Pleasantville weekly press. (Pleasantville, N.J.) 1890-1911, 1895-06-26
Southeastern Georgia Letter.

Dear Mr.. Editor 1t has now been q
week since we arrived at the delightful
old town of Darien, and we have found
it rich in quaint historical, and legendary
spots, which delight the heart of the
lovers of antiquities.
Our first day of sight seeing was spent
very mildly in, using the nautical express
sion, taking our bearings by looking
| around the town to find out what there
was to be seen, and in which direction
our excursions should be made.
The old part of the town is situated
down on the Atlamaha River bank,
while the fashionable and modern sec
ton is back on the high ground, about
two miles from the river, at Ridgeville.
| We first directed our attention to the
old Darien, and, on entering we passed
Darien and Western r. r. is connected
to the Florida Central and Peninsular.
Here we saw the old time funnel locomo-
tives standing, and carrying ranks of
pine wood to use in place of coal. This
road has connected here only since last
December when a slight boom began to
revive the town.
All of the streets are lined with i'm
mense live oaks, whose branches meet
above the wide avenues to form cool
shady arches.
In the public square near the watering
trough, stands the old Darien oak,
which is pointed out to strangers with
great pride by the inhabitants. For
protection a white washed fence sur
rounds 1T. Capt. and Mrs. Chas. Blake
and tried to reach around it by touch
ing the tips of our fingsrs about it, but
were unsuccessful in the attempt, as the
tree was about seven feet in diameter
The next day our guide met us at Broad
street, and we found him quite as inter-
esting as any of the beauties which he
pointed out to us. Honest old John
Thompson is a firm believer of all the
superstitions and legends for miles
around. And under his faithful descrlp-
tions one could easily imagine ghosts
lurking around the dark or secluded
corners of the tabby ruins. These are
now about hundred years old. The
tabby is very similar to the coquina of
st. Augustine, and is made from shell
and cement.
Oglethorpe's cut was shown to US.
This is passage through neck of land
in the Altamaha. Oglethorpe, under
whom the colonists had come to America
in 1888 to find freedom from their
oppression, had made an unsuccessful
attack on st. Augustine. In turn the
Spainards invaded and drove the
English from Darien, to their ships on
the river above. Then, during the one
night, Oglethorpes eight hundred men
dug through this neck of land for three
miles, to the river below the town, and
before the Spaniards awoke in the morn
ing they, with all their ships, had
escaped through this cut.
The cut is still broad and deep, but is
gradually filling with the allwial de-
posits brought down from the noun
tains above.
When the Spaniards were known to be
approaching, many of the settlers buried
their money, and eyer since, till the
present day, there have been diggers
searching for the buried treasures.
There seems to be more substance to
these hidden treasurers than in Capt.
Kidd's chest, as it is really fact that
much of their present wealth by finding
jar of old Spanish and English coin.
In the square near the railroad station
is an old tomb, about which an amusing
anecdote is related concerning some
buried money.
A year or two ago, two negroes had
aecer tanned, by the use of a rod and
magnet, that there was money buried
in this tomb, and arranged one night to
dig for it. Young DR.. Wilson overheard
them making their plans and determined
for some sport. So, on the night when
they were to dig for the money DR..
Wilson and his chum climebd tree so as
to be exactly over the tomb. They had
been stationed in the tree buta short
time when the men came, and silently
began to work. ''Joel l'se got it'll,
Just now pr. Wilson dropped corn cob
which struck the ground with dull
thudding sound. joe exclaimed
"Golly What am dat ?" Then fell
another corn cob, and in a terrified voice
the negro gasped "Joe cherry ting
amt right about hyar. We might
knowd dat sperrit wouldn't let us take
dat money from it's bonesl" Just then
a brick bat fell and struck Joe on the
head. and sent both darkies bowling
away, leaving the ODen grave and the
shovels. DR.. Wilson and his friend then
descended, and proceeded to finish dig
ging out the money, which made the
young u. =. more fully appreciate the
sport of frightening the negroes.
Mr.. Chas. Fulton owns one of the
largest plantatipns near AaFien, and we
found pleasure in being shown through
his groves of sweet and sour oranges,
lemons, figs, and pomegfanites, the rice
fields. and sheep ranch.
The day following our visit to the
plantation, Mr.. Fulton's family, Capt.
and Mrs. Blake and | droYe out to the
old PUBLIC cemetery, and, though the
headstones were moss-eaten and nearly
hidden by the underground, there could
still some extremely old Inscriptions be
deeipherea. Many Of the inscriptions
| dated in the early eighteen Hundred
and the latter half of Seventeen Hundred.
The headstone OF one colored woman
buried in 1850 showed her age to be one
hundred and twenty-seven years.
There are several churches here, but
the principal ones are the Methodist and
Baptist. The colored people form the
Baptist portion of the community; while
the Methodist, owing to the fact that
John and Charles Wesley first landed
here, is very strong among the white
people,
At Fredrica, just below parien, is still
standing the tree under which John
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