The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-09
BREWTON, A LITTLE CITY
 OF MANY WEALTHY MEN

wives of Brewton men.
 With their local loyalty and local patriotism, the closeness with which they are knit together, there is noth- ing but kindness and open-hearted cordiality for the visitor. With the warmth of a Corsican they deem 1t an honor to have the stranger under
 their shelter and their hospitality is unbounded. It may be that the visitor
 does not tarry in this favored place
 because these people have nothing to sell him. They are of that well satis- fled class which has enough for the present and holds on looking confi- dently to the future. This policy has brought it's reward already for in 1t is found the wealth of Brewton and Escambia county. While other land holders in South Alabama twenty years ago were glad to hand over their timb- e rforests to shrewd Northwestern fi- nanciers for $1 and $1.50 an acre these Escambia county people, with the wis., dom of seers, held on and waited. Those more frugal. more far-sighted than others were not content to be
 mere holders-on to little. They want ed more and as success began to light
 en the skies they bought land and more land and still more land.
 The wisdom of this course was re-
 vealed in the words of one Brewton
 man who may ride as straight as the
 bird flies from dawn to twilight through his virgin forests.
 yesterday said this man. T with drew from the market 75,000 acres of my land. The best offer I had was cash offer of $550.000. Those acres are not for sale now"
 Captains of Industry.
 Among Brewton's captains of indus try there are T. R. Miller. E.. Downing and w. w. Downing, the Lovelace brothers. Edward M Lovelace. w. ". Lovelace, who is Mayor of the town. and J. H. Lovelace; S. J. Fohee. c. l.. W. w. Downing, S. J. Foshee c. l.. Sowell and Alex Mcowin. Jr. These eleven men are said to represent near ly $5,000.000 of vaues, Brewton values. Every one of them was born in Ala bama, several of them in Escambla county and all but three of them were reared together as poor boys. Three of them came home from the struggle between the States forty-one years ago broken in purse, crushed in spirit but with dauntless courage.
 Scores of names of other rich men of Brewton could be mentioned but the Millers, the Lovelaces. the Downings, the Foshees, the McGowins and the
 Sowells are popularly accredited with being Brewtons foremost men of | money
 They, these Brewton people, like to talk of the success of their home folks. | "The McGowin boys were raised up the river" they will say with loving re- spect in their voice. Ed Lovelace used to drive a timber cart for a dol
 lar a day" or "the Downings lived in
 North Escambia."
 Five-igure transactions are every day incidents to Brewton life and Brewtons Wall street runs up and
 down the Nlilroad tracks on either side of which the two hotels, the two banks, the two newspaper offices and the busi- ness houses are situated. The hotel offices are Brewton's clearing houses and here one hears of transactions
 daily that would not be despised in
 the great exchanges of New York or Chicago.
 Well, I sold him my bank stock today" said a square -jawed. lean fell
 low who showed the effect of his ear ly hard life in the woods, as he drew himself up to the hotel stove by the
 side of his neighbor. Got twenty-two thousand. Think I'll give 1t to my wife"
 It was Brewton bank stock, too, and
 found upon inquiry that the sale was
 consummated only after persistent ef-
 fort on the part of Jim.
 Way Won by Hard work. The history of these Brewton men
 of money is very much the same. Born and reared in diversity they won their