The Magnolia gazette. [volume] (Magnolia, Miss.) 1872-current, 1888-04-07
A MISSISSIPPI TRAGEDY OF SIXTY
YEARS AGO.
BY ELIAS sArFoRD, ESQ.

! Reader, before beginning the
pcrusal OF the facts constituting
the truthful tragic narrative about
10 he presented to you, loci k ut a
map of the State of Mississippi,
cast your eye along its southern
boundary to where it crosses Pearl
River, look a short distance up
the river and there you will find
marked the old town of Columbia,
which brings you near 70 what
the lawyers weuld call the s.ven-
ue' of the principal events about
to be narrated.
Columbia. the county site Of
Marion county, is Il small town,
never having population gilmore
than dozen families, and these
mostly the families of officers of
court and merchants. The map
shows roads which the reader may
imagine to be stagc-roals, but 10
stage was ever there, the mails
being always carried on horseback.
The coupty has an area of over
1900 square miles, with less than
six-hundrcd voters. Wien the
winter rains swell the channel of
Pearl River, one or two steam
boats from New Orleans come up
bringing frei ghts for the country
and return laden with cotton,
making but few t.Ips during TIE
short season Of navigation. The
whole region thercabouts is most
ly barren 'piny woods" and the
loneliness of the declyed old town
has lately been emphasized by
telegraph line running through it
between other points of impor-
tancc. In 1921 the seat of the
State Government, by some log
rolling or other parliamentary
trlckery, was fixed ut Columbia,
and the session of 1892 was held
there, from whence the old town
is now sometimes facetiously
spoken Of US "the ancient capital
of the rosin-hceI empire
The capital Was then removed
to Columbia became herself
again Now, reader, you may
almost naturally ask what interest
can possiblyattach to such Il region
us that just described. But wait
and learn. Remember "Caledouia
stern and Wild" and you shall
vet see that this unpronising
possesses IL weird and even
romantic interest beyond anything
that commel I'd, wealth, or any of
ate constituents If progress could
possibly throw arounL +; an in
terest which under the MA, &c in-
iluence Of The pen of the "wi1.l.-d
Of the north, might have awaken
ed to new life even the dying
OF tho "Lay of the last
Minstrel"
About three miles north OF Co-
lambia, on the road whleh runs
parallel with the river, In lovely |
spot near the road, is a spring,
giving forth then as now, a copi-
GUS flow Of water. which had at
that time acquired celebrity for
its mineral and curative proper
ties. As soon as tho seat of gov
ernment was located at Columbia,
an arrangement which, though 1t
proved to be only temporary, was
thought by many to be perma-
nent, an enterprising and thrifty |
citizen by the name of Stovall |
conceived the idea of making that |
nlace fashionable resort, aud in |
pursuance of his design built at
Columbia large, and for that
lay, an elegant hotel, one wing OF
which was occupied bv the Legis-
ature durlng its session at that
Lown. He also about the same
ime bought the plantation at the
Springs, and erected a short dis
.ance from the Springs, large
frame hotel and .he outbuildings I
necessary for watering place,
he whole fronting and overlook
ng the river. The fame of SEQ
umbia Springs, or "StovaII's
Springs" as they were sometimes
;alled, spread through the coun-
rys and the attraction of the |.
waters, and more than that the
upefb deer hunting aud fishing
acllltles OF the place soon attract
ID large numbers of summer vis-
tors, most of whom came from
he region near the Mississippi
River, between Baton Rouge and
1icksburg, including the counties
i Wilkinson, Adams. Jefferson
nd Claiborne. and many from
he cities of New Orleans aud
satchez. Nearly all came in their |
nn cesyeyeaces, winch during