The Van Buren press., 1903-05-23

well kept streets brought us to the home
Of our host, where we were made most
comfortable. There being no business
| on hand for the evening we took stroll
toward the business center Of the city
which we found in square surround
ing a very handsome court house, built
/ in the early 70 s (On the q-t, the Craw-
| ford county court house wonId look dis.
graceful alongside it). The business
houses were all Of brick and most of
them two stories in hight All were
well stocked with up-to-date goods. As
darkness came on the streets and build
ings were excellently lighted by cleo
tricity, This plant our host informed
us, as we'll as the water works were
owned by the city, the water from the
latter being furnished by an srtesian
well $50 feet deep, which gives an mex
haustable supply Of pure water, every
indication being that an underground
stream or lake had been tapped. We
learned later that Monticello, consider.
ing its inaccessibiity by railroad
most serious awbaCk-Was a manu-
featuring place of no mean importance
for its size (abOut l 700 people,. Most
of these are owned by stock companies
composed of local capitalists, of which
class of men she has great many and
they with sufficient enterprise to invest
il in enterprises tending to benefit the
town. First of importance is the cotton
miIl-the pioneer plant Of its kind in
the state, This plant was erected a
few years since at an expense Of 1885,,
900. 1t occupies handsome two story
brick building and is fitted out with
latest improved machinery. 1t now
makes only cotton duck, using up about
nine bales of cotton day. The man
ager is a Mr., Roe imported from the
Georgia mill district and is most
obliging gentleman. The plant en-
ploys ll0 operatives. The only thing
we could see to censuIe about it was the
number Of children employed, There
is cotton seed oil mill, compress, can
ming andice factory (sotO vOce, while
Van Buren people are mulcted in the
sum Of 65 cents per hundred for frigid-
ity, the MonticellOnian buys his at 25c
per hundred. Pine Bluff is a compet-
tor in that line there, A large brick
plant is being put up near that town
now.
Its educational facilities are good
Aside from the common schools, the
Hinemon Academy is located there, al
so the Baptist Orphans Home,
Monticello Is a temperance town and
the absence Of white or black lOafers
from the streets is a pleasant thing to
notice. We were told the plan was
that unless one Of these specimens
could show u means Of liyelyhood he
WAS put to repairing streets, Dit is n
plan we would like to see tried thor.
oughly in Van Buren,. 1t would make
the streets more passabe for the Indies
and children and do away with great
deal Of the petty pilfering now going on
continually.
Monticello claims, and can do so with
out contradiction, that it can boast Of
more elegant and modern residences
than any town Of its size in the state
OF recent years very laudable ambi-
tion has taken possession Of its citizens
that they vie with one another In put.
ting up attractive residences and max
ing the surroundings correspond Land
is reasonable in price and the town lHcks
that crowded appearance which so much
detraCts from many of the towns in this
state, The location Of the town is very
pretty, being on the very top Of the
water shed dividing the valleys Of the
Saline river and Bayou Bartholomew
We were told that the water shed from
the east side Of the roof Of the court
house flowed toward the latter stream