHN A. WoMAoK, A. M. !