Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1881-12-20
Z f.s.lss. AZ For the SPECTATOR.
Jottings from Memphis.

Jottings from Memphis.
Mr.. Editor !, When school hoy 9
the old Academy In your town, Lyttle
Ton WAddell the head of the institution
l remember to have heard much of tw
young men who had been sent here
this place being then village, to con
!. duct the mercantile business. refe
to VIM COwan and Cesarea Bias, sen
out by the then leading merchant o
Stannton, Joseph Cowan I have beel
an inmate Of comfortable boarding
house here kept by J. r.. Priddy
whose father, - Priddy. native o
richmond, became . citizen of you
town iD 1902, and lived on the stree
near to Mr.. N. X. Trout's residence
This gentleman, as Others I have me
here, remember very we'll the firm o
Cowan q Bias. The first gave up tn
mercantile for the life of an artist, ant
failed. Bias was successful. returned t
Virginia, and became the owner of thu
Red Sweet Springs. His first wife VA
Mary i GatewOod, Of Back Greek
Bath county. first married 10 Jacot
Kennedy OF your town. After hel
death. Bias married her uiece, daughter
of her brother, the late Warwick Gate.
wood. Mr.. Priddya has for years been q
travelling Methodist preacher. He has
seen Memphis in all its mutations, from
the village Of few Thousand to its pres
ent size Of at least 40 600 inhabitants.
It Ia about becoming q railroad center
We strOlled down to the river q few
days ago and made the acquaintance OF
Capt James Lee, owner OF beautiful
steamer two years old, built for him by
James R+es, contractor, of the Du
Quesne Engine Works, Pittsburg, and
bearing his name, and for which he re-
fused few days since $4,000 cash. 1t
is model of taste and beauty. Its
floor, tesselated, made of walnut, maple,
mahogany, and rosewood, cost $500 in
New York. Each state-room has the
name of one of the States beautifully
lettered in the door at top, and the GEN.
ter has a beautiful oval painting, 1S
inches to 2 feet long and 16 Inches wide,
illustrating some piece of history or ro-
mantle scenery in each. Capt. Lee is
now perhaps rs or more years old. and
would weigh 300 pounds. Has given
the command of his boat to one Of his
sons, Stacker Lee. Another has been
one of the most promising lawyers Of
this city, and has virtually retired. The
old gentleman is native of Hartford
county, Mary land, and bis father, John
Lee. came from Baltimore to Tennessee
In 1908 with Charles Dickinson, who, IL
will be remembered, was killed by Gen.
jackson In q duel Josiah Lee. his
grandfather. built the Montgomery Bell
Iron Works at Nashville the FIRST erect
e,i 10 Tenn essee. Capt. James Lee had
six aunts, famous in their day as the
handsomest ladies of Baltimore, one of
them the wife of Charles Carroll, the
second, &c. Capt Lee went through
the Mexican aud Confederate wars, and
Ia now q rebel of the Jubal Early sort
He wac some time connected with the
i"fa"try and IN Glen Joseph E John
some army and nftsn sent to Ger Lees
seadquarters ~iih dispatches who told
iIm more o. the Lee family than he ever
learned from any other source, and
their families were the same A part of
the time lie nss with Forrest and the
incidents a correction with his Mexi--
cSa and Con ieuerate campaigns would
fl column or two of your paper.
Gen Forrest who was born in Middle
Tennessee, first began life in the livery
business at Holly Springs. ,Miss show
ing such nerve In the control of dan
gerOus and unmanageable negroes. his
friends would send to him from various
parts of the State those of that kind,
desiring him to sell them for them.
The frequency Of such applications led
him to come to this city and open an
establishment, which. at the beginning
of the war. was one of the most exten-
sive and famous in the South. This
city was his home during the greater
part Of his life Capt Lee said he car
ried the mother of Gen. Forrest to New
Orleans many years ago, after her Sec
Ond marriage, when on her way to
Texas, where she died. At Gen. For
rests death In this city few years ago,
the procession that escorted his remains
to Elmwood cemetery, was one of the
largest ever witnessed here, and the re
spect paid him by the better class Of ne
groes was an incident of the day. At
the close of the war, on looking into
bis business affairs, the amount of pa
per of various kinds, evidences of debt,
constituted big bulk, but, when
scanned closely. was less in amount than
$40. He said to his wife, 3 pious wo-
man. he was going to q faro bank to
better his fortunes She imp0rtuned
him not to go He went, and be-
gan to bet at q Is cent table. and, as he
won, moved to the next at so cents. Is
cents up to 81, and crammed his win
niDgs into the crown of his hat. AT
day dawn he came home. his wife had
not retired, and addressing her, said, II
know you have been praying for me-"
counted and found he had 81 500. With
this start, he soon became independent.
He was the renter of one of the large
islands mile or two below this city,
and in partnership with Col. Richard
son, near Helena, Miss, the largest cot
ton. planter of the world, cultivated Inn
mense crops of cotton and corn with
the convict labor of this city and the
county of Shelby, and paid 10 cents per
day for 1t. His returns were fabulous
The "Hen and Chickens" J" above the city
and in sight, is the designation of one
of the largest islands of the Mississippi,
with q number of smaller ones. They
are overf1owed and q sediment left. yet
cultivated in corn and of q prolific va
riety. A gentleman informed me he
had seen stalks 16 feet in height, and
with six and seven ears foot IN length
Capt. Lee, in speaking of the consump
tion of lumber, informed me there are AZ
steam mills between this and Cairo, 260
miles, on both sides of the river, cut
ting up cotton. wood, sweet-gum and
sycamore, and q few days before he had
carried down the river IL yoke of Oxen
aud wagons for parties who are CLEAN
ing the walnut timber scattered through
the swamps Capt Lee Carries the
mail from this tn Friar's Point three
times week 285 miles below, in Mis-
sis-iupi. aid to Oceo!a in Ark kapsas. 80
miles above. for SO QUO year As re
turned from the boat. l encountered
Two men with tape line. measuring
aioos The Ms 'ssippi and Tennessee
railroad track, ~hich ruos between the
city aud the wharf. | asked what was
xoicv on When The Senior repliea.
"Huntings0a had bought this line, aud
as the Company's charter required their
rack should be near the river, he would
cut down the Uank anu niake them
another track y 1t will he formidable
piece of cutting, as the bank here is one
of the highest in Mississippi Memphis
hoa.t. ~ ho vinu the f3ueat wharf from.