The Atlanta constitution. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1885-19??, 1893-05-23
THE COTTONV|LLE COLONIES


l was going to hang out my shingle IN the
little town. and as there were not more
than half dozen lawyers there, / thought
that my chances were rather promising.
''Cottonvile sir, is holding her own, SAID
the landlord of the hotel where L had ell
gagged board: Eyes, sir, there is no doubt
about that--she holds her own
what is the popula tion?" | asked.
six hundred and siXty-siX by last year $
census" was the reply.
''And how many by the former census!
"Iust the same. sir,-as ! said before,
Cottonyille is holding her own"
But it does not look like progress l
said, ''for a town to gain no inhabitants i'll
ten years"
ooh. it is all right" laughed the landlord,
1--WE don't want any boom. We are going to
hold our own, you know
After dinner | took Il walk down the one
business street of the town and made fur
ther inquiries. There wlrc two weekly
papers and the editor Of The Bugle Informed
me that ne had G6G subscribers in the town
and county. Five minutes later the editor
of The Trumpet told me that his circulation
in the same territory was 666.
| called his attention to the fact that the
Bucle had the same number of subscribers
Yes, | know" he responded, I'VE run
along very evenly. Cottonylle is about
equally divided and the county is the same
way in everything
| walked off medtating. 1t beat any
thing in my experience.
StrollinS along a back street / suddenly
became conscious that somebody was trying
to attract my attention.
He was rosy-faced old gentleman, with
a genial smile playing around the corners of
his mouth and a good-humored twinkle i'll
his blue eyes.
When he caught my inquiring glance he
introduced himself and told me that | had
done the right thing in deciding to locate
in Cottonville.
1T is the garden spot of the earth said
Colonel Biggcrs, for that was his name,
land if you will simply assert yourself
you will do well here"
This was rather mysterious and as I
showed a desire for further information,
the colonel carried me to his Office, where he
was kind enough to give me the dots, as he
expressed it.
What heard set me to thinking. Colonel
Biggers warned me in fathcry way against
Colonel Stiggers
"Whatever you do said he. "don't get
mixed up with that Stggcrs gang. They are
public enemies. sir working against the
best interests of the town and county. Why,
sir, they oppose me in an undeghandcd way
in everything"
Looking at his rosy, smiling face, I felt
that the Stiggers gang must be Il danger
Gus crowd and | inwardly resolved to have
very little to do with them. 1t was plain
to me from what Colonel Biggers said that
Colonel Stggcrs and his followers were re-
sp0nsibe for the lack of progress that char
actcriZed COttOnville and the thought made
me indignant.
Colonel Biggers was disposed to be very
friendly and ! met him half way Before
We parted felt like old acquantances,
The colonel was a public man. lie had held
various Offices and his experience and knowl-
edge of the world made him delightful
companion.
Leaving his office, | continued my stroll
around town. One thing disturbed me
little. Some of the citizens were pleasant
enough, but others gave me very black
looks and seemed disncined to talk. AS
had been introduced under favorable cir
cumstances to most of them, / could not
understand why any of them should give
me the cold shoulder.
But as the days, weeks and months
rolled on every thing became clear to me.
| had been in COttOnyilie Il week before
met Colonel Stggers The colonel had
avoided me at first, but having learned that
/ WAS Il tocrably clever fellow he made up
his mind to cultivate me-
Singers evidently felt interested in me.
He talked like man of broad and liberal
views and his frank, open countenance I'M
pressed me favorably. In the course of our
talk we found that we agreed on many sub |
iccts and it worried me to think that Colonel
NJ
of his ellOw-t0WnSman.
Colonel Stiggers and the gentlemen with |
him delicately intimated that when [ first |
came to Cottonvile they had feared that | |
was in danger of being misled by Colonel |
Biggers and his associates.
"Watch that Biggers ring" said Colo |
mel Stiggers, you will find that they are Op- |
posed to progress, against every public inn |
provenent and working for their own |
selfish interests
As | became better acquainted I found |
that two factions existed in the town and |
county. They were about evenly matched. |
The courthouse was located on back street |
because the Bigger and Stiggers /
people could not agree about it.
The principal of the high school was changed |
every year for a similar reason. The streets
were growing up i'll grass and weeds because
BiGCerS wanted one KIM Oh pavement, Wllle I
Stiggars wanted another. 1t was mpoSSi- |
bile TO hold a county fair or a church So
ciable because each party tried to control. |
Young people fell in love and their matches
were broken off by their cruel parents |
because one family stood by Biggers and I!
the other favored Singers For ten years I
no new house had been built, no old one |
had been painted and no fence had been re-
paired The citizens were too busy with !
the affairs of Biggers and Stiggers to look |
after such matters. The quarrel was felt
even in the collection of street taxes. A |
Biggers town marshal would get after the
Singers men one year and the next a Stig
gers marshal would force the Biggers men
TO pay up. There was the same trouble |
over the dog law, and the pound became
an instrument OF partisan oppression.
When the judge held court in Cottonville |
il WAS easy to see that he and the solicitor |
were embarrassed. 1t was hard to tell to |
what extent the Biggers and Stiggcrs in
t,ncace would effect Indictments. jurors |
and witnesses.
When Biggers or Biggers man went to the
legislature the Stiggers ticket of county
officers would be elected and the next time
the Biggers county ticket would be elected
while Stiggers went to the legislature.