Signal-Copiahan. (Hazlehurst, Copiah County, Miss.) 1885-1888, 1886-08-12
"reminiscences OF tho Past.
"Car these things DO and come over us
ike summer cloud

Ike summer cloud
Without, our special wonder"
Your editorial under the heading
can Interesting Relic' brings To
mind names and places we'll known to
me. When | was boy | was fond Of
seeing and being seen. One days ride
would bring me from my home near
virksburg To Mt. Salus, now called
Clinton. Here were held the United
States court, the chanccry and ST..
prenlc courts OF Mississippi, aud the
offices for the sale Of lands In the
State. The hotel, kept by Landy
Lindsay, was the most popular resort
ever In the State. Hundreds came In
the summer for health Us now to
Cooper's Well. The name Mt. Salus
was given because Of tao numerous
springs around, supposed to be min
eral and beneficial. These have gem
orally disappeared. The attendance
of lawyers aud parties to litigation In
creased the number, but the greatest
crowd was composed OF persons VINO
came To purchase land Of which there
were millions of acres acquired from
he Indians and just surveyed. As
wears passed away | became clerk OF
one Of Warren county courts, and UNI
fortunately u young bachelor, | con-
tinucd my visits to Clinton and then
| to Jackson, when that town was made
the State Capitol. 1t 80 happened |
met and knew personally nearly all
whose names YOU found in the Ariel.
Ii may not be wanting IN interest to
| -
Ariel, u few years after, was merged
into u paper intended to be literary
and religious with the then popular
revivalist, John n. Mailit, rs joint
editor with j. X. Cooke, but II seems
the public mind Of Mississippi was M.
in accord with topics Of the style OF
this new paper; It was short lived. II
would he tedious to relate much that
| knew about nearly every one named
in YOUR article. will confiuc myself
to one anu the most remarkable OF the
li>t-Adam Louis Bingaman-l knew
him well. He had advantages and OPP
portunitics excelling all other native
Mississippians. Born near Natchcz.
an only child, think, in family OF
great wealth, he was sent to Yale Col
icge, where he displayed an order Of
mind. which he improved by study
beyond the average Of college stu
dents. lie graduated with the first
honors Of that college from which II Is
no small power to graduate at all. He
then Iinrricd Miss Livingston, then
among the distinguished names In
New York. She died soon leaving an
I iii hRfnrR
the public Of his native county anu
State for political prcfcrmcnt. His
county sent him To the legislature and
the State would have sent him to coli-
gress, but for his political sentiments
received, no doubt, in his education
at Yale. He was u fcderalist wing.
For tariff and United States Bank.
He was an excellent speaker, instruct
i've and pleasant 10 hear and the peo-
ple really wished to honor Nississip-
nj bv sending u native born citizen to
congress, but the democracy was too
strong and il was too great q risk. so
he was defeated. Some great men
changed about that time to he with the
majority, but a. l.. b., could not.
He was returned Uy his own county to
the legislature after that. Though IN
the minority he was Il most valuable
member Of the Legislature. worked
hard on committees; always at hand
when wanted and knew what to do
when called upon and was consider
ate enough to defer to the majority
when necessary. a group Of five oc-
c,pied rooms adjoining and had meals
at separate tablc-A. l.. b., and his
son, the senator, L. i. Green, AMI
representative, f.. j. Sessions, from
Warren county. This writer was adj
miited into the club for reasons not
necessary to he known. The habits OF
this Adams rcprcs cntativc were bad.
lie would gamble and drink and could
stand il WE'LL fou,,d him n man Of
good impulses but bad practices. liz
solicitudc for his son was comincn'la-
BILE. He compelled the boy to study
and rccite lessons To his father In the
highest class Of studies; the languages.
mathematics and other branches. The
father seemed to he familiar with all.
as IL he had been u teacher or profess
or. This man, | believe, felt his SUI
periority, and as he could not advance
! politically Inc turned his attention tn
horse raising and racing. He was sue
cessful. mt least, in securing proni-
npncc in this chosen mode OF life. lie
was the head Of that class Of men. The
race track in New Orleans was called
Bingaman track.
Much more could be written. may
only add that the result OF the war left
hun without slaves his land perhaps.
did not pay his debts. Poor, and
without friends, he clllcd upon his
old negroes, some Of whom had made
| New Orleans their home. These took
care of the old wreck Of man and
when he died none but negroes car
ried him to his burial. No white per-
son, Of NIL who hOnored him ut the
I}ingalnan race truck, was found tn
bestOw few hours attendance upon
the dead.
L get this from New Orleans papers,
and rccol!ect it the more rs knew
the person named. All four Of those
with whom was In delightful CONF
panionship, as before stated, died
drunkards. They were all Mississip-
plans.
The prohibitionists are authorized
to cry out against that which ruined
these men and will be tho cause OF
failure to thousands who have in them
| the element Of true greatness.