Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1893-09-14
Texas Letter.

lTAsCA. Sept. 9. Editor REPORTER :
You and my old friends of fish will
doubtless be SURPRISED to hear that I've
been to Italy since | bid you o kind
adieu with my usual dignity. | have
just returned not from the classic hills
of Italy in Europe, however, but from
a lovely town of 1900 inhabitants in
Mcclellan county. On my trip l
found the same lovely prairies, energy
and hospitality Of the people. that
characterize the whole-souled people
OF Texas generally. l don't know
whether it is my good looks, general
intelligence ora shadow of appearance
that might be made out OF money
that opens the doors Of the people to
me. l suppose it is a combination.
l was out five days and spent but soc,
for car expenses, and friend pro-
posed to pay that. Our county is full,
though some are selling and moving
out, while others are taking their
places. Lands that sold here for from
to 2 dollars per acre are now selling
for from 1856 to So l spent night
with w. Mobly and our old towns
man, ESQ., Reynolds. They are in
fine health and we'll pleased. The
happiest man saw in Hillsboro, how
ever. was my old friend 2. H. Woodall.
He looks well and is perfectly elated.
He thinks he will make 100 bales of
cotton next year. 1t is amusing to
see the way work is carried on in this
country. Get on an elevation and you
can see hundreds of boys, men, wo-
men and children picking the fleecy
staple. And from every road leading
into town you see wagons bearing 1850
lbs. of seed cotton each, to one of the
four gins in Itasca. They don't walk
but come under whip, as he who
comes first gets his cotton ginned first.
They drive onto scales in front of the
gin. the cotton is sucked up through a
tin tube and distributed to four or six
ginheads by machinery, which gin
and press it in from 10 to Is minutes.
was standing around one of those
fine gins the other day trying to look
like was used to such machinery
when the proprietor asked me if we
had steam gins in Miss. told him oh /!
yes, hoping he would think l had
been used to such things, and would
ask no more questions, but his next
interrogatory was, what is their
capacity, or how much do they gin
in a season, when ! told him that
thought Mr.. Ramsey, an enterprising
man OF our town, ginned So bales last
season. The crowd roared with
laughter, and said they could gin tn at
in IA OF day. didn't like it. for l
thought they were rather making fun.
Tell Friend Cogins to spread him.
self on hay and let's have something
to put in the papers here, little later,
that will make these people open their
eyes. My friend Jas. Leatherwood,
who, as you remember, used to haul
little wood to town, has out 16 bales
OF cotton. In days before the war I've
seen overseers call up the hands after
good weeks work and give them all
a good drink of what Cal calls red
eye. but friend Jas, did better He
distributed nearly shot sack full OF
silver to the girls and boys this even
ing, who all appeared happy I think
I've heard OF Bill Arp making some
speeches in Texas. and getting we'll
paid for it. If you can get him word
tell him as am out of a job at present,
il he has any appointments here l will
fill them for half price. and he can
stay at home and enjoy Mrs. Apps
society and fight the bees. I'll not
harrass my old friends by telling them
what they ought to do until near time
to go to work, as this is good hunting
and fishing weather. More anon.
A. P. r.