New-York tribune., 1881-03-30


in the penitentiary Think he INNS. have been ever
afterward an earnest believer in the efficacy OF
prayer.
1t was suggested BY some persons not resent at
the time that the motion for prayer was intended
as n means Of rescuing me prisoner. but dined a
few DAYS ago at his owJI house with the man who
made tde prayer we talked very freely, and came
to the conclusion that on the occasion described
his course had beeu simple and natural, and thath
had not foresoen ITS effect. either upoa his own feel
ingS or upon those OF his ncighbors.
TIE CHIsoLM TRAGEDY.
| was in Kenpar County, Mississippi, n few days
ago and tal;cd with several PERSONS about Inc
Chsolm Tragedy One was n mister of the Metho-
dist Episcopal Church South All said about the
same things 81 much has baen printed IN regard to
this affair that do mol think it necessary for me-
at this late date. to say much about it, Everybody
expressed much regret that "the girl" was killed.
"Sbe was a mighty brave girl y; )" She had pluck
| tell YOU" were common expressions. The minister
said: " Both mem Jndge Chis0lm and his antagonist
Gully "was designin' men" This term, design
ing man. means here n treGcheroUs man. POTTER
one who will deliberately plan the death OF On OPP
pOncnt and this is what people IN thar region now
say of both these men, " LIS wrong TO do sucl
| thIngs,n tho minister said. and II was ply u
happened but II has bccu benefit to tins Part OF
| the cGuutry THAT both OF 'em was killed. lhere
wouldn't have ever beon any peace with en- both
OF 'em was designin' men," There was eyl-
IDENTIFY a kind OF bloOd-madneSa" IN some
naTts Of the sruth for soma time after the
war: a rare for killing. OF c0uTso # did not Affect
everybody in this region. hut II was an lmpo ant
psycholOgica phcnOmenon, marked and treque"s
enough to affect society bore and to exert some in-
1aencc natiOual life and thought.
pisAFFECrIoE IN THE LATE WAR.
IL Mississippi and other parts Of the S0nth the
people still ,alk with Indignation of the measure
excmptiug from military duty in the service of che
Confederacy all owners Of large numbers Of slaves.
"1he people said them 80 l am everywhere told,
that this was tho rich mans war and tire poor
mans fight" As slon as its adoption became
known to the rank and Glc they began to desert by
hundreds and thousands. Ihave recently explored
a region OF the Great Pine Woods in Southern
Mississippi. which was held. the people say. dur
| ing the last year Of the war. by larg, bodies OF
descrteTs from the Confederate amy, who re-
tanned their arms and equipments. maintained their
| military organization, and successfully dehed the
officers and forces sent to arrest and return them To
service in the field. | also a tree on which
! several dcsorters hanged because they per-
sisted in their refusal 10 70 the army and de-
clarcd that they preferred deatl TO any further ex
perience of soldiers life. MANY OF these were, 50
the people say. taken at their word, and swung IN
! at once. One man. who was abOut 20 bc hanged on
this tree asked for drink of wateras lac stood with
| about to be given TO hoist him away the water
was brought him in a gourd, and then he begged
| that as his last privilege his hands which were
| pnIoued behind him, might be IO"Scd, ana
that no might thus ~ able to drihk once once
| more holding the cup his own hands. HIS
request was granted, but ~ he drank he suddenly
cluiched nj the moose threw It FROM his shoulders
! and bounded away through the woods like good
! fellow" as my informant expressed H. making good
There is no end to the stories Of the war and of
the first five or years after the close II the war,
| but thore must be an end TO my writing ot them.
There - a rich field here, however FOR writers who
will not invent stories, but will truthinlly record
| what they bear. valuing the simple facts Tor ther
own sake. and not As basis Tor stupid love storc5
vast amount OF rich material Tor history aud for
| the illustration Of history viii soon perish and he
| lost forever unless somebody has the patience to
! live and talk with the common people ol
! the South and transcfibo their accounts OF what
1 they have seen aud known. Tho Impartial study
OF tho war aud OF the decade after its close, from
| the point of view and experience OF the common
people of the South, white and black. wonld open
| vast amount of interesting and vaueble material
| which as yet has scarcely been approached
BUSINESS INTERESTS IN MISSISSIPPI.
| As 10 business matters I ind that real estate in
! Mississippi is very largely mortg9gcd to New-OT-
| leans merchants when a Mississippi planter IN
crenses his Indebtedness from year to year nc calls
II extending his credit and in many cases this p~o-
cess is continued until almost everything he possesses
is ssgalIowed up Then theirs is IA sale. some kind
of final arrangement" and ths planter,
advanced in years. and with possessions far
| less in valuc than when he began lie
aud business rs young man, goes 70 Texas
| TO begin again. Even At present the planters
! evorywhere cOnsumc igcrcdb be amounts Of Nosthrrn
| bacon and cOrn-iucrcdIbio when consider that.
| that they might almost everywhere 80 easily pro-
! duce these Indispensable articles Tor ihemheves.
| The industry or labor OF 3lissssippi d, M many
placcs OF least less satisfactory condition than
| that which prevails IN some OF tho other Southern
states. H. parts of the state negroes are oten
! cheated out Of their wages. They arc sometimes
rOuahly and severely treated on thc DantaiOEs ana
they IN turn, u some places rr5tle3s, somewhat
turbulent, ldle and dishonest. In The " black dlS-
fricts" of the ate the white women arc honestly
son, Judging the frequent accounts OF ASsauiiS
| on women by nCgTUos. Where tnc white people
| seem rOughest and most gwen to whence tho me-
grocs exhibit similar traits Probably these iacis
| should not be REGARDED standing ~ the relation
OF aud effect much as 10 that OF similar re-
suits proceeding from Ike causes operating Ia bOth
races But Of course the whites ought To exert the
! stronger influence and think they always do. la
the {, WINS and near them many Of the negroes have
improved, and stlll advancing IN clVli'zltlOn,
| blacks so greatly Outnumber the whites cannot
SEQ much sign OF any effort or tendency toward lm-
| provcment Que is Irresstibly impressed by o
| feeling of the Y8stncss Of tho mass and multitude
| of a race alien, animal, half savage, oaSly
mado sulien aroused 10 turbulence. Tue sense OF
| all this disnRreeable. Ono can see that IRON
their great prepOnderauce IN numbers, the negroes
| bave a balt unconscious, half Conscious animal IN
stinct Of their superior strength iuHt as while Que
| WOli fees in f0ar from man, u hundred wolves Will
| face him Impudeutly and agRressiyaly. Tho real
prObem of thus part Of the South at least IN not 30
| iluch political as social, industrial snd moral
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MIDNIGHT WEATHER REPORT.