The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1897-09-03
BYCK BROS,
25 5roughton Street, west.

20 5roughton Street, west.
York he has not heard from and several
small ones he has not offered for sale
In this way the list might be drawn out
indefinitely. for all Arkansas has the fever
bad, and they lose no opportunity to
search for pearls.
The surface mussels in Murphy and
Walker lakes are very scarce at the pres
ent time. In a few days Mr. Williams
will have dredge in operation, which will
bring up all the mussels that may be hid
den beneath the surface. 1t is his theory
that for centuries the mussels have been
in this lake and have died there, and that
their pearls are yet in their shells, or
that possibly they may have dropped out
in the mud of the lake, and are there for
the picking up. Others advance the idea
that the mussels shed their pearls ever so
often. That is, that after a certain term
of years suffering with the pearl it be-
comes smooth and detached and falls out
In either case Mr.. Williams thinks that
by means of the dredge and careful wash
ing the stored wealth OF the lake may be
brought to the surface, He also has built
a cottage by the lake for a home for the
superintendent and for himself when he
visits the lakes Jerome Richards of this
city has been placed in charge, and will
this week be at home in the new cottage,
which will be completed in a few days.
The furniture will be rustic. 1t will be of
hickory, with the bark on, and is made
by Bald Knob cabinetmaker. The cot
tage Is the oli-time style, two rooms with
a hall between. II is built under the
shade of the trees, and will be as COM
Portable as place can be on the low
lands. driven well furnishes an album
dant supply of water.
With all his plans and brilliant pros
poets, Mr.. Williams has had and is hav-
2 N of no uyOr he
settled down to work, after securing the
lease from the owner, he posted the lakes
for the purpose of keeping the multitude
out of them On white signs posted
about the lake shores and the roads lead
ing thereto were these notices:
NOTICE.
This lake has been leased to j. ]. Will
Jams of Memphis. Ali persons trespassing
on these premises will be prosecuted to
the extent of the law.
]. ]. Williams,
George c. Griffith.
There is fierce rivalry existing be-
tween Balk Knob and Searcy, the county
seat of White county. Searcy has her
medicinal springs of great merit and her
schools and colleges, and Bald Knob has
a railroad, a through line from st. Louis
to Texas, with branch line from Mem
phis, while her rival has to be content
with a branch from the main line to its
into prominence by reason of being the
place where most of the pearl hunters
started from to the lakes the little county
seat grew jealous, or so it appears and
her mayor and several leading citizens
came to the front with a protest against
any one having the sole right to the pearl
fisheries in Murphy and Walker lakes.
This protest took a very interesting and
somewhat exciting form. The news had
spread abroad that company from Scar
cy was coming, and going to fish and hunt
pearls, and in measure would dare any
one to interfere with them. The reporter
was on the ground when they came also
a large delegation from Bald Knob, to see
what was to be done. There were shot
guns galore and some rifles, which made
the scene look more scary than it really
was It was common thing in the wood
ed counties for men passing about to carry
a gun. not for protection, but for the pur-
pose of killing game. 1t is also well in the
deep forests. where there are wild cats
and panthers, as there are yet in the Ar
kansas bottoms.
The time of day was passed pleasantly
by the citizens of the rival towns as the
Searcy teams drove along the dim road
way by the camp of Mr.. Williams work.
men and the people who had gathered out
of curiosity. When the Searcy people had
had time enough to camp and start to
work Mr.. Richards, accompanied by the
reporter and many of the Bald Knob peo-
pie, started for for the scene of the rival
camp. Again there were kindly greetings,
and brother Masons grasped the out
stretched hands of brother Masons over
the threatened breach, and the matter
was discussed in a business like way The
reporter had climbed up on the seat of a
farm wagon, that both sides of the story
could be heard from this point of vantage
The mayor of Searcy, A. w. Yarnell, said
that as he was mayor he thought he knew
what he was doing, when Mr.. Richards
told the party that any one who fshed or
hunted for pears in those lakes would be
arrested, as Mr.. Williams had leased the
lakes and did not wish them interferred
with. A. i. Smith, leading citizen Of
Searcy, said that upon investigation he
found that the land was government land
and that no individual had a right to
claim or lease it. and that they, with that
understanding, had as much right there
as any one else. He thereupon drew
from his pocket the documentary evidence
of his position, which was an affidavit
from the county clerk setting forth what
he had stated. Mr.. Williams was fortified
in a like manner with deed for the self
same property, duly recorded in the coun-
ty clerks office with page and book stated.
Mr. Smith also stated that under the laws
of Arkansas a piece of property could not
be posted without being fenced, and If it
were 1t was no violation OF the law TO
treat the land as public domain. Both
sides were firm and neither yielded but
each held his ground. Mr. Richards took
all the names in the party and went to
Bald Knob for the purpose of swearing
out warrants charging each with trespass
but on reflection and consultation with
counsel it was deemed best to begin in
junction proceedings in chancery re-
straining these and all other intruders
from trespass until the law in the case
could be further and fully investigated,
and so the case now stands. The Scar
cy people withdrew the following day to
a lake that was not under dispute and
proceeded to have a good time, regard
less of the little disturbance, which did
not appear to disooncert either party,
although there were over 900 persons on
the scene that evening and the next morn
ing to see what was going to happen.
The noarIs obtained are beautiful be-