The Butler weekly times. (Butler, Mo.) 1881-1918, 1899-01-05

Meadows Bilyeu tragedy in Chris
tian county, says a correspondent oil
the Globe.DeIu scrat, has again given
unenviable notoriety TO one Of the
most secluded sections of the Ozarks
the Bull Greek region: For more
than ten years this beautiful little
northern tributary of White river
has been associated with a remarka-
bic series of homicidss, as the erin
inal records at Ozark aud Forsythe
will long bear evidence.
Bull Greek, like all Of the creeks
south of the Ozark watershed, has
swift, clear current, never muddy
except for few hours after heavy
rain. 1t ripples down the mountain
slope IN southwesterly course,
winding about between the most
picturesque bluffs ald joining Bear
Greek near Walnut Shade, in fancy
county, about four miles from White
river The whole length of thu
creek is about thirty miles
This sparkling rivulet, whose re
cent history has been SO sanguiuary
rises just south of the town of Spar
ia. The Spring field and Chadwick
railroad curves around the breaks"
of the divide where The head
springs of Bull Creek eush cut of
the mountain sides. Where the mar
row plateau separating Swan Greek
Bull ends and the sleeper descent of |
the mountain begins the White river
branch of the Frisco terminates
The road viii some day be extended |
into the farther fastness of the
Ozarks when the timber around
Chadwick is exhausted
The country through which Bull
Greek flows is heavily timbered and
the abundance Of pure, living"
water all along the course of the
streams made this section of the1
Ozarks very attractive to the early
immigrants from tbs mountains of
East Tennessee, who came to South
west Missouri by thousands soon
after the hunting grounds of the
Delaware and Usage Indians were
opened for settlement Nearly all a
of the pioneers Of the Bull Greek L
country came from the western
slopes Of The Cumberland mountains. L
These hardy people 50 fond of from u
tier solitude, found congenial homes L
in the little fertile bottoms and o.
,ones bordering the streams. There u
was plenty of frewood, everlasting CT
water. boundless range and "big d
game" These natural blessings "
the earthly paradise of II
he East Tennessee mountaineer, g
Who crossed the Mississippi river n
everal years ago to escape the en- Il
Il oachments of civilization, and the Ell
arly Bull Greek settlers would not Sc
lave exchanged their little strips of III
liable land with the surrounding te
wilderness of range for the choic- nc
st prairie claims in the state. In 10
act, these cabin builders rejected tn
he rich table lands around Spring an
ED and of their own choice sought co
ONES along the streams because the ga
ountry farther down the mountains De
ras more like "Old Tennessee" sp
The first settlers of the Ozarks of. Tie
an had but little stock of any kind, De
nd yet their ideas of the area of col
lid pasturage necessary for cow SUI
r horse were wonderfully extrav. WI
giant. If homesteader had a milk In
DIV and half dozen head of hogs am
e wanted square mile of range OF
'r his stock. Such were the con. the
derations that led the Bull Greek ed
ioneers to take claims along the SOL
ortuous course of the stream. we
The Tennesseean brought with be
i'm to the new country the instincts wa
I'd traditions of his fathers. The lv
arly settlers OF the Ozarks were wa
ospitabIe ana brave, always ready ne
} divide the last crust with a friend da
: tight to the death foe. The an wa
9stors of the present inhabitants of for
ull Creek were more disposed than bel
leir descendants to settle their diff. wo
rapcee ~ Est;c or,.,,S Il. roc