The Kosciusko star. (Kosciusko, Miss.) 18??-1898, 1895-04-05
s.ppcnings i'm KosciMskG
Fifty Years Ago.
euiRACTER OF RICHARD
ROSS,
!, EarIy Settler Who Built the
Noted Ross Hotel, Which
Now Stands.

Nr. Editor:-As there is not
,o,eb for us to do just now; and
shile W. are upon oars waiting for
,Ss @ spreading of the sails of the
e.uvass that is to be conducted by
he men who desire to be our SER
yauts for the next four years sue
tseaing January 1st, 1896, it may
40, be amiss tor us to say some
,hing about Kosaiusko and some of
syr leading citizens half a century
On the 30th day of October,
ts44, | dismounted from my horse
and placed my feet on the ground
near the Southwest corner OF court
square, a stranger in a town | had
seen only twice before that day.
There was man that owned
and was keeping hotelin the house
COW occupied by W. j. Hines
named Richard Ross. He was
tnen an old man, rather eccentric
aud peculiar in many things. His
hotel being the only one in town |
4, ance repaired there for refresh
nents and sleep.
Mr.. Ross in his religious belief
was d primitive Baptist, and as !
bad been raised by parents of that
faith, we soon became good friends
and he often counselled and direct.
ed me for good. / found that he
regarded time, the proper use of
time, the essence and key to sue
cess in business. He was very
communicative and told me much
ahout himself and his manner Of
life. Among other things he said
aoout himself was this, that when
he came to Mississippi he was
poor; that he settled in Kinds
county; that he was by trade a
blacksmith, and as there We're but
lew men of his calling, his business
soon became very profitable, He
was very excellent bell-maker
and as the country was new, the
business ofstock raising was very
consi Siderable. The country was oc-
capled by the Choctaw Indians,
whose chief business was the rails
ns Of ponies; SO the calls for his
bells soon became SO great and eX-
tenslve throughout the nation that
he soon found thai he could great
y add to his increasing growth in
prosperity by increasing bis work
ing force; SO he purchased some
negro blacksmiths and other ne
groes, and by experimenting them
and their work, he soon laid the
loundation that developed into a
fortune.
After he had supplied the press
ing demand for bells and had reap
ed the harvest in other blacksmith
business, he sold his real estate at
hne price, and with the money
Sh'ch he had made, together with
mat which he realized for his land,
ne purchased two large bodies OF
land in Iazoo county, and purchas-
10 other negroes anc settled them
On his lands and thus established
'xo plantations several miles
away from each other. He was as
successful in farming as he had
oeen in his blacksmith business.
Al the time of his clearing up and
opening his farms the same thing
was being done by other men of
wealth, so from the great amount
VI Clearing then being done, the
uecay of timber and turning up so
much Of The earth, Yazoo county
0scame very sickly. and Mr.. Ross
came to Attala county and pur.
snased land. The first purchase
" was a tract of land which included
mat now owned l.y Frank Mitchell
upon which he built a water mill,
nun which he made the lumber
' sl,l s% which he built the hotel, as
well as other houses in Kosclusko.