The clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1883-1888, 1883-06-06

VN"Vs Nuuhll last year US nave seen grow
HpOn the fallahaichie river. The lands
are gene ally undulating, except the creek
bottoms. Jones county is the best poor mans
county in the South; cheap lands, easily
cultivated and producing everything that
can be raised elsewhere in the State except
wheat; with plenty of the purest and clear.
est water in the world, with abundance of
game and also of FISH the finest pasturare
10 be found in the State, allowing the rails.
ing OF cattle and sheep with comparatively
no expense; plenty of fine timber of all de-
serlptions, principally long leaf pine and
the purest health inyigorating atmosphere.
Know OF no reason why our restless emf
grating population going west to encounter
the northers and drougths of Texas, or south.
east to tackle the sands, insects and hot
nights OF Florida should not flock to Jones
county, now that il is known to be no longer
the jumping of place that many OF MS had
been led to believe it was without seeing it.
There is only one drawback to Jones county:
the people are very primitive, and the
majority illiterate, for education has had a
very poor showing there on account of the
sparcity of population and the limited pc.
cunlary means of the people, but all this
wi improve with an increase of population
md contact with the outside world, which
the new railroad will bring about, for no
greater aid to civilization exists than the
railroad. There are thousands of people in
Southeast Mississippi who never saw
railroad before, let alone ride upon one.
A WHITE MANS COUNTRY.
This county had but $50 colored people
in it to 3. 1863 whites, according to the census
OF 1880, just about one per cent. of the pop
ulatiOn. A good woman living in this sec
ton told me that four of her six children
had never seen a negro before the railroad
hands came there grading through her farm;
her two boys had been 10 Pass Christian
with the wagon, and were that much ahead
in information of their sisters In Marion
and Perry counties there are more colored
people than Jones, but they reside in settle.
ments of their own upon the rivers, so that
the pine lands are emphatieally and exclu-
sively white mans country, so well suited
to Northern immigration.
AN HONEST PEOPLE.
But if the people of that section of Mis-.
sissippi are not up to the times and do
not keep up with the fashions yet. and are
not rich, they lament the want of schools
and education as much as any one, and
they have an established reputation for hos.
pitalily and honesty. A railroad contrac-
tor down here told me that in 20 years cx-
perience in railroad building, all over the
United States, he had never before worked
among such kind and honest people. A good
joke is on record of an incident in the Leg
islature of Mississippi bearing upon the
honesty of the people of Jones--the story
is that bill was up for passage that Hon.
Drury Bynum, Representative of Jones,
thought would be hardship upon his PEG
pie because of their poverty, so he moved
that Jones county be exempted from the
If M TuI,
Of Aberdeen, rising in his seat desired to
ask the gentleman from Jones if his consti-
tucnts were also honest. Hon. Mr.. Bynum
lost no time in bearing testimony as TO the
honesty of his people then said Judge
Coopwood, 81 second the motion to ex-
empt Jones county, for any people who are
both poor and honest they are in id bad
fix" From the sinous ways Of the world
many others than Judge Coopwood believe
now as he did then. In proof OF the con-
tinued good character of the people of Jones
county and their immunity from crime, nj
the recent term of the circuit court for
Jones' lasting five days only, only thirty two
indictments were found by the grand jury
and they for petty offences only. Judge
Mayors remarked that it was the pleasant
est court he had held iq his whole District
With the exception that there are more wet
lands-reed brakes, in Marion and Perry
than in Jones, what have said of Jones
will apply as well to Marion and Perry.
BURRELL ARLINGTON.
One Of the noted characters Of South, east
Mississippi, and whom desire to speak of
as representing many others down here, is
Burrell Arlington one of the largest land
owners and stock growers in this section !;
he owns over 5000 acres of land in Jasper,
Jones and Wayne counties, and more stoch
cattle and sheep, than anybody in the above
named three counties. lie lost 600 head Of
cattle by the severe winter Of 1881, and
marked $50 to 500 lambs last year.
Mr. Arlington was born in Jasper county,
| in 1918, and is therefore 50 years of age.
He is a large stout man, over six feet high,
straight as an Indian, and weighs fully 200
pounds. Mr.. Arlington has no education,
can neither read nor write, but his wife has
some education and upon her he depends
| to read his letters and do his writing. He
| is very plain in his dress and living, but has
plenty of meat and corn. molasses, potatoes
of his own raising besides vegetable, milk
| and butter, yet with all his wealth of valua-
! BILE lands and live stock, he is always saying
that he fears being sent to the poor house.
| He has never been away from this section
except to Mobile, driving his cattle, and once
went to New Orleans. He is we'll known to
cattle buyers and they come to buy of him
every summer. He will not sell cows OF
heifers. At the surrender he had just seven
bales of cotton to start upon again, then he
moved from Jasper to Wayne county, be-
tween Waynesboro and Ellisville, where he
has lived ever since. He now speaks of NOV
ing to his mill He has always been a good
friend to poor people down in those coun
ties, letting almost anybody have OF his cows
and sheep to raise on shares and by which
a large number of poor families make good
| living out Of his bounty. He is an inyeterate
smoker, takes his toddy when he feels like
il, but likes wine, too, has some fine soup
penong vines in his yard and made much
native wine last year. The old man enjoys
a good Joke finely and is fond of relating
his quaint observations. He is an unterrifeC
Democrat Of course.
He would rather drive cattle than do any
thing else, but owning great deal Of pin,
timber near Ellisyille he put up steam
saw mill near there. He has men employe
to manage it for him. He does not believ,
in the railroad-says Il lCW destroy the fin
ydnge that he has had for his cattle for 5,
many years, and If he was not so old HI
would move to good range country where
there was no railroad.
Mr.. Arlington has a wife and three chill
I H. . ,,a.,taI dauQhfar ftpn hnvg