The Montgomery advertiser., 1903-08-02

stroyed ages ago. the stories and legends told by the people who dwell about the ruins throw glamour of beauty over the memories of the old town. The favorite legend is that of the minister's curse. The desolation and ruin of St. Stephens was so complete that many have seen In 1t. the fulfllment of the earnest curse pro- nounced upon 1t by the Baptist preacher who had been denied hearing within it's precincts.
 It Is told of him that in missionary. trip through the new land then known as the Southwest, he came to St. Stephens. He had been journeying from settlement to settlement delivering his message where he could find hearers for 1t. He found at St. Stephens gay and careless people. Their responsibilities lay but lightly upon them and the pleasure Of the hour was the chief concern. There were the fist fighters, a peculiar product of those days boastfnl of their brawn, horse racers and gamblers. The people of the town all found pleasure and recreation in dancing and cards were a most popular pastime.
 The minister found no warmth of greet ing from the careless population of the pioneer town. The minister was !nsistent on the delivery of his message. It was. he felt, incumbent on him to condemn the evil and sinfulness of the town. The re- sentiment of the towns people was aroused and the minister left the town with bit- ter enmity to the people. To hls mind they had scoffed at the Masters cause and had insulted his Masters messenger. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah was to him fit punishment for the wick edness of St. Stephens,
 It is told that he crossed the Tomhigbee and standing on the plain beyond it with his face toward the setting sun, looking toward the town spread out on the bluff, he called down the curse of Heaven upon St. Stephens, He mathematical the un- regenerate people whose iniquities had deafened their ears to the Word. He prayed that they and their descendants should be scattered to the four winds of the earth. He prayed 1t is said, that the houses which bred so much evil should be razed to the ground. He cursed the town as a place of wickedness and iIiquity whose destruction should be so complete that one stone should not rest upon an- other and grass should grow green upon the highways and the streets of St. Stephens.
 If such a curse was uttered 1t has been fulfilled to the letter. The town had perished from the earth and so complete has been its destruction that one Is al- most tempted to believe that It's goddess ness, which has so often been empha- sized, called down upon 1t, the fate of Sodom and Gomorah.
 There was not during the entire history of the town, a church building or church organization within its confines. More than once 1t has been asserted that no grave stone about the town has carved upon it the hope of future reward. It has been said that no grave stone bears testimony to the belief of the living in the life beyond the grave. A nasty ex- animation of the tombs failed to show that this could be successfully contra dicted
 Fate Against the Town.
 After all had been said on this point history records nothing to show that St. Stephens was either better or worse than the other frontier towns. It was q type of the town of its epoch, and its surrounding conditions. A strain of ad- venture ran through it's population and they lived with sense of freedom, that Alabama in the twentieth century could hardly appreciate. The town had both the strength and weakness of youth. It was lusty with the youth that was con- fident of the present and the future. It had disregard of youth for con- sequences, and a youthful zest for pleas ure St Stephens was simply pioneer town filled with men and women under middle age.
 Economic conditions proved it's doom. No supernatural agency encompassed its downfall It's trade was won away and it had no way to win any of the wealth that caIne so quickly from the great ag- ricultural district of the state. To this day no town of importance has grown up near its old site.
 St. Stephens came into being long be- fore Alabama was ever even n territory. The territorial legislature of Mississippi In for In the early years of the Nineteenth century by act of the territorial legislature. Wash ington county stretched arrogantly from the Mississippi to the Chattahoochee river The town of 'Maconsbay" sit uated on the west bank of the Tombigbee river was the old fort of St. Stephens was incorporated in 1903 by the Missis- sippi legislature. Beyond the official act establishing "Maconsbay." but little. if anything else. is known or recorded of that town. It was in all probability the first of the settlements of the forts which were later merged into St. Stephens. The town of Franklin closely adjacent. was established in 1907. The act incorporating St. Stephens was passed in 1911, and the town of Rodney, which the act tells us was established on the lands of Josias Bullock was incorporated in 1918. All the towns were parts of Alabama's territorial
 
 St. Stephens in Its Prime.
 It was in ISIS the chief town of conse- ouence in what Ia now the State of Ala bama The federal land office in charge of James Magofiin had been established several years previously. Federal courts were held there and men of strength and intelligence had been attracted to the place The town had q population ar this time of perhaps 2.5OO
 The location was not suitable nor at- tractive for a town The site of St Ste phcns was broken and hilly. The land upon which it was built was extremely Irregular It grew to the south and west upon d series of ridges. The main streets were run upon level grounds but the houses which faced them were built upon sharp declivities. In the rear of the houses a parallel street ran several feet higher than the Main Street. and the parallel street in the opposite direction was several feet lower. The streets ran over and around ridges
 High Street. the principal street of the town. ran east and west along a ridge. Parallel and below it towards the river were Front and Madison
 On the other side were Jackson and Monroe Streets constructed parallel to High and built at a later period of the towns history. At right angles with High were Chambers. Orange. Spring and Lane Streets.
 The central point of the business com munity lay near to the intersection of High and Lane Streets. Tn one angle was situated the famous Tombgbee Bank. Across the street stood the old brick