The Birmingham age-herald., 1902-10-20
County Seat of Marengo Home
 of Famous Men
STORIES OF OLD LINDEN
Formerly the Town Was Considered Tough, But Now it Is Progress slve and Law Abiding-lts
 Prominent Men.
BY cHAs. Il. ALIEN. JR.


 the county seat of Marengo county. is situated eighteen miles south of Demopo- lis, and nine miles east of the Bigbee river. It has population of about 800 and is increasing rapidly since the build ing of the Birmingham Selma and New Orleans railroad to Myrtlewood. twelve miles west of Linden. Of course in time | the railroad will cross the Bigbee river and either go to Meridian or Hatties- burg. Trains are run daily from Selma to Linden and Myrtlewood the Louis vile and Nashville people are now own CTS of the new road since Colonel Abbott and associates have sold out their in- terests.
 There is much confusion here over the building of a new court house, bonds having been Issued and sold under an act of the legislature, for that purpose. | The commissioners court attempted to build the court house at the new town near the depot, which is nearly a mile from old Linden, but some of the inhab- itants of the old town got out an in junction and stopped that. Then the commissioners began building just in the corporate limits of the old town and as near the depot as possible, construing | the decision of the supreme court 10 mean that the building must be in the | limits of the old town. The work was carried to height of about six feet when another injunction was filed against them and the work is at standstill.
 The New Town.
 The new town at the depot is growing very fast, and store houses are being built in a hurry A new cotton seed oil mill is under construction. R. G. Ennis, son of R. w Ennis of Livingston, is
 
 near here and lumber Is cheap and plen- tiful There are now four fine new resi- dences in course of erection, all within three blocks of the station house.
 Marengo county was founded in ISIS. one year before Alabama was admitted into the Union, and named for one or Napoleon's great victories over the Aus trians and in honor of the French colo ny that had settled at White Bluff, now Demopolis upon being exiled from France. The county has an area of 960 square miles and the population in 1900 was 3S315, of these 12,000 are white and | 26,000 eolored. The chief product is cot | ton and about 10000 acres are annually | planted in the fleecy staple and the aver | age yield is about 10000 bales. Marengo | ranks sixth in the state as cotton pro- | ducing county The usual acreage in corn is 55.000 and as a rule the farmers have corn to sell, but for the past three years this crop has been exceedingly short. Fruits of all kinds are raised. and peaches grow as fine at Linden as any where in the state. In a short time many acres will be devoted to peach cul- ture since the advent of the new rail- road gives shipping facilities.
 Home of Noted Men.
 Linden has been the home of many noted characters whose history is inter- woven with that of Alabama. The la mented Judge Brooks, once practiced law here as did Senator Edmond w. Pettus, Judge w. E. Clarke, R. H. Clarke, Judge John c. Anderson and many others in the olden days or the republic Rube Burrows, the noted train robber, was killed here by Dixie Carter about ten years ago, just after Rube had robbed the Mobile and Ohio train at Buckatunna. John Robinson, the famous circus bareback rider, was born here in the old Glass hotel, recently torn down, away back in the days when cireuses travelled by wagon through the land. There is no more historic town in the state than Linden, and it used to be so tough that the judge and solicitor dis liked to go there and hold court. In fact a witty legal light used to say that If he owned Linden and hades, ne would rent out Linden and live in hades. | All this has disappeared now, and the new bored well which was bored by the county. issues health to all who use It. | The railroad has infused new life in the old town and the people are now happy and content Churches and schools are plentiful and everything that goes to make up a live and progressive town is to be found here.
 Among It's most prominent and inter- nrising citizens might be mentioned Pro- hate Judge S. P. Prowell County Treas urer w. L. Brasfield J. M. Miller, Esq, IT. I. Canterbury. Esp. s. M. Gusdorf, Lew & Co. L M. Boney, E. S. George, Dr. A. B Stone w. A. Pickens, W. s. Pudcell, Lamar Matkin, w 5. Cooper | A A Cleveland. c. B. Cleveland, V. c. Bailey, E. A Trigg, A. L. Nasty, sher- | if and M. Schwartz