Herald and tribune. [volume] (Jonesborough, Tenn.) 1869-current, 1895-12-11
LETTER FROM MISSOURI.
MEXICO, Mo-, December 9, 1895.
In my school boy days | used to sing
II song thai ran ONE hing like This:

MEXICO, Mo-, December 9, 1895.
In my school boy days | used to sing
II song that raj some hing like This:
"My name il is Joe Bowers,
have a brother Ike;
came from old Missouri
Fom the land of Pike
Well, | haven't found ice nor his
brother, out am now living near their
homes, ANA In the adjoining county,
Audrain. Perhaps my good mend j. S.
Mathes, who sojhorned in PIKE during
the wal, al give the readers Of the
Herald and Irlbuue u sketch of the
Bowers boys.
Mexico IS the county seat of Audrain
County, contains about five thousand
inhabitants, has an electric plant,
water works, and boasts of the finest
schools in the State, Hardin Female
College, Missouri Military Academy,
and two fine public nigh schools. Here
lives w. NJ. Treloar, who defeated
Champ Clark for Congress. 1t is On
the Wabash railroad ll0 miles from
st. Louis,
This county contains AL 600 acres of
land, nearly all susceptible of cultiya.
ton, and Is admirably adapted to Ken.
lucky blue grass; of course this makes
1t a fine grazing country. Corn this
season will average between 40 and 80
bushels to the acre, oats about The
same, wheat about 10, as the chiutz
bug injured the crop to u considerable
extent. The majority of the people
are the descendants of Kentucky fami-
lies. and are greatly interested IN live
stock, of which they have "a great many
of the finest grades OF all kinds. | find
also among the best families some rep.
resentatives of Washington County.
The leading lawyer of this part of the
State, Geo. Robertson, is a cousin to
Judge Hacker, and John Robertson, of
your County Court; | find him to be IA
very affable gentleman.
The total assessed value of property
in this county is 81, 1857, $40, her total
levy for all purposes is 81 OF on the
one hundred dollars; her schools run
nine months in che year; they pay $50
to $50 per month to teachers; there are
over one hundred schoolsin the county.
The examinations here are u little more
rigid than in Washington County,
although | was fortunate enough to
get a first grade certificate good for
three years III any part of the State.
Psychology and Zoology have to be I'M
derstood in connection with Physiology,
Algebra, United States History and
the common branches.
These people are wide awake in pub
lie Improvements. | have been over
but a small part of the county, and yet
have passed over six large steel bridges,
some rs large as the one at Jackson's
Ford, III Washington County, and
while nearly all the rock e under the
surface several feet | find a great deal
of the roads are macudamiZ-I; they
buy the rocks from the quarIlrs ut
sixty cents per yard and estimate a
yard at 2.7OO pounds; every load has
to be weighed. Over these roads "A
good team draws two and one half
yards at n load. 1t gives me pleasure
t. learn that the court to which | once
belonged has gone to work IN earnest
and have purchased a crusher to make
some good roads. | hope it viii prove
u success and thereby increase the
value of real estate one hundred per
cent. met an Iowaian some time ago
who had been to East Tennessee to lock
for land and he left disguised because
the roads are so bad.
Respectfully, D. NJ. SLoNAKER.