The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1901-06-28
CLINTON THE OLD
AND THE NEW TOWN
Great Changes. Growth of
Industrial Enterprises.
VENEER WORKS, MILLS
Excellent Bank, Churches, Schools.
Mercantile Houses.
GREAT TRADE IN BERRIES AND TRUCK
An Effort TO Have presbyterian School Locate
Here. Clinton's Splendid Location. A
Sketch of the Town, Political
Social industrial.
Social industrial.
Especial to News and Observer.

Social industrial
Especial to News and Observer)
Clinton, NJ c., June 27.-While coming
over on the Clinton branch of the Coast
Line today, in company with Henry E.
Faison, one the leading legal lights of
the town and ex-Congressman B. f.
Grady, the Sage of Hawkhurst," who by
the way, is quite large shipper of the
famous Sampson Blues" his landed in
terest being perhaps the largest guam
tity of huckleberries of any landlord in
the county, memory took me back to the
old plankroad days and / fancied could
hear the notes of Clements or Beaman's
bugle in the distance, the signal of the
old stage coach. This was in the long ago
but | find here many who remember the
stage line on the old plank road con-
Meeting Clinton with Warsaw. Again and
again have | seen the old stage coach roll
into Warsaw packed with its
freight of human beings, the, top of the
coach piled we'll up with the old leather
mail pouch. Clinton was good town then,
it is far better now. In the olden days a
great train of wagons laden with rosin
and turpentine would roll into Warsaw
unload and take on goods wares and mer-
chandise for the several merchants of
the town. This mode of transportation
and traffic has been done away with, and
the coming Of the iron horse has brought
fresh life and vigor and a greater day of
prosperity.
DESCRIPTION OF THE TOWN
The town is built from the court house
square in every direction with some fifty
mercantile establishments facing the
court house. The streets are beautifully
shaded and cozy homes, of splendid de-
sign, line these Within the limits there
is a Methodist Baptist, Presbyterian and
Episcopal church. four private schools, a
lumber mill, a grist and -four mill and
the Clinton Veneer Works, where the ia
nous Johnson Berry Crate is made, which
enterprise has given employment to a
large number, proving a great feeder to
the town. Clinton, too, boasts of tobacco
warehouses, two weekly newspapers, the
Democrat and the Caucasian, q splendid
banking institution in the Bank of Clin-
ton, with capital stock of $4,000 with
deposits Of some 100000, an old-time tur-
pentine distillery, a good hotel the Muir
ply House, an able bar Of ten members
five physicians, two dentists, no bar
rooms and a population of 500 people, all
of whom believe in Clinton and Sampson
county.
SKETCH OF RICHARD CLINTON.
This prosperous little city was named
after Richard Clinton, a protege, of John
Sampson, in whose honor the county of
Sampson was named. Col. Sampson came
forth from the Emerald Isle when Crom-
We'll had captured it and naught but the
gallows remained and pitching his lodge
about one and a half miles from the pres
ent site of the town. he moved in and
out, among the red men of the forest.
where he established school and under
took the education and civilization of
the various tribes around him, with what
success, I am unable to say The life
and exploits of Col. John Sampson would
be chapter of interest but the sketching
of this is "as tale that is told" but
not my mission to relate.
THE PEOPLE LIVE AT HOME.
One is not surprised at the large and
handsomely finished equipped and we'll
filled stores of general merchandise. of
which it's said, cit is absolutely I'M
necessary to send from home to purchase
as cheaply as anywhere in the country"
when, he but takes a peep into the sur
rounding forests and fertile fields that
yield ab,indantly when in obedience to
the Divine commission-the people go
forth and till and reap. Clinton is built
on beautiful plateau, gently sloping in
a northerly direction to Cat Tail and in
southerly direction to Dollar Branch, the
two streams running almost parallel The
location is about the centre of the coun-
ty, fourteen miles west of Warsaw and
about sxty-seven miles west of Whining
ton. Near the town is cultivated in large
quantities strawberries, beans and green
corn for early markets. some fifteen
thousand crates of strawberries being
shipped per season. This crop alone gives
employment to a large force of labor and
brings in quite a good sum of ready cash.
THE HUCKLEBERRY SEASON.
Just now is the height of the buckle
berry season and it is noticeable on the
streets today that the negro is as scarce
as hens teeth, all of them having de-
serted the town for forest and swamp
lands where the bush is laden almost to
breaking of limb with the "bues' that
have made Sampson famous. Some five
hundred crates of this berry were ship
ped from this point today. The berry
finds ready sale 20 local spectators at
$2.25 per crate, many of whom are getting
in the Northern markets from 10 to -
cents per quart. This berry, like the
strawberry, is marketed in crates holding
thirty-two quarts each. The crop
usually is worth a round hundred thous- |
and dollars to the county and this year
is said to be the heaviest crop for five |
years. In the years gone by there went |
forth story, untrue of course, of the |
people of Sampson, somet thing like this: |
"In off season when a traveller passed |
through and met 8 native in the road
way, the native would greet the traveller
with pleasant smile and tip Of the
hat and a Crews-er like, Hope you are
we'll mister, thank yer for er chaw Of
terbacker" But, when the traveller passed |
through and the crop of blues was on and |
CHANGED to meet the same native, instead |