The Pascagoula democrat-star. (Pascagoula, Miss.) 1878-1920, 1888-07-13
"REMINISCENCES.
Early Days Of Jackson County.
Editor Democrat-StAr :

~ of my first trip to Jackson coun-
~, in 1913. was then \ boy about
eight years OF age; had been tc
school two years and a half, aud
was a fair average boy Of my age.
My father was told by an old In
dian that this was a very fine coun-
try, and he decided to come down.
He built a large boat with two
large cypress trees. The boat be-
ing ready We lett u home, which
was in Wayne county, near where
the town. OF WaynesborO is now
located. Our crew conSistedo of the
old negro Jack, the old Indian
who called himself Pushmataha)
and myself. That was a trying
time, and the neighbors were on
the bank of The river to see us de-
part After a hearty shaking of
hands the boat was showed off.
Just as we Started old Jack broke.
out with his favorite tune
up Ronoak and down the river,
eel. Two OvcEseers and One pore. HtggeT,"
which seemed to revive.ny spirits,
and we got on all right.
We were now coming right
through a wild, wilderness country.
We had plenty of sport all The way
down. We would see old bears
coming down trees, or with their
cubs on sand bars shutting off for
dear life ; droves of deer scamper-
ing away, and turkeys by the thou
sand. Old "Push" with his old
gun would knock one over just
whenever he wanted to. Here let
me say more about that Indian.
He said he was born on Choctaw
Point. That is about where old
Mr.. VIM. Griffin lives. He was
then between As and 60 years of
age. He was a Choctaw and claim
ed to. be a relative Of Pushmataha,
who was the Chief Of the Choc-
taws in the war of 1912, and who
gave 800 Of his warriors to General
jackson, and they were with HIM
in the battles of the COwpens and
fallapoosa, which wound up the
Indian war,
We were soon IN the Pascagoula
river. The first man we met on
the way was McManus. We found
HIM quite a gentleman, and he
told us all about the convention
and their troubles. The next was
Thomas Bilbo. Bilbo was a man
of note in the county, and was in
the Legislature when lhelines of
jackson county we're established.
He was a surveyor, and run out all
these old Spanish grants. Hs was
alse a boat builder, and supplied
the old settlers with boats, and thel
Bilbo model is still kept up. Isaac
Ryan, his brother.in-law, lived
Just below him on the river, and
they were the rich men of The
county at that time. They were
among the first settlers on The
river. When we came by they
were all camping in the caRe-brake
10 keep out of the way of the In
dians. Old Aunt Nancy Davis
would have the men in arms at
every shrek Of the night owl. She
would not let the children cry,
though there was not an Indian
this side of the Bigby river.
John Cramer lived at Rice's
Bluff. He had a number of boys,
one of whom had just been killed
by MI. Lewis, the grandfather OF
our present sheriff. 1t was said to
have been done in self-defense.
The next on the route was VIM.
Gates. then James Ware, at Mar
tins Bluff, and then Pierre Ladnier.
lower down. Those who lived
above the line of demarkation
were in the Territory, and those
below were under Spanish authori-
ty and law. Dupre lived Just be-
low McManus, and was all the time
in a row with those below HIM. He
wanted TO smuggle, but they would
push him so close he could not do
it. They mel one day out back OF
Plum Bluff and had a fight, in
which one of the three Davises
was killed, the uncle Of Judge
Davis.
Coming on down we found Mr..
Budreaux, his brother-in-law, Mr..
Bang, and Mr.. Lewis, a daringI
young lawyer from Kentucky.
oneIile west side. capt.
the Krebses, the Rabys,
The Elys, the Cumbesls and the
Duponls were all on the east side
Of the river. They all lived in
small houses built with mud and
sticks, and nicely plastered with
lime. Their chief occupation was
burning lime for the New Orleans
market. Some made tar for the
same market. They had three
small schOoners to carry their pro-
dnce to market. Capt. Delmas
seemed to be the leading man
among them.
Thus we found the early settle
ment Of jackson county seventy
five pears ago. OLD SETTLER.
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