Macon beacon. [volume] (Macon, Miss.) 1859-1995, 1902-04-05
"reminiscences by J. K,

49, true an certainly LIesu ana NtIQdu
?. youth, Notwithstanding my three scor
al and ten years don't like to be con-
fined, especially by iuclement weather
, want to be out in the fresh air and sun.
= shine, where can behold the beautiful
: flowers as they look up at me and smile
" in their loveliness. They are tiny and
frail little things but they are arrayed in
= more beautiful CARDS than the rega'
robes Of queens and princesses, and
bring soft and sweet messages Of Gods
love and kindness to the heart Of the
weary old man
And | like to hear the hum Of the busy
bees as they gather honey from their fra,
grant, soft lips and swiftly fly to their
store house to put it away for a rainy
day. And the songs Of the little birds
cheer me and make me think Of the
happy days Of long ago. And, by the
way. the proud little blue bird that has
been absent for years, has come back
and resumed business at his cid stand,
Why did he leave and where has he been
all these yesrsi His song is the first to
be heard in spring and he is the gayest
and cheeriest Of all the plumed har.
bingers Of that season. thrust he will .
remain and abide with us in future.
Well, this trend Of thought brings
vecollectiOns Of dear oil Noxubee and ! .
will again try to tell you few things
of yore when you and ! were young and
as gay as the birds If we were not as
beautiful as the flowers. To DO this I
viii have to drop from the stiltsi
heights Of poetic fancies and deal in
matters Of reality and fact. Truth is
stronger than fiction, It's said, but it is
not, in all cases, so pleasing and ac.
ceptable, Facts are solemn things and d,
sometimes they run counter 10 our de-
sires and then we dislike TO accept them. =
But no matter how unpleasant a fact is
we are compelled. sooner or later, to
acknowledge it and treat it accordingly. ,
The census report Of Noxubee county
for 1890 shows that IN 1859 the county
produced over ftty.on thousand bales
of cotton. This was the best crop the
county ever made and it was the last :
full crop produced by slave labor. Up
to that time there had been a constant
increase Of niggers and, consequently.
a constant increase in the production Of
cotton. The natural increase Of the
bigger under the benignant care and
management Of his master was then M
o the maximum, Their increase in all q
he cotton states was augmented by the fl
lave trade that was carried on between pl
he states There were men who were
allied "nigger traders who brought
reat numbers Of them from the border q" %
tates, especially from Virginia, and ,
old them to the planters, In many in. p'
tances, too, the larger planters went
! person to these states and made their of
urchases. The niger was much more is
ought after as a slave than he is as a fol-
Teller citizen" With this increase "
the niger a corresponding increase of pr
pen land fov him to cultivate was Mi
scessary and then all the available Co
nd in the plairies was then under
llage. Very little has been opened
nee the war.
The population of the county was fill
tile over thirty.one thousand and it ito
i'll stands at that figure. of these bet
ere were twenty seven thousand is
groes. There were seven niggers to the
cry white person-and still a-coming, an
No wonder the white folks were rich TIL
d proud. CIa
In addition to this immense crop of &c,
ton there was a surplus Of corn raised ind
the county All the bacon and near. As
all the -four consumed in the county Civ
Is raised at home, The grocery and ten
gar bills were confined to sugar and ma
Zee molasses and candles. The itch ial
K burned sperm candles when thew this
company. They cost fifty conts a thei
and. The aristocracy mad silver this
IDLE sticks and snuffers to clip off the tior
mt end of the wick, The poor folks cav
ID tallow candles and were glad 70 and
them, They snuffed them with
II fingers, A young man visiting q
could always tell if he was welc3m pou
the length of the candle brought into Ian
partor. The length of the visit was i' "
raner,be- .ho. NJ ."' O'uU'e. cts.
changed all that.
addition to the crops above named NJ
re were immense crops Of sweet DO. mir
yes and peas raised in the fields and aIec
e quantities Of collards and turnips sbor
uss.oes naa lree access to these and pay
their weekly allowance of a peck of
Il, pint Of molasses and three and 2
pounds Of meat, were we'll fed. =.
y don't live near so well now. III
y object in giving these facts is to GEM
.rast the production of the county oe
with slave labor and now with free 'heh
r. Then the Niger produced two
$ of cotton for each head, big and In
e. and fed himself. Then the county Of fs
=. ~ II ",iu o"oon' now II buys more the !
1t produces, Then there was a sur.
OF all the edibles, now there is a la. SCI
table and crying scarcity. Then and
horses, mules, hogs and cattle were we a
less