Belmont chronicle. [volume] (St. Clairsville, Ohio) 1855-1973, 1882-02-23

or until fine and costs are paid at wages
quoted above. But the whites are ad-
vancing in their ideas of civilization too
and although evidently bitterly preju-
diced against the negro, think i can
see evidences of liberality and increased
breadth OF sentiment cropping out and
giving forth signs of a brighter day
dawning i'll the future years of the Sun
ny South. On the farms" and at the
warehouses the trained dog is still kept
with which to hunt fugitives.
Near Greenville, Miss, pretty little
town sufficiently enlightened to possess
large public library recently purchased
from Scribner & Co., and put in bran
new neat little building constructed for
that purpose, lives one Charley Smith
on large plantation, who works many
eOnvicts for the State, and who keeps
many trained dogs of different varieties
for the purpose of tracking fugitive pris-
oners. From what [ have learned [
have no doubt that Charley Smith is
very sorry the days of slavery are over,
although he has about as good an oppor-
tunity as he ever had to dog and drive
the damned nj. gah, sah.'
The southern people are very fond of
games and abnormal excitement, and
man or boy who doesn't play poker don't
amount to much. l am almost lead to
believe that poker playing is prescribed
as one of the texts to be taught at school,
so universal is the game. A few years
ago at Leota, Miss, a stranger was not
allowed to remain In the town over
night if he didn't play poker. A couple
of friends met few days ago and Jim
said to john: "John, do you remember
when we first met? II was at Leuta, and
l met you on the street andinquir ed if
you knew wher l could indulge in
social game of poker TO while away the
time until boat come up the river, and
you pointed up the only street and said /:
Jim, do you see the lights on that side
of the street going up? and l said yes,
and you said, well then do you see those
lights on the other side of the street
coming down? Well, wherever you see
those lights you can have game of po-
ker, and the lights mentioned were the
only lights in town." Leota, however,
is said to have improved somewhat since
then.
This country on both the Arkansas
and Mississippi sides is full of game
deer, bears, wild turkeys, wild ducks
and geese. Ozark Island is said to be
the best hunting grounds between Mem
phis and Vicksburg, and the people
along the river are, generally speaking,
as wild as their game, of which they are
very fond Of hunting, and which fact
may largely account for the number of
shot guns in Mississippi
AT Arkansas CITY, Ark, was chick
en- tight or main, and the people come in
from all parts of the country to see the
fight, play poker and guZzle down bad
whisky. A party of hunters at Cunning..
ham, Mo-, inquired of a citizen standing
on the street corner picking his teeth,
how large town Cunningham was, and
he deliberately replied that it was
pretty big town when they were all ION
tare," and so with Arkansas City. Or
dinarily it doesn't amount to much by
way of size, but when it is on drunk
tell you it is big town.
On my way from Greenville to VIcks-
burg had the pleasure of travelling on
the steamer Paris C. Brown, with Capt.
c. G. Young presiding in the Office. The
Brown is popular Ohio river packet
and Captain Young is well known in
Belmont County, having married
Bridgeport lady; and l desire to say to
my Belmont County friends that should
they ever come down the Mississippi on
the good steamer Paris G. Brown with
Capt. Young in the Office. they will,
am sure, never regret the trip.
Very Truly Yours, 5. Fl. LEE.
VICKSBURG, MISS, Feb, 80.