Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1881-11-28
ESTABLISHED 1850.
CHARLTON COUNTY NOTES.
Traders RIIl-A verEtabIe Deserted
Viilage-A Town of the Future
The Recent Term of COurt-Ac.
quilted OF ArsOn-An Array of
Legal LIghts-A Jolly Sheriff

TRADERS HILL. CHARLTON COUNTY. Novem-
Der 25 Editor Morning Nelcs: Presuming
that the readers Of your widely circulated
journal will be interested in news from this
section, am induced to send you some ram
bling notes gathered during the term Of our
Superior Court which has just closed.
Traders Hill, the county seat, Is four miles
from Folkston. and on the st. Mary's river.
above where the railway crosses the river. The
section is noted as one OF the healthiest in the
cou- try, and is quite productive. 1t was for
merly a place of considerable Importance as
its location. at the head of navigation on the
st. Mary's river, rendered it accessible
to large territory The late John
L villalonga and Mr.. s. Guckenheimer first
started in business at Traders Hill and were
very successful. but in consequence Of greater
opportunities offering removed to Savannah.
Il. frs pslmy days the town was crowded every
week with wagons from Florida loaded with
bags Of the long staple or sea island cotton,
which were shipped down the river TO st
Mary's. Within the past few years the country
has baen traversed by railroads, and new
places have been opened up to COM
merce. The greatness Of Traders Hill
has departed, and its Importance
as a business point has been destroyed
bv the iron highways. To-day it Is veTitahle
deserted village" and its only claim to dis
tinctton is the possession of the court house.
which stands as reminder of its past import
ance. There is not much attention given to
agriculture, the people being principally en-
gagged in the timber trade, or logging as it is
called-getting out timber and floating It down
the St. Mary's river. The residents are quiet
and orderly, but are not very well educated,
the result. I opine. of the difficulty of main
teinlng In the sparsely settled county districts
efficient schools. There are very few negroes
N county n
line enables many criminals to escape into that
State, and the court authorities have ap-
parently not taken very vigorous measures to
have them brought back to Justice.
Folkston, the nearest railroad station to the
court house, promises to become village of
some Importance. Il is named for DR.. W. B.
Folks. prominent citizen of Waycross, ard
is on the Waycross and Jacksonville Railroad,
about forty one miles from the latter city.
The court opened at half-past eleven o'clock
on Tuesday. the 22d. and closed early on Friday
morning. Hon. Henry B. Tompkins judge Of
the Eastern Judicial Circuit. presided for Judge
NJ L. Mershon, who was engaged for him in
Liberty county It was Judge Tompkins' first
visit 10 our section, and he made a very
favorable impression by his decisive and busi-
ness-like discharge of the duties. having sue
ceeded in clearing the docket, and, to use a
local term. ''dreening' the Jail.
The most important case tried was that of
the State VS.. John B. Kennison, charged with
arson It appears that in 1876 the barn of
Seaborn +. Mills was set on fire and destroyed.
that suspicion was directed to Kennison, who
was thereupon arrested and indicted The
only witness against him on his trial was a wo-
man Of bad character. The jury returned a
verdict of not guilty and he was discharged.
Kennison had been tried a year ago and was
convicted, but his counsel obtained new trial,
which came off at this term, as stated, with the
result above given.
Among the members of the bar in attendance
were Messrs. Frank Harris, Ira E. Smith, w
E. Kay, s. r. Atkinson, and Solicitor General
Mabrv. from Brunswick, s. w. Hitch and z A.
Cochran, from Backshear. s. r. Harris. from
Jesup, and s. w. Baker, from Charlton county.
The foreman of the grand jury was the Hon.
James Thompson. member of the Legislature
from Charlton, and a clever, wholesouled gen.
tleman.
The Sheriff, John Brooks is about sixty-eight
years of age, and is a hale, hearty old gentle
man, who is also extensively engaged in the
lumber business, and is of genial social dispo-
siti0n. and one of the most influential and
wealthiest men in the county RICARDO.