Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1893-06-22
AN EDGEFIELD BOY
Writes Long and Newsy Letter
from Georgia.

Mr.. EDITOR: This place, Lyons,
Ga, is situated between the Ohoopee
river on the east, AItamaha river
on the south, Ocmulgee river on
the west, and Swift and Pendleton
creeks on the north, thus giving us
plenty of water power for rafting
tlmbers to the sea coast, and for
milling purposes. And of fish
there is no end. This is also a
splendid stock-raising country
owing to the abundance of water
and grass. Although the country
is well stocked with timber, the
! grass seems to flourish and grow
as we'll as if there was not tree
for miles. Another thing ! have
noticed since my stay here is that
there is no pine straw or needles
under the trees. Where they go
is a mystery to me. Why in Edge
field if you go under pine tree
| you can rake up enough to cover a
good sized Irish potato patch, but
here it is quite different, I suppose
they shed very little and then the
wind bl ,ws that away. The cattle
here are not used to grazing as
ours in Edgefeld. 1 notice that
here they eat all the time, but it
seems to me our cattle at home
hunt the shade at noon. I suppose
this can be accounted for, because
at home the COWS hunt the shade,
aud here they are in the shade all
the time as the timber is very
thick. The greatest trouble about
stock here is the no stock law (;
cattle are branded or marked and
turned loose in the spring. About
middle summer you can see the
cattlemen riding around pening
the sheep for shearing. October
and November they get up the
hogs they intend killing for winter
and the next year and feed them
on slops and corn. In the fall
they sell all the cattle they cannot
afford to keep during winter.
This is q busy place. Since last
writing we have barrel factory
and two saw-mills, one with an
average of two loads of lumber
per day since completion.
The barrel factory I am sorry
to say is not doing much.
We had quite a revival meeting
few weeks since, lasting ten
days, crowned with rich blessings
and the saving of souls almost as
hard as stone.
I never saw more earnest work
in my life. Rev. Mr.. Smith from
North Carolina gave US two SER
mons day for ten days, taking
all his texts from the Revelations
of st. John the beloved disciple of
our Savior. He explained the
Revelations and the second coming
of Christ, and the binding of
Satan 1000 years. These sermons
seemed to take, and evidently
worked heavy on the hearers from
the number of converts. On the
last day of service there were FIVE
hundred people, more or less.
They could not begin to get into
the church. Our good brother
Smith gave all the sinners warning
and asked them to meet him at the
gate that swings from now to
never, and for all those who wished
to meet him in heaven to come
forward and give him their haLd,
and he would pray increasingly for
them. There were few dry eyes in
the crowd. Oh, how we all did
hate to see him leave us.
Rev. MI. Smith has been preach
ing for twenty-five years, more or
less, and has splendid delivery.
He seldom if ever MARBLES or gets
tangled or stalled, as I have seen
some preachers do. He says he
prays God to make him speak the
words he would have him speak,
and he don't consult this commen-
tator, and that for his sermons; he
will give the different commenta-
tors ideas and then give his own.
I must tell you of one of the
most romantic marriages on record
in tho annals of time in Lyons,
Tattnall county, Ga. While the
"big revival" was going on, there
was couple boarded the West
Bound passenger train at Ohoopee,
Ga, a station on the Central R. R.,
ten miles below Lyons. On arrival
at LYONS off thew honned and tha