The farmer and mechanic. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 18??-19??, 1900-06-05
Bill Arp'S Letter.
Mrs. Arp Goes on a Visit to
Friends and Bill Gets
Rather Melancholy.

asking about The Confederate Nctrr-
IN that | am constrained 10 answer
through the press. 1t i monthly
published in Nashville bv Captain :.
y. tunnincham
This reminds me 10 say that Sam
Davis is not the only hero Of his kind.
William VI. FormEy writes m. from
leWisville, Ark., that there i in Lii
'.e Rock The grave of David C. Dodd.
who when only eighteen wears Of are
WAS arrested near there ~ n spy and
important papers found on his person
General Steer WAS i'm command of that
post and offered him "A par,ion IL he
would disclose the names of those from
whom he got the information Like
sam DAVIS. he refused and said hc
would die first and he did die lie
wrote letter 10 his mother. who
then lived in atlanta. CasS county.
TeNas, telling her Of his untimeiv
fate My friend SAYS he has "a copy
Of that letter and has seen the grave
n L1tlc Rock, which some friends
have marked with Il plain white
shaft. ] have written 10 him 10 send
copy of the letter 10 The Veteran.
and if possible a photograph Of the
marble shaft Such loyalty and ii
deity must be preserved and put ON
record.
We are all demoralized at our house
and home, for the maternal ancestor
has gone off ON Il trip to Rome and
Will stay there. | reckon. until write
TO her that .,esSie or her little child
rem or some other member of the
family is sick. Then she will come
on the first train. She has got kim
dred and friends over there. lots of
them. and they will keep her until
she goes the grand rounds, for she
! lNed there tWentN-Seven gears. She
| and | We're among the pioneers Of
/ the Hill City. In fact we are the
/ only living persons VINO were living
| IN Rome when we moved there fifty
| years ago. just think OF il and pom
| der it. How surely and StcalthiIy "a
| population passes away. How insidi-
| ouS IS Time. the umrcenting old ras-
cal. Only fifty wears. and not a man
| or woman left but my wife and /.
There We're then about 100 people
IN l,Omc and now there are ten times
thar number. Every old settler Is
| dead save Colonel +. W. NcXan,ler
and he came three years after ! did.
| Every lawyer, every doctor. every
preacher and teacher. every merchant
and mechanic are dead. Old Judge
Underwood. j. W. H. Underwood.
Judge Wright. General Black. Alex-
ander, Sloan. shorter. DR. Battey. DR.
| Underwood. all strong and notable
men. | could write book about
each Of them. And then there was
Old Jake IIerndon and Big John. The
NtnchausenS OF the town. who were
ready TO swear that when they first
settled there away back in the thi<
ties the Cosa river was a little spring
branch. Old Jake declared he had
seen a freshet that rose to the gum
tree on court house Hill and the
thermometer was 240 in the shade
lie always said thermometer and ac-
cented the first syllable. Ny litt!c
boy had an oId-faShioncd rubber ball
and showed il TO Uncle Jake and he
remarked that he once had q bali
made ont Of shore enuff ininn-rub-
Der. and it would bounce ont of
Sight. and one day he bounced il on
common hard and if never came down
till next day, and then his little dog
grabbed il and it rebounded and
took the dog up with it and he had
never seen the dog or ball since Old
Jake believed his own lies | heard
him say once that when hog killing
time came round he heated rocks on
them in and drove the hogs through
| and they came out clean on the other
side. Big John kept the only saloon
in town. \ * Don was called a gro
Gerry then and Eig Johns grocery was
a landmarll-the loafing place for he
kept comfortable bench on each
side Of the front door. They were
outside on the sidewalk and we're
generally occupied Old Jake Hern-
don could be found there half The
day and Big John gave him his whie-
key free as an attraction. He was, n
drawing card and drew the thirsty
men like molasses draws flies. Some
times | wonder where they are now
and what they are doing. for SIyt.-
denborg SAYS that folks viii pursue
the same occupations IN the next
world that they do in This. but with
greater diligence and 10 greater per-
lection.
Ny venerable friend Ma or Aver
lives on Howard street, the peachtrec
OF Rome. 1t extends from Broad
street TO the bridge and was thickiy
settled thirty-five Years ago and is
yet. but this is the only family tha
lived there thirt y-twO wears ago. when
he built his house. Think Of it. All
gone within thirty-two years Rome
is thirty miles distant from Carriers
vile and the river lands are all occu-
pied by farmers, but not one Of then
lived along the line before the civil
war. and the river still sings as it
flows.
For men may come and men may g'..
But | 90 on forever
Ny wife Will come home 10 spend
her birthday next week. / know. She
knows that many of her numerous