The Scranton chronicle. (Scranton, Miss.) 1897-19??, 1901-09-14
MISSISSIPPI MATTERS.
NOTES OF PAST AND CURRENT EVENTS.
BY ]. l. POWER.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

There is not a shadow of an excuse /,
for the existence OF an Idle man In |
the Capital City. They can all get |
work-and most Of them good pay
always providing. OF course, they are
willing to work, and not afraid OF =
little hard work. Besides the demand
for skilled labor created by the great
amount OF building, the installation OF
a sewerage system, and many other
improvements. there Is loud, long cry
for labor, by the Illinois Central road.
This is due tas. incidentally are the
good wages paid) to the unusual
amount OF work the road Is doing on
Its tracks, and In various other ways.
but despite the active efforts of their
recruiting agents, their liberal adver.
tisements and their unusual induce
ments. Il Is impossible to get men
enough to do the work. And, despite
all this. we can see no dimlnution in
the great army Of able.bodied Idle
negroes who snbsist on the contents
OF the "old tin bucket which &C.
companies the cooks on their journeys
TO and fro from our kitchens to the
little two.room shack they rent for the
accommodation OF the Lord and Mas
ter" and their colonies of little pioka-
ninnies.
The Yazoo City Herald. always fore
most In good works, made an offer a
few weeks ago to send the paper free
to all Confederate Veteran Pensioners
on the rolls In Yazoo county. This
kindness has proven a great Joy to
some OF the old heroes, who had been.
for years. cut off from all-save occa-
sional--knowledge OF their friends and
county affairs. The following letter is
one of many received by the Herald.
and should incite other papers to like
often. infinitesimal. when compared
with the good 1t does to the sad hearts
around us:
Editor Herald:
Many, many thanks for your most
welcome paper. | am a poor old NO.
man, not able to take the paper, and
as | was raised in Yazoo City. was
always anxious to read home paper.
Also my husband, Ransom Sturdiyant.
was a Confederate soldier for four
years. lie has been dead fifteen
years. Again, many thanks.
Respectfully,
MARY A. STuRDwANT.
The Biloxi Herald is urging the
coast people TO undertake, extensively.
the culture of figs, as there is immense
profit in 1t when marketed fresh, or
sold TO the canneries. The writer
claims that the fig is practically In
digenous to the coast. IL requires very
| little cultivation, as can be seen from
| the large crops OF luscious fruit which
were gathered from the gnarled old
trees that had stood in every old FASH
Toned garden SO long that their plant
ing time had been forgotten by their
owners. These trees received absolute
ly no cultivation. yet bore heavily up
to the freeze of several years ago,
which was 80 disastrous. The young
trees that sprung up from these old
roots are all beginning to bear now,
and with one-half the care and cultiva-
tion that is given other fruits and
berries in Mississippi. we believe, like
the Herald, that the fig would prove an
easy purse fattener for our people. The
canneries on the coast are only too
eager to buy the figs on the trees, at
good price. and gather and can them,
thus affording employment to many
during the early dull season.
Several of the old soldiers whose
last days are among their best days"
thanks to the kindness and care of the
vIcksburg Daughters Of the Confeder-
scy, have fought the great battle,
finished the fight. and passed into the
peace Of the better land. surrounded
by every comfort In the annex, which
loving hands provided for them at
the vicksburg hospital. The last death
among them was Veteran John II.
Amaker. OF Kinds county.
Hattiesburg has purchased new
road machine and the Progress says,
judging by the way 1t tears up the
earth, 1t must be pretty good ma.
chine. The "woods--or rather the
towns and the roads through the
woods--ought TO be full" OF these ma,
chimes. and then, after they have had
fair chance at the bills and holIows
OF "old Mississippi" we might be able
to drive around to see the neighbors
with safety 10 life and limb.
Natchez has an artistic lad among
her children, OF whose gifts she
should be proud. This is Robert @.
Barton, aged IL years, who has taken
numerous prizes at fairs, exhibitions.
etc, and who had four of his draw
ings in recent issue OF the New York
Herald. II is said that some of his
work has been accepted by, and will
soon appear in,s leading Eastern
magazine. This gifted young artist
has been, for two years, a pupil in the
art department of Stanton College.
With the prohibition victory, In
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